My Saturn

As I was driving to work today, thinking about what topic I would use for my blog tonight, it occurred to me that I should write about my car. Cars in-and-of themselves are not especially interesting; sports cars and convertibles might be something better to blog about. My car is by no means extraordinary. But maybe that's why I wanted to write about it.

I got this car right after I turned 18. I hadn't gotten a car on my own, since I wasn't able to do so without a co-signer; I really didn't want to bring anyone else into the picture. So I waited. And luckily for me, a used car lot not to far from us had several good deals to offer. My dad knew one of the salesmen, so he was willing to go out of his way for me. As it turned out, the car I now own was being re-possessed due to the then-owner's late or non-existent payments. However, at the time I first saw the car, it was not yet for sale, since the business was not yet in full possession of it again. The salesman said we would be the first he called when the car became available, and he kept his word! I got first dibs on this green '97 Saturn SL2, and I was so excited.

Something that made this purchase even more interesting was the fact that my friend Aaron had the exact same car, a green '97 Saturn SL2! His was slightly more up-scale than mine, since he had a sunroof, but mine was hooked up to hold a CD player in the trunk, so we were about even. My dad came to pick me up from school one day, and drove up in the Saturn! He had gotten the salesman to lend him the car for a test drive, and when we got back to the office, we would draw up paperwork! I had no idea this was going to happen, so it was a little overwhelming at first. But after the papers were signed and the deals were made, the car was mine! I got to drive it home that night, and my days of car ownership began.

I have been through so much with this car, for better and for worse. The "worse" has been all of the work I have had done on it. I have replaced a fuel filter, a radiator, several air conditioning repairs, an entire engine, several sensors, and a set of tires. In all, I have far exceeded the $3500 I paid for the car initially! I'm sure I have blogged about most of my car troubles, and they have all been frustrating. Probably the most frustrating was the story of my radiator going out as we pulled in to unload my things on my first day at Xavier. Just imagine clouds of smoke issuing from under my hood as I wait in line with the other freshmen! Luckily I have a great support system in my family, and was able to get that all fixed up and worked out.

That little car has been back and forth to Cincinnati at least 20 times (a low estimate), so it was my life line while in college. It has been on family vacations, grocery store trips, trips to the gym, drives around town, and to and from work. It gets me where I go, and for the most part is a solid transportation vehicle. Sure, I've had my frustrations, but in general I get what I want out of my car. I could have bought a brand new car after my engine went out, but who wants to have car payments? I hated payments when I had them for this car, and was determined to pay it off as soon as possible. That came in less than two years, so I was very wary of taking that on again! No, this way I could hold onto something that was already mine, and instead of getting something I couldn't afford, I would just manage with what I had. That mentality has really come in handy for me! Ahh my little Saturn...

What was your first car? Was it something you grew to cherish, or did you just want to be rid of it as soon as possible? Do you have any good stories about one of your first cars, or even your cars now?