It’s been eleven years since I obtained “Betsy Jr.”. The original “Betsy” was a 1985 Volvo 770. It was a tank, and has seen some pretty harrowing things. It’s survived a car accident, a spin out, burning jumper cables, icy freeways with fish tails a plenty, and many hot summers with leather upholstery burning the skin. Then, “Betsy Jr.” entered my life as a tough as nails Toyota Corolla from 2003. She’s been through ass-dents, snowy mountain passes, headbutts with other cars, and travels all over the great state of California. She is one tough granny of a car. If I were to guess, I would put her at, at least 110 years old in car years.
It’s amazing the kind of memories and experiences you have with cars. They are there for your internal monologues, your pop song solos, and your road rage. They may be transportation, but they are around for many of our important life changes. “Betsy Jr.” was even my home for a short time. Now, I realize most people don’t think of their cars fondly, but sometimes I feel grateful for such a reliable companion. Which pains me, as I must admit, that it’s time to take Betsy Jr. to that farm for her to “retire”. It’s time to move on.
On Twitter I’ve been asking around for what would be a good successor. For some reason I’m obsessed with small things. I want a smaller phone, I like a small e-reader, I would like a smaller stomach, and I believe I want a small car. It almost seems appropriate as I went from a tank to a compact car. The natural progression seems to towards a tiny vehicle. Nothing like a Smart Car or anything. I want to actually feel like I can stretch my arms a bit and actually fit something in there other than air. So it looks like it’s a toss up between the Mini Cooper or the Fiat 500.
If you have any thoughts on either fine automobile, please let me know. They’re European heritage calls out to me. And you’d be helping me find “Lucy”.
