End of an era.

On December 30, 1999, I took delivery of my very first brand new car. I broke all the rules of car ownership, and I did it for love. From that moment on, I was the lady with the PT Cruiser with the vanity plate, and that car never failed to delight or deliver on its promise – to quite simply be the best car I’ve ever had.

I bought it in the first year of the PT’s existence – breaking rule number one. Never buy the first year – let them work the kinks out first, then get in on it a few years later. I also bought it brand new – breaking rule number two. Technically, I lost thousands of dollars the moment I started it up and drove it off the lot.

But I was working as a well-paid, full-time consultant at the time. I leased the car rather than buying it – a better tax write-off. Indeed, even the vanity plate fit into the overall business plan: as a regular Gold Circle attendee of Bluesfest, I loved driving onto the festival grounds to park (back when we could do that, in the pre-museum Good Old Days of Bluesfest), and watch the heads turn and people smile.

Technically, I broke a third rule when I got to the end of that lease: I bought the car out, financing its balance through another car loan. All tolled, I likely bought the damned thing twice over with the amount of money I paid. But damn, I LOVED THAT CAR!

Cars are an expense, not an investment. No matter how you get there, you’re always going to be facing a monthly bill when you own a car. Unlike my parents’ generation, I’ve never had enough cash on hand to buy a car outright, so it always had to be financed somehow. But expense or not, it was worth every penny – the car ran for 16 years. Ok, it had a few quirky electrical issues – power was always its weak link. Ultimately, I stopped driving it because I didn’t want to be surprised with a key that wouldn’t turn. But Greg kept it going for a few more years, and man, did that car work for us. Lumber, equipment, furniture, patio stones, dirt, sleeping car, it did it all, and still parked in a “small car” parking spot. It was a joy to get in and out, beautifully appointed inside, and sexy as hell.

And today, a man with a tow truck took it away for scrap for the Kidney Foundation of Canada. 

Will this be my last romance with a car? Likely not. But you never forget your First.