Saturday, September 27, 2003
THE SATURN IS NO MORE
A little over 10 years ago, my entire family spent a day at the Saturn dealership in Alhambra looking at all the cars that new start-up had designed. We were impressed with their plastic dent-resistant doors and their price tag. After much decision-making (and no haggling because that was always their policy) and a forced cheer with the entire staff there "I say, I say, I say Saturn!!!!", I drove off the lot with a brand new beautiful white Saturn SL-1.
Over the next ten years, that car took me everywhere from summer jobs to the beach to UCLA to restaurants to Dodger games to Mount St. Mary's, etc. And it drove my family, school friends, church friends, girlfriends, even strangers (One time I saw a woman and her baby crying hysterically at the Montebello Town Center and gave her a ride to the police station, where I guess the cops had taken her husband).
So many memories from that car are still fresh in my head, even after I got my Maxima and passed the Saturn onto my dad.
But a few weeks ago, my dad was involved in a car accident (not his fault) which ripped off the rear bumper, fender, and shashed the right rear door (I guess they're dent-resistant, but not crush-resistant!). After getting estimates and having a body shop assess the work, they decided that they would have to consider the car "totaled" because the cost of repairs exceeded the cost of the car.
Both my dad and I were devastated. He will be shopping for a new car, maybe a Toyota Corolla.
Meanwhile, I'm disappointed I didn't get to say goodbye to my first car. Do I have an emotional attachment to the car I named "Dude"? You bet I do. Dude served me well and he will surely be missed.
A little over 10 years ago, my entire family spent a day at the Saturn dealership in Alhambra looking at all the cars that new start-up had designed. We were impressed with their plastic dent-resistant doors and their price tag. After much decision-making (and no haggling because that was always their policy) and a forced cheer with the entire staff there "I say, I say, I say Saturn!!!!", I drove off the lot with a brand new beautiful white Saturn SL-1.
Over the next ten years, that car took me everywhere from summer jobs to the beach to UCLA to restaurants to Dodger games to Mount St. Mary's, etc. And it drove my family, school friends, church friends, girlfriends, even strangers (One time I saw a woman and her baby crying hysterically at the Montebello Town Center and gave her a ride to the police station, where I guess the cops had taken her husband).
So many memories from that car are still fresh in my head, even after I got my Maxima and passed the Saturn onto my dad.
But a few weeks ago, my dad was involved in a car accident (not his fault) which ripped off the rear bumper, fender, and shashed the right rear door (I guess they're dent-resistant, but not crush-resistant!). After getting estimates and having a body shop assess the work, they decided that they would have to consider the car "totaled" because the cost of repairs exceeded the cost of the car.
Both my dad and I were devastated. He will be shopping for a new car, maybe a Toyota Corolla.
Meanwhile, I'm disappointed I didn't get to say goodbye to my first car. Do I have an emotional attachment to the car I named "Dude"? You bet I do. Dude served me well and he will surely be missed.
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