Why We Love Our Cars
I am bleary eyed. Yesterday morning I was in Dearborn with a few other moms and the team from Ford.
Ford is introducing a new safety feature on their SUVs and crossovers called Curve Control. I promise you a Curve Control post at some point after a nap. The short story is that it aids drivers immensely in keeping control of the car during a high speed turn. The long story (pending) will include telling you about the crash test dummies, and the drive we took in a top secret car that was covered in velcro, and how it can slow a car down by 10 mph in just one second.
As I was standing in Dearborn at The Rouge, I was missing my family. The Rouge Factory Tour is a marvel for everyone at every age. I know my son would have loved to see some of the classic cars, just as I know that my daughter would have been thrilled to know about the green technology that the plant is using. My husband, like I, would have just been slackjawed and thinking, “how did one man do this?” And then I remembered why I love cars so much.
Every time I look at a car I think I know who will love that. They’re like puppies to me. I don’t necessarily want a puppy, but I recognize that they are adorable, and a perfect fit for someone. Every few years we get new cars, similarly families tend to get a pet every decade or so.
So when I got to drive a Fiesta a few months back, all I could think of was how adorable the car is, how sporty and responsive and nicely priced. I don’t see myself in a Fiesta, but I can visualize my teenage cousins in one, or even my 20 something friends. If I was 20 something again I’d be plunking down cash for a bright green car. It’s impossible to look at it and not smile.
Which is not the point, but really it is the point. Yesterday we got to drive in a partly finished 2011 Ford Explorer that was equipped with Curve Control. I’ve owned a Ford Explorer, one of my first cars was a Bronco 2, the small SUV is part of my life, but it’s not part of my life right now. Which is fine. You see the Explorer is like that bigger puppy, I know people who want big puppies, even though I’m looking for the little one.
I can mark my milestones with my cars. We brought Jane home from the hospital in a Honda Accord, and Alexander in an Explorer. I was married while driving a Mercury Capri, and practically danced for joy when I got a Chevy Tahoe that would carry both my children and my aging grandmother.
So as I prepare to tell you about Ford, I’m trying to think of why I cannot possibly be objective. It’s because I just love cars. When I see this:
It gives me the same cuddly feeling as this:
Photo via wikipedia