15 Years--Longevity, 141,000 Miles—Incredibly Low, 1,000,000 Memories--Priceless
Cynthia and I have been having this conversation for several years. The conversation goes like this:
Cynthia (appealing to my practical side): Paul, you need to get a new car that has air bags and is safer than the little Sentra.
Paul: There is nothing wrong with my car. It is perfectly adequate for the limited traveling I do. It is paid for, gets great gas mileage, costs nothing to insure and license, only has 140,000 miles, and is not in need of any major repairs.
Cynthia: The paint job looks like crap, the visor fabric is shredding, and the fan only works on high.
Paul: Beauty is more than skin deep.
The conversation usually dies with neither of us feeling good about the outcome. Cynthia because she feels I am driving around in a death trap that will one day make her a widow. Me because I hate to acknowledge that while a new car makes sense I really have an affinity for this my first car.
So here is a literal travel log of what this car has been for me over the last 14 years (The odometer readings are based on my meticulous recording of each oil change this car has received):
August 23, 1993 (25 miles) – I brought in a cashier’s check drawn on my personal checking account for $11,560.53 for the purchase of a 2-Door 1993 Nissan Sentra XE Limited Edition. This purchase was made after years of saving most of my paper route earnings, my high school pizza job paychecks, and my graveyard shift Darigold paychecks.
I can remember that the dealership (Downtown L.A. Motors) could not for the life of them locate the second key for my car. They promised to mail it to me, but it never came. My dad finally reclaimed the Accord that was being driven back and forth to East L.A. for a week. Then I was on my way to BYU with my sister Winnie both for our Sophomore years . I changed how fast I was driving (at my dad’s suggestion) every so often so as not to do something to the engine.
November 27, 1993 (2,383 miles) – I returned home for Thanksgiving and changed the oil for the first time. Three months after the purchase and the extent of my driving was commuting back and forth to my summer job and a round trip to Provo and back. Not much driving at BYU.
In the meantime, I had met a young woman, Cynthia, who was attending my Statistics class. She was cute, funny, and didn’t mind that she always seemed to find me wearing turquoise sweatpants when she came to my apartment for Statistics study sessions! Cynthia was from my part of California so she hitched a ride home for the holidays.
April 20, 1994 (5,451 miles) – A second (Christmas) and third (home after school was out) round trip to Provo. Six months sure can change one’s life—Cynthia and I went out on our first date for her birthday (Jan. 14th) and we were pretty much inseparable from then on. I went home at the end of the semester while she stayed for spring term.
June 8, 1994 (8,058 miles) – A lot of commuting back and forth to East L.A. for the graveyard shift and to Chino to see Cynthia after sleeping the morning away. Gladly Cynthia was within driving distance because she learned I was not a phone conversationalist and letters (this was pre-email) just weren’t a viable long-term solution.
August 4, 1994 (10,856 miles) – Just more commuting and more Cynthia. I was accepted to BYU’s School of Accountancy.
October 28, 1994 (14,597 miles) – Back to BYU this time with my brother John along for the ride to start his freshman year. John, Cynthia, and I returned to California for Winnie’s mission farewell prior to her departure for Chile. On return to Provo, Cynthia and I discussed getting married while John and his friend Trevor were asleep in the backseat. We later were ‘officially’ engaged on Oct. 1st.
February 18, 1995 (18,790 miles) – I was hit on Nov. 12, 1994 by a hydroplaning little car. Body work was finished just after Thanksgiving. Home for Christmas and my wedding, return to Provo (now ‘home’) for another semester of school. We moved into our first apartment—a basement dive. We now have a 1984 Sentra and a 1993 Sentra as the vehicles of our family.
June 24, 1995 (23,062 miles written in Cynthia’s hand) – I was accepted to the Master’s program. We traveled to California for John’s mission farewell to Ecuador and for Patty and Trevor’s wedding. Carolyn was living in Provo.
January 1, 1996 (28,659 miles) – We celebrated our first anniversary at my parents’ home with everyone out of town. We went to “Beauty and the Beast”.
July 20, 1996 (32,994) – Cynthia graduated from BYU. I interviewed with Squire & Company and accepted their job offer. We moved into a MUCH nicer apartment.
December 12, 1996 (37,180 miles) – I am working part-time at Squire & Company until graduation. I graduated with my bachelor’s and master’s degrees of accountancy.
Well I could go on and on but these are really the milestones of this car. I love this car and I think it is because I fell in love with my sweetheart with it by my side.
September 16, 2008 (140,641 miles) – Twelve years later and I purchased our first and second homes, adopted three children, paid off our student loans, kept the same employer, bought two other Nissans, and have fallen only further in love with my wife. Now I have found another car—another grey Nissan.
This one is a Maxima and it has all the things my first grey Nissan doesn’t except the memories. Luckily those won’t go with the car because otherwise this car would be PRICELESS.
Perhaps I will keep the license plates. “Hey White Boy” as Cynthia says really is funny and is a part of this little car that I can pass on to this new car. I hope this Maxima brings me just as many wonderful memories over the next 14 years as this Sentra has.
Cynthia and I have been having this conversation for several years. The conversation goes like this:
Cynthia (appealing to my practical side): Paul, you need to get a new car that has air bags and is safer than the little Sentra.
Paul: There is nothing wrong with my car. It is perfectly adequate for the limited traveling I do. It is paid for, gets great gas mileage, costs nothing to insure and license, only has 140,000 miles, and is not in need of any major repairs.
Cynthia: The paint job looks like crap, the visor fabric is shredding, and the fan only works on high.
Paul: Beauty is more than skin deep.
The conversation usually dies with neither of us feeling good about the outcome. Cynthia because she feels I am driving around in a death trap that will one day make her a widow. Me because I hate to acknowledge that while a new car makes sense I really have an affinity for this my first car.
So here is a literal travel log of what this car has been for me over the last 14 years (The odometer readings are based on my meticulous recording of each oil change this car has received):
August 23, 1993 (25 miles) – I brought in a cashier’s check drawn on my personal checking account for $11,560.53 for the purchase of a 2-Door 1993 Nissan Sentra XE Limited Edition. This purchase was made after years of saving most of my paper route earnings, my high school pizza job paychecks, and my graveyard shift Darigold paychecks.
I can remember that the dealership (Downtown L.A. Motors) could not for the life of them locate the second key for my car. They promised to mail it to me, but it never came. My dad finally reclaimed the Accord that was being driven back and forth to East L.A. for a week. Then I was on my way to BYU with my sister Winnie both for our Sophomore years . I changed how fast I was driving (at my dad’s suggestion) every so often so as not to do something to the engine.
November 27, 1993 (2,383 miles) – I returned home for Thanksgiving and changed the oil for the first time. Three months after the purchase and the extent of my driving was commuting back and forth to my summer job and a round trip to Provo and back. Not much driving at BYU.
In the meantime, I had met a young woman, Cynthia, who was attending my Statistics class. She was cute, funny, and didn’t mind that she always seemed to find me wearing turquoise sweatpants when she came to my apartment for Statistics study sessions! Cynthia was from my part of California so she hitched a ride home for the holidays.
April 20, 1994 (5,451 miles) – A second (Christmas) and third (home after school was out) round trip to Provo. Six months sure can change one’s life—Cynthia and I went out on our first date for her birthday (Jan. 14th) and we were pretty much inseparable from then on. I went home at the end of the semester while she stayed for spring term.
June 8, 1994 (8,058 miles) – A lot of commuting back and forth to East L.A. for the graveyard shift and to Chino to see Cynthia after sleeping the morning away. Gladly Cynthia was within driving distance because she learned I was not a phone conversationalist and letters (this was pre-email) just weren’t a viable long-term solution.
August 4, 1994 (10,856 miles) – Just more commuting and more Cynthia. I was accepted to BYU’s School of Accountancy.
October 28, 1994 (14,597 miles) – Back to BYU this time with my brother John along for the ride to start his freshman year. John, Cynthia, and I returned to California for Winnie’s mission farewell prior to her departure for Chile. On return to Provo, Cynthia and I discussed getting married while John and his friend Trevor were asleep in the backseat. We later were ‘officially’ engaged on Oct. 1st.
February 18, 1995 (18,790 miles) – I was hit on Nov. 12, 1994 by a hydroplaning little car. Body work was finished just after Thanksgiving. Home for Christmas and my wedding, return to Provo (now ‘home’) for another semester of school. We moved into our first apartment—a basement dive. We now have a 1984 Sentra and a 1993 Sentra as the vehicles of our family.
June 24, 1995 (23,062 miles written in Cynthia’s hand) – I was accepted to the Master’s program. We traveled to California for John’s mission farewell to Ecuador and for Patty and Trevor’s wedding. Carolyn was living in Provo.
January 1, 1996 (28,659 miles) – We celebrated our first anniversary at my parents’ home with everyone out of town. We went to “Beauty and the Beast”.
July 20, 1996 (32,994) – Cynthia graduated from BYU. I interviewed with Squire & Company and accepted their job offer. We moved into a MUCH nicer apartment.
December 12, 1996 (37,180 miles) – I am working part-time at Squire & Company until graduation. I graduated with my bachelor’s and master’s degrees of accountancy.
Well I could go on and on but these are really the milestones of this car. I love this car and I think it is because I fell in love with my sweetheart with it by my side.
September 16, 2008 (140,641 miles) – Twelve years later and I purchased our first and second homes, adopted three children, paid off our student loans, kept the same employer, bought two other Nissans, and have fallen only further in love with my wife. Now I have found another car—another grey Nissan.
This one is a Maxima and it has all the things my first grey Nissan doesn’t except the memories. Luckily those won’t go with the car because otherwise this car would be PRICELESS.
Perhaps I will keep the license plates. “Hey White Boy” as Cynthia says really is funny and is a part of this little car that I can pass on to this new car. I hope this Maxima brings me just as many wonderful memories over the next 14 years as this Sentra has.
P.S. I readily acknowledge that I have left out many important events in my and your lives, but for the sake of brevity (LOL) this is all you get.
10 comments:
Paul, I had no idea the Sentra was your FIRST car! That is special. Cynthia is a saint if she still went after you with those turquoise sweatpants. :)
Liz
HAHA Paul! Thats funny. I have had 6 Cars since I've started driving. 1st car Chevy Sprint, Toyota Tacoma, Chevy Camaro, 2000 Ford F1-50(burnt up), 2001 Ford F150(Burt up but fixable) 1990 Honda Accord. Wow thats a long list!
If this post wasn't so sweet because it mentions how great I am, I would find it scary that Paul still has all his mileage and dates written down for all the oil changes.
What Paul forgot to say is that for years I have been telling him (usually when he has to commute far away to Ogden or Fairview) that if he dies in this death trap and the officer tells me "If only he had airbags he might have lived" that I would hate him for eternity. You laugh?
Not a joke. This conversation occured like a broken record.
I don't know what to say. No more Sentra? I remember thinking you were so grown up buying your own car.
Now what are you and Cynthia going to argue about?
Awww,Paul. This was a sweet post! That little Sentra was such a nice car in the day. No wonder Cynthia fell in love with you, lol! (O:
Love,
Patty
I remember when "someone" insisted "we" sell my Sentra! I didn't want to sell it, but for some reason the "For Sale By Owner" was miraculously painted on the car. I loved my Sentra....just like you did...it was my first car as well!
You know, I bought that car only to follow in your (the all wise older brother's) footsteps! "If Paul would buy that car I know he did a lot of research on it...and his has lasted so long....I am sure this one will as well," was my thoughts at the time.
Anyway, good for you Paul! May it last as long as the Sentra! ;-)
I do have one question though, did you save the hubcaps?!?! ;-) j/k
I wish I was as practical as you, Paul. But you know, if I had not purchased so many cars over the years, how could I remember when all the important family events occurred?
Let me see...Uh, we took Mike to the MTC in our brown beast Ford Van. We took the kids to EFY in our brown pick up truck, Mark already talked about the Topaz event.
You recall your memories from your oil change logs, I from the cars I had at the time! Just ask my kids.
The new Nissan looks really, really nice. That 3.5 V-6 is a scooter as you already know.
Nice ride Paul,
I must admit that it is not the most frugal/practical purchase. You could have gotten a nice new SENTRA. Good for you! Now at least I won't have to crawl into the backseat. I am very jealous of your 270hp engine.
For the record, I was in the backseat of the car during the accident. Thanks for remembering me.
John
PS Do you still have those turqouise sweatpants, those were classic 80s/Breakfast Club (perfect match for your white jean jacket)
So that's what you did with all your Barro's paychecks! I also remember you working at the dairy place. I thought it was ice cream for some reason.
A very sweet post!! :)
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