So I finally broke down and bought a car. Initially when I found out that I would be issued a car allowance vs. a fleet vehicle - I was ecstatic. At 27 years old, I can honestly say I’ve never bought a car and really have never had a choice in what I wanted to drive. Don't get me wrong, I was fortunate enough to have a car given to me all through high school & college. When I graduated and joined Newell, I had a slew of company cars over the years that involved varying levels of embarrassment. With that being said, I’ll give you a synopsis of my top 4 company cars to date…
#1: My very first company car was the “Rubbermaid” trailblazer. I loved it - logos and all. Claim to Fame: My friend (and co-worker) Brett and I were both living in Charleston, SC and were 'serenaded' by some Chuck-town delinquents when at a stoplight in downtown. They started singing, "Rubber-band Man wild as the Taliban!" I am a huge T.I. fan, so I found this extremely amusing.
#2: After I took on a new role within a different division, I was also “promoted” to a Chevy Impala – or more commonly known as the Gray Squirrel. This car would have fit in perfectly had I worked the Early Bird special shift at K&W Cafeteria. I’ve seen a lot of nice Impalas in my day, this just happened to not be one of them. The exterior was this dingy gray color and the ‘velour-ish’ interior matched perfectly. The front seat had a center console that could be flipped up so that you could comfortably roll 3 deep…or keep your thermos full of Metamucil close at hand. To make matters worse, it was on its last leg and the speedometer didn’t work. This (of course) was a green light for me to haul ass everywhere; certain that I could get out of a speeding violation if I made the officer aware of the faulty equipment. Ha! We just wont go there…
#3: When the Grey Squirrel finally went to Impala heaven, my luck with company cars took another turn for the worse. I was once again ‘upgraded’ to a brand new black Chevy HHR. (I really hope that I don’t offend anyone who owns one of these vehicles, I have the annoying tendency to make fun of anything.) If you’ve never seen a HHR; they are really peculiar looking vehicles….almost a small SUV, but not really. Like all of the others, I felt this car should also have an alias. There were a few names that were kicked around – the cockroach, the hearse….but one seemed to stick…Sally Short Bus. My relationship with Sally didn’t last long before I moved onto bigger and better things, but I will always cherish the time that we spent together.
#4: Last but not least, my Chevy Z71 Silverado – a.k.a. “THE BLUE BEAST”. It was so over the top – but it was so much fun to drive. The wise words of John Paul Marcantonio once said – “I’m sure that’s what every driver in Charlotte wants to see….some female in a 2 ton truck barrelling down the interstate putting on mascara, drinking coffee, and talking on the phone.” I guess the Queen City is a safer place….for now!
Ok, so that brings us up to date.
A few weeks ago, we started “car shopping.” When we started visiting dealerships, I was a little indecisive as to what I was looking for. Ok that may be the understatement of the year. I was REALLY indecisive. In addition to my inability to make a decision, Australia makes it extremely difficult to purchase a car when you are not a citizen. Long story short, I finally decided on a car…but I think I may have traumatized John Paul for life. I think it's safe to say that I have a better chance of getting him to paint my fingernails and watch Dirty Dancing than setting foot on a car lot.
Well are you ready to meet my new car? Of course it already has a name....I think it is worthy of its own separate blog entry. Stay tuned!
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