I’m getting a cool new car today. Well, new to me. It’s a few years old. Most people think that’s a glad occasion. Woo-hoo! A new car!

I suppose I should be excited, smiling, happy. But I’m sad. I’ve been driving my current car for a long time. It’s just a few months shy of twenty years old. My now-married son was only ten years old when I upgraded from a minivan to a Lexus RX350.

It’s been a great run. It’s been a great car. It fits me. I can see out of it. It’s comfy. It has all the features I need – most significantly, an arm rest that moves WITH THE SEAT. No humongous center console. It has a place for my purse between the two front seats. It has lovely light gray interior. It has heated seats and a CD player for my personal music combinations.

Maybe I’ll get used to the big console that makes me feel a little penned in. I’m sure I can learn how to load a playlist with the bluetooth technology. I suppose the driver assist camera will come in handy. In the summer, ventilated seats will be nice (except there’s that black steering wheel). The new car also has pretty gray interior, so that’s a plus. In my opinion, it’s the most attractive car on the market today. It has the required get-up-and-go.

But I’m going to miss the car that’s been part of my identity for so long! That car has taken my kids to school, carried their sports gear and musical instruments. Taken them to band camp and tennis tournaments in other cities. It’s taken them to school hundreds of miles away. It’s carried us miles and miles on some awesome road trips. It’s been to some amazing places like Niagara Falls and the Grand Canyon. It’s driven across Kansas to the mountains of Colorado dozens of times. It’s gone from Texas to Michigan and from L.A. to New York. Taken us year after year to holiday gatherings and family vacations.

So why am I getting a new car?

It’s traveled the roads for 268,000 miles. The last year was tough on it. Some inconsiderate jerk in a big blue truck hit it in a parking lot (there was a witness who let me know, but she didn’t get the license plate number). The hubs had a little fender bender when changing lanes a few months ago. Black tape on the dash is hiding a few cracks and missing bits of material. There’s a little rust spot above one of the back wheels that’s starting to eat through the metal.

Those are cosmetic, and though annoying, not really deal breakers. But we’ve kept a tray of cat little under the car to catch little leaks for a few years now—the multi-thousand-dollar fix not really justifiable. The slow leak was something to be checked at every service interval. But a few months ago, things took a turn. The alternator failed. More leaking. The cost to fix all the leaks running into the thousands. We paid for a “Band-Aid” fix to get me by until we were ready to get serious about a new car. Well, I’m not ready, but it’s time. I’m starting to feel nervous about getting stranded on the highway. I need to feel confident in driving distances by myself.

If anyone works for Lexus or knows a designer there, please pass this along. I would’ve bought a new one just like mine in a heartbeat. But they’ve changed the style so drastically, the new models aren’t even close. They’re big and chunky. They have hard lines with sharp angles that look angry. Couldn’t do it. While the reliability is solid, I like a softer look. And the car needs to fit in my garage!

So today, I say a fond farewell to a companion that I’ve relied on for nearly twenty years. I remember the good times and wish there could’ve been more!

Happy weekend!

Darlene