A Brand New Car!

Sabine:

A car. I want a car, finally ! Where I live we have fantastic public transportation. That’s good and bad. It’s fairly easy to come around by it, but it also made it easy for me to get a driver’s license only seven years ago. And it makes it easy not to buy a car, as it’s not an absolute must.

In summer I had my Mom’s car for a while as she was sick in the hospital. It was perfect timing as it was at the time I wanted to remodel my home. But not only that it also showed me how nice it would be to have a car of my own. Even if I’d not drive it everyday, but it would stand there waiting for me to decide to use it right then and there.

So there it is: I WANT my first car !

Parker:

I can absolutely understand this want.

For me, a car is implicit freedom, the ability to go whenever, wherever. To pack the car with all you own or will need, and take off into the sunset. I grew up in a rural area and having a vehicle really did mean freedom. No more relying on the school bus, and only getting to know friends from other towns over the phone because they couldn’t stay late after school. It meant self-reliance. I got my driver’s license as soon as I could legally do so, and took lessons a few times before the test. I didn’t have my first car until a few years later – Baby Blue I called her. It was a manual and I learned best – and stalled the car – when alone. Able to get upset and then solve the problem without any other instruction or embarrassment of passengers. I learned quickly.

Later, it meant driving across the province (British Columbia) to go to College, and being able to come back to my parents at holidays, leaving and driving when it was best to do so, rather than dealing with airlines etc. After that, it meant leaving Victoria, packing up the car, and driving to Montreal (partial cross-Canada drive two of four) to live their for a while, leaving behind a toxic relationship and striking out for a new adventure. The car allowed me to drive the length of this entire country and to see small towns and areas not serviced well by public transit (pretty much everywhere out of major cities). Canada is so vast, it is difficult to navigate without a car outside of metropolitan areas.

I feel guilty for having a car at times (as you said, not likely to be driven every day), but it is impeded in my psyche. I think many Canadians would say the same if they stopped to think about it. I know that cars as they operate now are not sustainable long term, but until it makes sense to pursue an alternative, I shall keep it.

Yes, I do understand why you would want a car, Sabine! The freedom to drive on a whim is definitely a lovely thing to have.