The Ultimate Man Toy

Often times throughout life we make decisions not based entirely on need, but instead heavily influenced by what we want.  We made a recent purchase that was based on this particular notion, and despite my husbands protest, I like to call the purchase the ultimate man toy.

There are an infinite number of differences between living in New York City and living in an undeniably smaller town in South Carolina.  Then again, there are an infinite number of differences between living in New York City and living anywhere else in the U.S.  Either way, there is one major difference in way of life that warranted an immediate change when we moved, and that is owning a car.

When we first moved from New York, we knew there would be a mad rush to find a car and fast.  Where before public transportation was a way of life and great convenience living in a big city, we were now living in a place where public transportation was not an option.  We would need a car.  After three days, one rental car and a painful process with the dealership, we purchased our ride: a purple (more like amethyst) mid-sized SUV.  A used Chevy Equinox - the purple-people-eater.

Over the course of the past ten months we have lived in South Carolina, Eric and I have shared the ride.  Any time we would reveal this bit of information about our current situation to a new person, the response was unwavering.  "I had to share a car with my wife one time when her car was in the shop... how on earth do you do it!" Or, "Wow, that must be really something to have to share a way of getting around".  It seems this sharing transportation notion invoked flashbacks of bad carpools from the past to many people.  To us, it was fine.  I mean we live together, now we work together, it seemed natural to be sharing a car.  It felt this way for the majority of the past ten months until one day, as I was dutifully driving back across town from our apartment to work to pick up Eric who was patiently waiting, I happened to notice the odometer... we had put 150 miles on the car in one day... and we had stayed in town.  Time to get a second car.

We decided that the purple-people-eater would be "my car" and he would pick out a second vehicle.  Something "beat up", "worn", something just to get around town from Point A to Point B.  Naturally, this meant getting a truck.

Now I have known people with Trucks.  I even expressed to my significant other that I liked Ford F-150s in particular - yeah, I liked how they looked and they seemed like a great truck.  We proceeded for the next month to spot trucks on the side of the road in varying degrees of distress.  Many with For Sale signs tacked onto their side or scribbled in white chalk across the windshield.  And often I would think why would anyone want to buy THAT thing.  Of course when this thought appeared in my head, it usually meant before long I found myself pulled over on the side of the truck, peering into the vehicle to see it's condition.  Then the remark: "This doesn't look that bad... what do you think?".  At that point, I would smile and nod.

We would scour the web for cars on sale, and he would methodically call out to the sellers asking all kinds of questions about said trucks - what kind of engine, is it 4 wheel drive, how is the clutch?  I listened, thinking - maybe I dont know so much about trucks...

Then one night I was called over to look at one he found on a website.  It was white, it was a truck, it was exactly what he had been looking for.  Instead of the numbers 150, on it's side were the numbers 250 which frankly I didn't understand... "What do you think?" he asked.  My reply: "I think it looks great.  If it's everything you are looking for, it sounds good to me."

So we went.  We drove the 3 1/2 hours to go see the truck.  As we passed through the fourth small mountainside town in Georgia, we both looked at each other and without having to speak communicated that we sure hoped this was "the one".  We pulled up to the dealership, and were immediately approached by the salesman.  "I got the keys for you right here, lemme show you the truck!"  He was excited... I was curious and I'll admit, a bit nervous.  We walked up to the truck and I think my jaw dropped.  It was the largest thing I had ever seen... A monster.  He started it up and it growled and sputtered and then transitioned to a hefty idling noise.  I could tell, Eric seemed a bit apprehensive about such a bit purchase - and it wasn't the money for the beat up thing... it was a physically BIG purchase.

Then it was decision time.  And you know, it was one of those great times when you find yourself looking at the intended item thinking:  Did we really need that kind of car... no.  Would it be better if we got the truck?... probably didn't matter.  Would it be fun?... most definitely.  And sometimes, you make decisions because you want to and not because you need to.

So we drove off the lot with the monster, me following in the purple-people-eater.  I watched as car after car would move out of the truck's way - dwarfed in it's looming shadow.  When we safely arrived back home we looked at each other and nervously laughed at our somewhat crazy purchase.

"You do know what this is, don't you?" I asked.  "It's the ultimate man toy - let's go for a ride."