Why do we have cars?
By we, I mean the North American we.
Why do we have so many cars?
Cars break down, pollute and congest. They cost WAY
more than they should and we don’t spend nearly enough
time in them to justify the amout of money we put into them. The
industry
is run, largely, by some fairly
corrupt businesses and businessmen, and the precious
fluids they run on are also the fluids that power the
majority of the conflicts of the Middle East.
Are we all just stupid?
I know I am!
Our car broke down this weekend, causing me to really
reflect on why we put ourselves in a $14,000 black
hole in the first place. And our car didn’t break
down in a “needs new spark plugs” kind of way, or even
a “needs a new radiator” kind of way. It broke down
in a “we’re going to need your first born child as a down payment” kind
of way. It’s a 5-year-old car with only 65,000 miles
on it, and *cha-ching,* it’s a lemon!
I researched, I shopped around and I found a car that
should, if well maintained (and it was), have
lasted for EVER. 1998 Subaru Outback 30th aniversary
limited. After years and years of putting up with
decrepit 15 to 25-year-old cars, my girlfriend and I
decided we should invest in a vehicle that we wouldn’t
have to worry about. A car that would get decent
mileage, have room for a Labrador and future
baby-seats, a record of long life and dependability,
and a ruggedness that could survive the Alaskan highway
for our trips to visit her family in Anchorage in the
summers. This summer being an especially important
one because, well, WE’RE GETTING MARRIED UP THERE THIS
JULY!
But that’s another story…
The $2,000 we’ve saved for wedding expenses is
being sacrificed to the automotive gods up in Portland
right now. Blown head gasket… buh-bye!
As I watched the throngs of humanity tear past me at
breakneck speeds from my vantage point on the side of
Interstate 5 in southern Washington this weekend, while pouring bottled water into my steaming radiator, I
realized, more than ever, that something is very wrong
with the way we do things around here. I would kill
for some affordable mass transportation. Amtrack
doesn’t run to many of our favorite vacation locations,
and Greyhound, not so aptly named, travels at about
the speed of a sprinting basset hound. So, like
everyone else, we’ve lemminged ourselves into a $14,000
nightmare and are headed, like a true patriot, toward
the proverbial cliff of debt.
God bless America!
God bless Exxon!
And god bless Dan’s Automotive in Lake Oswego. I hope
they can keep the price under $2,000. (And let’s hope
they stand by their 18,000-mile guarantee)
Just my $0.02…