Did you ever have an inane conversation based on “what if’s?” Sometimes the oddest bits of info come out of them.
In the course of a conversation, a friend asked if I would buy a new car anytime soon. This friend knows I’m not a car person (not that there is anything wrong with that!) and I rarely get new cars. Most of my cars hang around for 8 to 10 years. Some more. The current car is only three years old with low mileage. Expecting a “probably not” answer, I surprised her.
I surprised myself.
My answer (spontaneous with no thought at all) was that I would get a new car if Starbucks changed their cup and it didn’t fit in my cup holder. (I have no idea how this came to be such a priority! Perhaps coffee spills in the last car which did not have a proper cup holder.)
My second reason would be if I won the lottery. I wouldn’t get a fancy car. I would update what I have. With a proper cup holder. In a nice shade of red – not too flashy, not too dark, I could be very happy as long as the cat carriers clicked in the back seat safely.
My third thought was if I was getting dotty in the head, I would upgrade to better safety features. The problem with getting dotty is that the affected person rarely acknowledges it. If someone offers to help me buy a safer car I know I’m in trouble.
Since none of these issues are a concern at the moment, I’ll continue to drive my red car with some safety features, a proper fitting cup holder and cat carrier straps. Life is good.
I like cars but I’m not obsessed with them. I know I never bought one for a cup holder but I do need a good sound system. My wife has a car that’s five years old with 13K miles on it and I usually lease one that I turn in every three years. I know it’s more expensive but I like having a different one every three years and I haven’t repeated one in over twenty years. All SUV’s. I don’t know that I can go back to a car though my current one is a Subaru Outback.
I’ve had my share of cars with 175K miles on them but after I broke down on an interstate I decided I’d rather stay current…:)
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My car has 11K on it and it’s maybe 4 years old. Leasing is a great option if you want to update every 3 years. Nothing wrong with that. I seem to do that with cats. Not leasing but adding every few years.
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Lol
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Girl, you’ve got priorities. And they are excellent.
I can relate completely as a person who buys a car with the intention of driving it till it dies. I have been driving for 40 years and am now six years into Car Number Three.
Technically speaking – Car Number Two refused to die. After 14 years I traded it in for a radio and speakers in its successor. I assume Car Two is barreling around somewhere in Africa right now as I write this.
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I think my old cars are in a landfill. The idea of having them running around Africa is pretty cool.
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I probably need a new car, but I don’t want to talk about it. I like the one I have, but I’m beginning to have what I call “Penny” problems. That is, like the character on The Big Bang Theory, my check engine light comes on much too often– and I continue to ignore it.
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The last time I had that happen it was a faulty dohicky and nothing was wrong with the car. I love all the gauges. I picked up a nail about 2 years ago and would have had a flat on the road except I got the low tire pressure signal and checked it out before it went flat. In many ways cars are easier these days. So many safety features that make me feel safer.
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I normally keep my cars for at least ten years too. But, after only four years, I’m ready to trade my gas-powered car for another electric vehicle (my first one was totaled by someone who ran a red light). I have no idea what possessed me to go from electric (which I loved) to gas, but I soon realized the error in my ways. Proper cup holders, a back-up camera, and push button ignition… I am a woman of few wants.
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I’ve never had an electric car but they do intrigue me. All those things you want are good. I’m not sure if I would know how to start a car with a key.
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You know, it’s the little things. I hate it when then cup doesn’t fit. I had an awesome, top-of-the-line to go mug for tea and it was too big for the cup holder in our new car.
But I’m cheap. I got a new mug. (Still a little bitter, though.)
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That’s one option. Much cheaper!
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Cats, coffee and color are very things to consider in a car! I can’t start a trip without a cup of coffee. You are a wise woman. I name my cars and tend to keep them for 8-10 years. Cheers!
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Perhaps I should name mine too.
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Cats, safety and proper fitting Starbuck cup holders… these sound like sensible priorities to me! 😍
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And color. It’s all about the color!
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I actually thought of you yesterday because I went through a Starbucks drive-thru for the first time ever (the store itself was closed still — they’re cleaning up from the hurricane still). I continue to hate drive-thru’s, but thankfully the cup did fit in my 10 year old Toyota’s cup holder. My car is now over 100,000 miles. If I can get two more years out of it, I’ll be happy. I’ve only ever bought new cars, but I’m pretty sure my next one will be used. – Marty
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Perhaps this one will last you a while yet. Toyota’s are good cars. Good news about the cup holder. My last car had a cup holder that was too shallow. It wasn’t only SB cups that would tip over. Almost any cup except a very small one would.
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My car (Honda Civic) is 17 years old . . . with less than 100K miles. I’m not ready to trade it in. My last Honda (an Accord) stayed with us for 14 years, but it had more miles on it.
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As I wrote this I remembered you were driving an older car. You car will rust out before it wears out!
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I don’t even have a car right now. If I ever won the lottery I just love my son & DIL’s red Prius! (I also love red cars.) It has good cup holders, back up camera, tremendous mileage, hatchback. Only thing better would be if it was all electric…maybe a Tesla (is that the name of those?). I am not much of a car person, either.
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Prius is very cool. Teslas are expensive but perhaps if that lottery comes through.
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My Subaru Outback (in Subaru Red) will be celebrating 15 years with me this Thanksgiving. We have had a great time together and I only hope we will share more good experiences. Whenever I see my car in the parking lot I am proud to be her owner! I hope she feels the same way about me!
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I had a green one for 10 years. I loved it. I have a Toyota but love the Subaru red much better.
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The right size cup holders are very important. I add sunroof to my list of requirements. We got a Honda CRV two years ago and I love it. So dependable. Red, not so much – too easy for the police to spot.
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I have a sunroof that I have never opened. I came as part of the back-up camera package. My eyes are too sensitive to sunlight to use a sunroof. Little old ladies in red cars don’t spark much attention from the police.
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We still have a mug from the olde days when there were no cup holders. The mug is fat on the bottom and has a grippy texture so it won’t slide around on the console or floor or rooftop (yep, did that a few times) or wherever you put it.
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I remember those. One of them rolled off my dashboard and sent coffee all over my brand new car. What a mess. Worse yet, I had no coffee.
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I’m definitely not a car person. I’ve always owned a Honda or Toyota and they run forever, with little maintenance. I’m not a fan of car payments, so I’ll drive the car for 10 years or more.
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I’ve had quite a few Toyotas with a Subaru tossed in there. That’s why I worry more about color, safety features and amenities. They all work just fine so I don’t worry about engine “stuff.” Not a fan of car payments either. I’ve got other things I’d rather spend it on.
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CH and I have a lot of “what if” conversations but I mostly have “what if” conversations with myself. Usually at night which keep me from sleeping… 😀 I am a car person… got it honest from my Mom and my Dad. Married a car person, too! Red is a great color, Kate! Proper fitting cup holders are a must and so are heated seats! Even though that screen thingie drives me crazy, the back-up deal has saved me more than once! I think I remember you have that on your RED car! I have never had a “what if” conversation with either of our vehicles… 🙂 We purchased a new car in 2016 and I think it will be around for a long while. Do you and your husband think you will ever go to one car?
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We talk about one car and then we both laugh. We each go our own ways too much but maybe when we are older and won’t fight over who gets to use it when. Financially it makes sense because we don’t put much mileage on either car.
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Agreed!
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I would like a new car … mine is almost 7 years old and has a big boo-boo on the front from hitting the corner of the garage earlier this summer. We’ve had lots of adventures together but I’m ready to retire it.
Alas – it’s not going to happen any time soon 😦
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I have loved most of my cars but the last one I did not. I only had it 3 years and traded it in. The cup holder wasn’t deep enough and anything put in it would topple over (you can see why I’m so focused on this). Then it was blue. So not right for me. There were a few other things too.
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The colour is important. Very important 🙂
… but my all-time favourite car was blue and his name was Gunther 🙂
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I have never named my cars. My thanksgiving turkeys — yes but not my cars. 🙂
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hahahaha!!! Do I dare ask why you’ve named your turkeys?!! 😀
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It started when I was young and cooked my first turkey. I called her Cynthia. I no longer cook whole turkeys so those days are over. Now the house policy is if it has a name, it doesn’t get eaten.
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That’s actually a good policy.
Maybe I should start naming chocolate, cookies, and ice cream. It could save me from myself 😉
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I hate dealing with all car issues…repairs, buying a new (used) one, whatever. I would be delighted to be wealthy enough to just have someone drive me everywhere and deal with the car stuff. Maybe in the next life.
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So true. I’ll change that to “if I win the lottery, I’ll get a driver.” Much better.
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I laughed like crazy as I read about the cup holder… but honestly you are right… my father (who owned the car before me) had a milk shake explosion 6 years ago… and the car smells still like rotten milk somehow and the traces are still visible, no matter how often I cleaned the seat… so cup holders are very important and sure a reason to buy a new car… absolutely!
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Thank God there is someone else who thinks like me. Although we may both be crazy.
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Old, dried milk can give old, dried cat pee a run for its money in the stink department. Your reasoning is sound, indeed.
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