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I’m not usually a crier. My emotional state is usually spared during sad movies, weddings, and even the ASPCA commercials, so it takes quite a punch for me to break out the waterworks.
All that to say, yes. You read the title correctly. I know it sounds completely irrational to get emotional about an inanimate object, but I absolutely wept over trading in my car yesterday. However, this wasn’t just any car. This was my beautifully beat-up 2008 Honda Civic that I’ve had since I could legally drive. The paint job was wearing off. One of the shade visors had broken completely. The leather on one of the seats was peeling up. She was looking pretty rough.
Luckily, Hondas can last for forever, but all of the wear and tear signs pointed to my next step: it was time to invest in a new car. It didn’t take me too long to decide what I wanted since I’m a Honda gal through and through. So after a bit of research, test drives, a picky search for the perfect interior and exterior color, and a lovely talk with the sales representative, it was time to get a new Honda CR-V.
Yes. This is so stupid, and I’m fully aware of it… But I was crying on the way to the dealership knowing this would be the last time I’d ever get to drive my Civic. If you saw me, you would’ve thought someone had taken a baseball bat to my brand new Lamborghini and set it on fire in front of my eyes.
“Come on, Katie. Snap out of it! You’re getting a new car! This is a time to be happy,” I tried to console myself. Getting a new car is a huge blessing and something I was thrilled about. After all, I hated worrying that my old car would break down mid-evacuation of a California wildfire, or wouldn’t be able to get me home in case of an emergency. But my old car, in many ways, served as a time capsule of a very dynamic decade.
This was the car that served as transportation to Friday night football games and my nightly rehearsals for the Spring musical in high school. This was the car that took me from Nashville to Auburn my Freshman year of college, and every trip home in between that first year. This was the car I graduated and hung my cap tassel in (twice). This was the car that drove me over 2,000 miles across the country three years ago when I moved to Los Angeles. This was the car that witnessed my nerves and listened to my monologues before various auditions. This was the car that I bawled my eyes out in after a bad breakup. This was the car that took me on the best of vacations. This was the car that served as a safe space for deep conversations with whoever was in the passenger seat. This was the car that took me to explore Napa Valley, Disneyland, the Great Smoky Mountains, and the Grand Canyon… This car had a lot of life. Or rather, this car witnessed a huge part of my life. Years 16-26.
So, why the waterworks? Well. I don’t really know, other than my car didn’t really feel like “just a car.” It was a consistent piece of my life that I relied on throughout some major milestones. Sure. It’s just a car. But it was literally the “vehicle” (pun intended) that made me being physically present in these moments possible in the first place.
My emotions weren’t logical, but at the same time, I guess emotions rarely are. The handing over of my old keys was an incredibly tangible metaphor of how life changes affect us in this post-grad time of life: It’s entirely possible to be thrilled about a new chapter and still be sad about turning the page to leave the old one behind.
Yeah, I was sad. But now I’m getting excited. So cheers to new chapters, new cars, and new memories to fill them with. .
Respond
KatieCallaway
Katie is 27 and is from Nashville, TN but lives in Los Angeles, CA as an actress, comedian, writer, and marketing manager. Although some might disagree, she likely peaked when she had dinner with Randy Jackson and he called her “dude” a lot. You can see her active on the Twitterverse at @KECallaway or you can also follow her new Insta at @KatieCallaway even though she hates Instagram.
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Cars are never just cars, they’re apart of you. Just like you said basically so many memories attached to that vehicle and when it’s time to say goodbye its heart breaking. I always have trouble saying good bye to a car; at a least a good one.
I had to witness my totaled Grand Cherokee get hauled away on a flatbed from a muddy junk yard after a drunk driver ran a red and t-boned me. It was the first “real” thing I ever bought and I loved it. It’s silly, but a tiny part of me felt like it’s final act was keeping me safe, because what could’ve happened to me was 100x worse than what did happen. Most emotional I’ve ever been over an inanimate object.
This. Trading in her car is basically moving on fully into adulthood, where life has fundamentally changed
Crashed my corn-fed child in the first weekend of October. I actually teared when it was on that flat bed. Cars, Motorcycles, Vehicles; they’re all extensions of you. Your character, personality, the stories, memories. They’re alive as far as most are concerned.
At least I get it back from the shop tomorrow.
I traded in my old pickup for a new one about a month ago. Put out a snap of it saying RIP to a legend. Next thing I know I had about 50 Messages starting with “remember when..” and that is where the pain started
My ’09 Nissan Altima was my longest successful relationship. Ended smashing into a wall, like my other relationships.
Trading in my ’08 Subaru Legacy this summer was like closing an 8 year chapter of my life that had some of my best memories from high school, college, and my first postgrad years
What did you trade in for?
’16 Altima. Great car, hope it can live up to its predecessor
I kept telling myself I’d be able to move on from my old car until I envisioned it being auctioned off to someone who would use it in a demolition derby… So I kept it.
I got the same car a few years ago, and it’s been the best I’ve ever had. I’ve had to do nothing but oil changes on it, and it gets around 40mpg on the freeway. My dog loves the backseat too. Hope you enjoy as much as I do.
When I traded in my old VW that got me through high school, college, law school and the Bar I cried even though I was upgrading to a Lexus. It’s the memories and what it represents.
So many humble brags.
I couldn’t clear my shit out of my old Acura fast enough when the sales guy called to tell me my new Jeep was in.
Someone threw up in my last car. That made the trade-in real easy.
You never threw up in your own car?
First off, why’re you getting an SUV in LA? Parking’s a bitch here. Second, I feel your pain, the Camry I first had made it 17 years
Oh – Parking here blows… But I’m a master parallel parker, I have a dog who weighs as much as I do to put in the back (just being honest if we’re talking why I went with a small SUV), and it’s a great size if it’s around if I have a family one day. Luckily, I have reserved parking both at my apartment & office.
That’s lucky, I’ve struggled to find reasonably priced places with parking, let alone letting me have a dog more than 25 lbs. If you don’t mind me asking, which part of LA are you in?
I’d rather not say where I live on a public website 🙂
Understandable, not a stalker don’t worry.
Which, consequently, is exactly what a stalker would say in this situation…
Fair enough. Can’t we give a postgrad a mulligan?