Second Gear

While some people don't see their vehicle as one of their prized possessions, I however, do. Like I mentioned in my earlier post, I loved and hated my first car. It wasn't all the cars fault though. That car had a lot of emotional events attached to it, just like I am sure most of you, if not all, have some emotional stories of your own to tell. Now, my second car was, and still is a thing of beauty.

There are also some people that would just cringe at the idea of driving an import. This vehicle is more than just any import. This car is my 2006 Subaru Impreza WRX limited wagon, yes you read that correctly, I said a Subaru wagon. When I was searching for my replacement vehicle, I wanted it to be a few things. One thing it had to be was a four door, I played that coupe game and it isn't for me, I say that and later you will learn of my exception, the other things I wanted were easy enough. I wanted it to be good one fuel, I like the idea of not filling up every two days, gas ain't cheap folks. I wanted it to have room inside, be safe and be somewhat fast. Well that really narrowed down the selection and after a few weeks of looking I finally found this baby on a AAA car buying website. I didn't even know AAA sold cars at that time. I called about it, slept on it, and within the next few days put $500.00 down on it to hold until I could get things in order. That's right, I bought this car offline, site unseen. The first time I saw it was when they drove it to our house from AAA in Charlotte, NC over to Jacksonville, NC, where we lived. I remember it vividly. Now this was a huge step up from that 1985 shit box that I loathed, yet still wish I had, so I knew that I had to take care of it. I made a list of "rules" that would strictly be adhered to. Some of those have been bent on occasion, A few I blew out of the water, but hey, it was my ride and I could do want I wanted. Always being into cars, I wanted to upgrade right away, but I had to learn a few things first. As the old saying goes "you have to crawl before you can walk". Well I was going to be learning to crawl for a couple of weeks, as this car also had a manual transmission. I knew how to drive a stick shift but I wasn't a "seasoned driver", so I made a compromise, become comfortable with the car first, then do the research on what you want. You want this car to last? Then you have to learn how it feels and take care of it.

You have to be in tune with your car. You should always know the basic's about your vehicle; make and model, year, what sub-model you have (LT, SE,SS ect...) and your engine size. These are the very same basic questions anyone at any auto parts store or dealership will ask you, if and when, you go in for parts or service. I still surprises me how many people do not know what they drive. It seems everyone now knows all the celebrities and whats going on with them or what kind of shoes they have or all the apps they have on their phone or some other tidbit of useless information. People use this item every day and yet, it goes unnoticed. Like I said, you need to be in tune with your vehicle. You should know how it feels when it is running optimally, and when there might be a vibration that wasn't there before or a new howling sound coming somewhere from the back of the vehicle. These little things play a huge role in the upkeep of your car, truck, minivan, weekend cruiser or grocery get'er.