Bye, Bye, Geezermobile! Say hello to Frosty!

June 19, 2015 – Bye, Bye, Geezermobile!  Say Hello to Frosty!

At long last, the Thompson car-buying saga has come to an end.  I’m happy to report that it was a satisfying end.  However, this was not accomplished without long and tortuous negotiating on my part – not with any car dealers, but with my long-time love. 

The difficulty of dealing with Elliott over this particular issue points out some of the subtle cognitive changes that have taken place over the past few years.  They relate to prioritizing, problem solving, making judgments, remembering details, and expressing himself.  A constellation of factors are involved, ranging from his age, his constant pain, his use of strong pharmaceuticals, and his natural inclination to be controlling. 

We both agreed that it was time to replace the geezermobile, my mother’s 2001 Lincoln Town Car that became our family’s primary vehicle nearly seven years ago.  I appreciated the car’s smooth ride, cushy interior and humongous trunk.  On the other hand, the geezermobile was hardly the ideal car.  It had poor gas mileage, a daunting turning radius – and it definitely was a challenge to park.  Every year, we were shelling out more and more money to keep the car running.  With its next inspection coming up in a couple of months, Elliott and I mutually decided to exchange this aging road behemoth for a more up-to-date and appropriately sized automobile. 

As I mentioned in my previous post, I started the car-quest with Elliott about a week and a half ago when we went to the Subaru dealer in Fairfax.  The Subaru Forester seemed to fit our needs and budget.  In addition, we’ve both been Subaru fans since our Legacy purchase back in 1994.  But Elliott wasn’t ready to commit to the Forester so quickly.  Doing things the Elliott way involves days and days of research – both online and on the ground.  I spent last weekend glued to the computer.  Thanks to the Edmonds website, I can tell you the length and width (to the tenth of an inch) of every car we even vaguely considered. 

When last Monday rolled around, I was ready with my list of vehicles to examine in person.  Fortunately, Elliott agreed to stay home (the temperature was in the upper 90s) while I spent all afternoon visiting one car dealership after another.  Of course, I brought along his big walker, and at each dealership, I hauled out it to see how it fit into a variety of car models. 

At the end of the day, I was in a real quandary.  I’d narrowed the choices down to three possibilities:  a Subaru Forester, a Honda CR-V, and a Toyota RAV-4.  All three seemed fine to me.  All of the salespeople I worked with seemed very nice, too, and that was part of the problem – I don’t want to disappoint any of them, but I really didn’t need three cars. 

When I came back home and shared all the information with Elliott so he could help me make a decision, he raised one objection after another and told me to go to a few more car dealers and look at more cars!  At that point, frustration overtook me.  It seemed that no matter what I did, Elliott would never be satisfied.  I announced that there would be no new car this year.  

My reaction shook Elliott up a bit.  Over the course of the next few hours, he managed to make a few reasonable suggestions (how about other Subaru models?) and to express his concerns about finances (no debt even if rates are super-low).  I listened calmly and we agreed on an action plan.  On Wednesday, we went together to the Subaru dealership to look at several Subaru models in addition to the Forester.  After doing a test drive and also considering the Legacy, Impreza, and Crosstrak, I still preferred the Forester for a variety of reasons, which I very patiently explained to Elliott.  Much to my relief, he deferred to my decision.  The ordeal was over. 

Before I knew it, I was signing papers and handing over the keys to the geezermobile.  I regret that I didn’t even have time to say a proper farewell to the old car, but I didn’t realize everything would happen so quickly!  We drove home in the new Forester, which I’ve nicknamed Frosty (the Snowman) because of its creamy white color. 

Now that I’ve worked so hard to get this car, I’m determined to give it plenty of TLC.  Furthermore, I plan to carry on the family tradition of keeping cars for a very long time.  Prior to this point, I’ve been willfully ignorant of how cars operate, but this is going to change, starting today.  I’ve purchased the Girls Auto Clinic Glove Box Guide.  In simple, straightforward language and with plenty of clear graphics, author Patrice Banks explains the car’s inner workings, how to keep it healthy, and how to identify minor and major problems.  By the way, Elliott is very supportive of my goal to become an educated car owner.  

So, to borrow a few words from Shakespeare, all’s well that ends well.  The geezermobile rode off into the sunset; Frosty is settled comfortably in our garage; and our marriage is still intact.