Pandemic & Cadillac Buying @ 6ft. Away

Here’s the truth; my car is starting to look its age.

When I first got her, my school age kids were a little jealous of my gleaming Chrysler 300 sittin’ on dubs (20” tires for those who don’t know) and shiny rims. The kids didn’t like it at all when I’d refer to her as Mama’s Baby.

My now adult children tease me when they come home for visits.

“Don’t eat in Mama’s Baby, kids.”

“Keep your feet still in Mama’s Baby.”

“Hey, you’re standing too close to Mama’s Baby.”

Did I mention they’re all in therapy now?

Well what they didn’t know then and what I’ll share with you is that buying that car cash was a rite of passage for me. I’d just started my real estate career and sold my first property. I was becoming the me I am today. I’d promised myself that I would treat myself when I could with things that marked a great accomplishment.

How can you ignore the fact that the same Chrysler 300 was selected by POTUS during the Obama years, huh? And the Chrysler 300 appeared in several movies and videos in the early 2000’s.

For one my birthdays, The One (aka my husband Tyrone) got me er-uh my car a custom grill. So you see, like a cherished pet, Mama’s Baby has been appreciated by all.

That car has served me well. Still a head turner—yes, the car also— is starting to look more like a service car than the gleaming piece of automotive jewelry it once had been.

And unlike just getting services to improve my looks, I’d been forced to accept the reality that the rattling I hear while speeding down the freeway is not the road but my car!

The other day the gear shift got stuck—obviously a sign of vehicular dementia—that made me late for an appointment. And there’s a sensor that is uncalibrated (just a fancy word the dealer chose for me but translation they didn’t know how to fix it) that requires I have to hold the trigger of the gas pump because the car no longer does it automatically.

In the rain.

In the hot sun.

When I’m in a hurry.

Even with undesirables hanging around I have stand outside and pump my gas.

The pandemic has made visiting the delership to check out cars pretty sketch. So, Ever now and again, I’d hop on the internet specifically to see who was selling a Cadillac CTS. Oh I saw plenty of them that I liked. None fell within my budget.

You gotta understand, I bought my 300 CASH. Hello? No car note!

I knew having to pay monthly would be a difficult adjustment for me. Even the finance business I’m in now often requires that I make an impressive first impression. And in my mind only a luxury car on the same level as my beloved Mama’s Baby would warrant a down payment and monthly installments to meet said image and status.

I ventured to CarMax online the other day and BOOM! There she was; Mama’s New Baby. She’s got two doors just the way I like it. One for me and the other for The One. She’s been driven gently only 13 thousand miles. She’s never been in an accident. Her exterior is gleaming and sparkly. She boasts back-up assist, an upgraded sound system, gps and a computer screen that simply boasts the Cadillac emblem when the other apps are not in use. She’s infitted with supple leather, burl wood accents and a burl wood steering wheel.

A narcissus car that exists only to carry me from point A to point B? I imagined feeling and looking like a million every time I exited this gleaming new automotive jewel.

I wanted to run, speed, helicopter to her as I knew we where to be together. But she was all the way in Clackamas, Oregon.

I woke up from my daydream and read that CarMax will ship Mama’s New Baby to Mam’s door!

Wait. What?

“Oh yes, Mrs Taylor,” said Atlanta-accented Roger of CarMax Auto Sales. “It’s our new social distancing practice. We qualify you over the phone, too. You simply do all the paperwork with me on the phone and we deliver the Cadillac to your door.”

“Like I’m a celebrity? I don’t have to go the dealership? You’ll deliver it on my schedule when my Husband is home?”

Roger laughed and was happy to tell me “yes, Ma’am. Just like you’re a celebrity.”

“Sign me up, Roger.”

So this morning I received an email confirmation with next step instructions that Mama’s New Baby is on her way from Clackamas, Oregon.

More in 2 weeks.

Carry On.

Pandemic & Cadillac Buying @ 6ft. Away (c) August 2020 Valorie M Taylor All Rights Reserved.