Now just because she's not 'new' doesn't mean I've fallen out of love with her. I talked awhile back about how my love for her has lost the 'passion' that I had for Fiona. And that's still true. I don't go ga-ga over Ginger the same way I did with Fiona. She can still make me smile, but it's more of an appreciation that she's the right car for me, rather than her being a special car for someone.
Why is she the right car for me? She's roomy. She's techy. She's stylish. She's quality. She gets amazing gas mileage (for as big as she is). Those things are not easy to get all together, and are all very important to me. But as 'right' as she is for me, she's just not on my mind all the time. I'm not as eager to talk about her as I was Fiona (even after having Fiona for over a year). But when she does come up in a conversation... well it's always a good thing.
My brother B bought a new car. He got a 2015 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ. Yes... that's the same car he had before, just a few years newer. I don't have a problem with him staying with the same vehicle. It fits his family's needs incredibly well. But when he was showing me his new whip he was.... apologetic? He admitted that he wanted his new car to be as technologically advanced as mine and it just isn't. For example, both of our cars have lane departure warning. But mine will actually push the car back into it's lane. His just beeps at him. His has interior accent lighting in a nice pale blue. Mine has interior accent lighting that I can change the color (right now it's orange). Both of our vehicles have rear-view cameras that will beep when you are about to hit something, but mine will actually highlight the area in the image that's setting off the alarm. His just sounds a warning. Both have subwoofers... mine has two 12 inchers. His has a single 10 inch. Both have sun/moon roofs... mine has a full cover to block out all light. His has a screen. Both have navigation systems, but mine can be controlled via voice. Mine has rain sensing windshield washers, push button start, auto high beams, and a back up cross traffic warning system. His doesn't have any of those.
Oh, and of course mine is a hybrid that gets over 40 miles per gallon... his is a beast that gets about 20 miles per gallon.
The other day I went to get Ginger washed. One thing I hate about getting the car washed is the water spots all over the glass. It just bothers me in an incredibly special way. I figure that while the outside may be nice and clean, all I get to see from the inside are those damned water spots. So whenever I get Ginger clean I park her and wipe down the windows. It takes me 5 minutes and is totally worth it. This past time, while I was wiping down the windows and getting ready to vacuum her out, three of the employees came out and commented on how nice she looked. I figured they were just walking by and figured to pay the customer a compliment. I mean if I feel good about how good she looks clean, I'll be more likely to stop by and get her washed again right? But they didn't just walk by... they started up a conversation that was full of compliments. Everything from the style (I swear one said it looked like an Aston Martin!), the color ("I love that subtle dark red!"), to the hybrid nature ("It get how many miles per gallon!!?"). When I started listing all the techy features (read above) they were amazed. I left there driving on cloud 9!
Then there's the co-worker who inadvertently titled this blog post. I had the rare day where I was working with another RN. We had both taken our lunches and I had already taken an additional smoke break. She had driven in with her husband who was working out in 5 Block, and she missed the opportunity to join him for a smoke. I felt bad that I had an 'extra' break, so I offered her Ginger. I told her that I had a pack of smokes in the dash and that she could drive her around the block to get her nicotine fix. She took the opportunity and I gave her the basic instructions... just keep the key in your pocket, touch the handle to unlock the door, push the button to start the car, driver her like a normal car (don't worry about the hybrid stuff), when you turn her off and get out just touch the handle again to lock the door.
It takes me about 10 minutes to go out for a smoke from work. Most of that is just getting through the security bubble and out to the car. Most people take about 20 minutes. She was gone for almost 45 minutes with Ginger. I was getting scared thinking that maybe she had an accident.
Nope... Ginger was just too 'new' for her. Her first problem was getting Ginger started. Yes I told her it was a push button start system... but I neglected to tell her to be pressing the brake when you push the button. So when she got in and hit the button, the car turned into 'accessory' mode. The radio comes on, the dash lights up... and the engine stays off. She figured it was quiet due to being a hybrid and tried to put it into gear (no go). It not moving got her looking closer at the button and the infotainment system and she spent quite a few minutes playing around with that. When she focused back on the starting, she finally figured out the brake component and got moving... quietly. The internal combustion engine simply won't turn on until you really hit the accelerator, so it stayed off while she purred out of the parking lot.
By the way... if she would have looked at the left side of the dashboard instead of the infotainment screen she would have noticed the warning pop up "Press Brake To Start Car". Hee Hee.
Anywho she played around with everything and then came back. When she walked in she tossed me my keys and said in a loud voice "Damn, I hate your Super Space Car!"... joking of course. She mentioned that she turned everything back to the way I had it except for the seat. The look on her face when I told her that I wasn't worried about the seat position because it has memory seats, was priceless.
So in three sperate occasions I have reciieved more compliments on my car than I ever did about Fiona. Oh sure, Fiona would get a lot of compliments on her color... that Yellow Blaze just stood out and was SO beautiful, but no one ever really complimented the whole car.
And beyond all the fun stuff about Ginger, I'm really getting to the point that the small stuff is impressing me. I swear to God I am fully impressed by the sound of her doors. They sound so SOLID when the open and close. Fiona sounded like... well like you'd expect a Focus to sound. Kinda flimsy. Ginger's by comparison sound like you'd expect an armored Mercedes to sound! And the fact that she is so damned comfortable. The seat of course is easy to get comfortably positioned into, but it's also the auto climate control. It takes no time at all for her to get up or down to the right temp. And in the summer when cool air isn't enough on short trips to cool me down... the cooled seats keep my ass and back from burning.
A friend and I play an ebay car game. We set up certain criteria and then try to find the best car to match it. We've done everything from the best sports car, to the most luxurious car, to the best cross country car, to price specific categories. Whenever we go down to a reasonably priced every day car, I almost always go with the Fusion. If price is to much of a concern, I go with the gasoline version. If price isn't a concern I go for the energi (plug in hybrid) version. And if it's a combination between the two, I end up with a Ruby Red exterior, soft ceramic interior Ford Fusion Hybrid Titanium.
I end up with Ginger.
I think that's one of the best compliments I can give her. Playing a fantasy car game, I often end up with my current car. I could get a bigger car... but why? If I need more space than a Fusion I generally up it to a SUV or Mini Van. I could get a more expensive car, but why? I lose out on the fuel efficiency. Seriously... BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti.... none of them make a midsize sedan that gets near 40 miles per gallon.
I'm sure the car landscape will change. Next year Chevy should come out with the new Mailbu. The hybrid version of that is supposed to get close to 50 miles per gallon. But unless they catch up on everything else (rain sensing windshield washers, push button start, auto high beams, and a back up cross traffic warning system...) it still won't beat Ginger over all. Honda Accords are ugly, and Toyota Camry's are both ugly and don't fit me well. If I had to chose again, I'd end up with the same car.
About the ONLY thing I'm considering is getting the Energi version (the plug in hybrid). It costs significantly more (about $3000 to $5000 more for a similarly equipped car), and only has a 20 or so mile all electric range. So driving nearly 100 miles a day just doesn't make sense. But if I get that job here in town... well look at that; the new job would be about an 18 mile daily drive!
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