On irrationality and first cars
So I finally did it. Sort of. I bought my father’s Celica (for an incredibly good price I might add). Its a great car, 2003 Celica GTS, more or less loaded (in 2003 terms) with super low miles. Hasn’t even hit 55k yet. In other words it is a long way up from my beloved 1992 Toyota Paseo in terms of new. 11 years, roughly 160,000 miles. No matter how you slice it, newer.
Which brought about a super interesting reaction out of me. I love that Paseo. I have turned it into a part of my identity. Coming up on 14 years, 135,000 miles. That’s a long time to spend with a car. Never once did it leave me stranded or even give me a rough time. Oh there were some proverbial bumps in the road, shocks, the starter, a rusted out exhaust, batteries (actually only one now that I think about), oil leaks and so forth. But it never once let me down. In some ways I had turned it into a badge of honour that at 30 years old I was still driving the car I bought for $3,500 when I was 16. Well maybe not honour but it was certainly a me thing.
And that has subsequently left me with a dilemma. A really really stupid dilemma I will admit. Do I remain a 3 vehicle household (Celica, Paseo, Motorcycle) or do I sell the Paseo? The straightforward answer that everybody else would have no problem saying is “Sell the Paseo. Its a car, they come and they go.” Instead I am sitting here going “Would I actually get anything out of a 21 year old car with a salvage title other than $500 at the junkers?” And the answer is most likely no. I have it listed on craigslist but am not expecting to really hear back from anybody. And quite frankly, between the bare minimum insurance and the super minor maintenance that needs to be done (I drive something like 7,000 in an average year) it only costs me, presently about $300 to keep on the road normally. With even less wear and tear (lets be honest here, I would drive the celica more) it would cut that figure even further. All I need is a place to put her. Conveniently I can park a car at my ladies place more or less indefinitely. For free. And to be completely honest? That $300 a year is in no danger of breaking me any time soon.
What I find really fascinating about this is the fact that its only the Paseo. I love my motorcycle. I would be able to sell it and purchase a different one without any real emotional qualms I think. Maybe that will change if I hold on to her long enough, I don’t really know truthfully. But right now, if I had a second motorcycle, I think I could sell my first bike without too many issues. Hell, I could probably even turn a decent chunk of change I suppose.
I should take a lesson from the dalai lama and cut ties with my Paseo. Its only a thing. But its a thing that has been there for a great chunk of my life (almost a majority) and a thing that I have a severe, irrational, emotional investment in. I am not sure whether its a guy thing or a me thing or what, but it makes me very very sad to consider selling the Paseo. Hell, it makes me sad seeing it parked in front of my parents house with a For Sale sign taped to the window. Maybe I just don’t want to move on. Its no secret that I am not nearly the impulsive young man that I once was, instead I am the man who thinks twice before I leap these days. I don’t do many things that are likely to lead me down the path of regret. Hell, some would argue that I don’t do much period. there is truth to that but its more deliberate than people realize I suspect. Regardless I do my best to not do things that will lead to regret down the line. And so far, even with all of the negative stuff in my life over the years, I have done fairly good at that. The things I do regret are all things I didn’t do rather than things I did. I didn’t push as hard to get that promotion or a different job. I didn’t travel as much as I wanted to in my 20s. Shit like that.or
Its no Model A but I can relate to this guy way too easily. Or any of the other thousands of stories you can come across googling things like “Emotional investment in car” or “Regret selling first car” etc. Its irrational. But she is my first. Once I sell her, if I sell her, that’s gone forever. And I don’t know whether I would regret that or not.
At least, for whatever its worth, I realize this is irrational. that doesn’t resolve the debate at all.
September 26th, 2013 at 1:15 am
I can understand the attachment. Irrational or not, it’s hard to part with something like that, and it’s much easier to call it priceless when it’s nearly worthless. It’s your car, and I think you should do with it as you please. I suspect that eventually circumstances will force your hand, but for now if you can afford the pittance to keep it, I see no harm.
I am really glad you finally got your Dad’s car though. That thing is so, so nice.
I don’t even know where my first car is now. I sold it to my youngest sister, and she drove it into the ground. Now it’s probably scrap. (It wasn’t worth much when I sold it her, it’s hard to imagine someone else wanting to drive it.) On the other hand, I’ve got dozens (and dozens!) of sentimental items from my childhood. Birthday cards, photos, crayon drawings, diaries, pebbles, even corsages from high school dances. I can hardly claim I’m any less nostalgic than you are. Maybe someday I’ll have to get rid of it all, but it won’t be easy, or without some regret.
Take it easy, my friend.