global thinking

Have you seen the new 2012 Fiat 500 yet?  This car began sales in America just a few months ago, as a result of the Fiat takeover of the Chrysler Corporation.  The dealership, for which I am employed, applied for, and was awarded, a Fiat franchise.  It is a stand-alone dealership next door to our Chrysler-Dodge-Jeep-Ram dealership, so my position does not include sales of these cars, but I am around them everyday.

Reaction has been mixed.

Larger than a Smart Car and only very slightly smaller than a Mini Cooper, many scoff at the Fiat (Fix It Again, Tony) as a "throw-away" car.  Others view it as being a "too-small tin can".  Still, others turn up their nose at just another foreign car in America.  (But, does a true "American" car really exist today?)

Those with a positive reaction are the sizable area Italian-American community, the "green" environmentally conscious, the trendy, and miscellaneous others, like my wife, who think the car is "cute".

Until recently, my only knowledge of a Fiat 500 was from the Disney Pixar movie, Cars.  Luigi, owner of Luigi's Casa Della Tires, is a 1959 Fiat 500.  I had never actually seen an original Fiat 500 (built between the years 1957-1975) until recently, when an area Fiat enthusiast loaned the dealership his 1970 Fiat 500.  They are smaller than they look.  Very small... even smaller than the current models.  But, it will get you between two points.

Americans tend to tie the image of their ride to their personality.  I can't count the number of too-cool-for-a-minivan parents I have talked with at work... even though the minivan is, hands-down, the best family mover ever built (unless you need a heavier towing vehicle).  But how many SUV drivers actually need the off-road and/or towing capacity of a true SUV vs. those who just drive them because they look good?  And, the pickup truck is a similar animal.  How many "truck-guys" really need a truck vs. the number who just drive them to make themselves look more "manly"?

Americans... we are what we drive? 

I'm not putting down anyone's ride, but when you think about it, aren't some of the vehicles on our American streets pretty indulgent?  A good example is this $118,000.00 2010 Saleen Challenger (700 HP) we (not me) just sold at our dealership.  700 HP?  Really?  Why?

I have not traveled overseas much, but I think many in other parts of the world view transportation much more practically than we Americans.  I work with a Fiat enthusiast who moved to America from Italy about ten years ago.  He loves the Fiat 500 because of it's practicality.  He tells stories of whole families packing in a Fiat 500 to motor around Italy.  During my brief travel to China, it seemed that the Chinese people also view transportation very practically... not much about image.  It was nothing to see an entire family piled on a motorcycle or a moped... it was just about getting from point A to B.  I'm not saying it does not exist, but it didn't appear that there was a lot of vehicle "image" on the streets of China.

Now, I'm not putting America down, and I'm not saying I wouldn't mind tooling around in a nice "manly" 4x4 pickup truck.  But, I'm really practical enough in the way I view vehicles to think I feel pretty comfortable with some global thinking when it comes to vehicles.

Would I drive a Fiat?  Sure, why not? 

It's not really practical for my family size, but I like the overall practicality.  Money aside, I'd probably rather drive the Fiat than the 700 HP Saleen.

But would I look "manly" enough in the Fiat? 

Hmmm... I drive a rusting 2001 Chevy Lumina now...

Yeah, I'd be OK!

automotive history

Despite the fact that I am currently attempting to provide for my family as an "automotive sales consultant", I personally hate buying and/or selling cars.  It is one of the necessary evils of life, as evidenced by the fact that I am 42 years old, and still driving two of the five total vehicles purchased during my adult lifetime.

This post was inspired, in two ways, by a blogger/facebook friend, the Father of Five.  First, he recently posted a picture of his first car on facebook.  Second, during slow times at work (of which there have lately been ample), I have been skimming some of his archived blog posts and saw a post featuring his history of automobile ownership. 

I think it's a guy thing, but we like recounting our driving/ownership history.  That said, here are the rides with which I have been associated (those in red represent my actual purchases):

1.     1976 AMC Hornet Sportabout.  (stock photo)  My parents owned this car.  It was a red station wagon, with wood grain sides, a straight 6 engine and an automatic transmission.  I learned to drive and passed my test (the first attempt) in this car, and drove it a few years until I proudly purchased the '81 Rabbit. 

2.     1981 VW Rabbit.  I purchased my first car, sight unseen, from my Great Uncle Bill and Aunt Bernie. Although I had previously seen it over the years, it was in Florida when the purchase was agreed upon. It had a 4-cylinder diesel engine and a 4-speed manual transmission; and, although I'm not proud of it, my friend could beat me off the line at a traffic light in her... Yugo (he says with head hung low in shame)!  I added fog lamps, raised white-letter tires, an AM/FM/cassette stereo, a CB radio, chrome splash guards and exhaust tip, and beamed with pride at my first ride.  I did not know how to drive stick when I purchased the car, but we went to Florida over Christmas break, and I drove it back home to Ohio... pretty well mastering stick-shift driving in the process.  I drove it until there was little to no life in it, and (sadly) sold it for scrap.

3.     1986 VW Golf.  Replacing the '81 Rabbit, this vehicle was another 4-cylinder diesel with a 5-speed stick... a little more gutsy than the 4-speed Rabbit, but not much.  I owned this car when I dated and married my wife, and we drove it to Gatlinburg, Tennessee on our honeymoon.  Although it still ran great, my wife "strongly suggested" I get something "safer and more reliable" when we started having children.  I conceded.

4.     1988 Ford Escort.  Jen bought this car shortly after we started dating.  It had a 5-speed stick and I helped teach her the basics of stick-shift driving.  She owned it when we got married, but we were neither extremely fond of it, so shortly thereafter I sold it and bought a '95 Saturn.

5.     1995 Saturn SL.  This car replaced the '88 Escort.  With a 5-speed stick, this was perhaps my favorite car, to date.  Simple.  Reliable.  Comfortable.  Economical.  That's my kind of car.  The first two summers we were married, we took this car to Acadia National Park, in Maine.  I would probably still be driving it, but our family size necessitated a van, and it was the logical one to sell, due to higher mileage.  I sold it to two brothers to drive to college, and I still occasionally see it running around town.

6.     2001 Chevrolet Lumina.  This highly practical V6 automatic car replaced the '86 Golf, and it is presently my primary ride (minus the cargo "attic").

7.     2005 Dodge Grand Caravan SXT.  This V6 automatic van replaced the '95 Saturn, and it is presently Jen's primary ride.  (And, for the record, I'm a guy who has no image problems driving a minivan.  It's the most practical and utilitarian vehicle I have owned, to date, and I'm all about practical.  What's more, I'm proud to be a father of four, tooling around with a van full of kids!)

I've been tagged

There's a game of blogger tag going around, and I've been tagged by Sharla, at "Life as a Clay Jar". If you haven't visited her blog, I recommend a visit. I recently started reading her posts, and I think she keeps a great blog.

So, the deal is seven random or weird facts about me. Here they are:

1. As a kid, I always wanted to be a truck driver when I grew up. I'm currently an unemployed architectural draftsman, without many prospects, due to the housing market decline. We live near a truck driving school, and Jen and I have kicked around the idea of me enrolling in the five week course to get my CDL, as there seems to always be jobs of some kind for those with a CDL. It's not an ideal job for a family man (and I'm sure it's not as glamorous as it was portrayed on Movin' On, B.J. and the Bear, or Smokey and the Bandit) but it might be a possible short-term fix and fall-back plan later.
2. I dream of thru-hiking the Appalachian Trail. I am sure this is not as glamorous as the idea seems, either. The longest time I have spent on a backpack trip is 5 days, which is very different from 6 months, more or less. I have thought it would be neat to hike it someday with Dylan and Zachary, who are two years apart in age, as a rite of passage to adulthood. I have a neighbor who is in his sixties and has never backpacked, but has a fascination with the AT. Both he and I have read every biography of thru-hikers we can find in our library's system. This dream will likely never be realized, because the likelihood of having a job that would allow me 6 months off, even if I could afford to take 6 months off, is unlikely.
3. I have never seen any of the Star Wars movies. I was 8 or 9 when the first one came out. Nearly everyone in my age bracket has seen them. My friend, John, a huge Star Wars fan, refers to me as "the last Star Wars virgin".
4. I have never owned a new vehicle and I have never had an auto loan (excluding the $1500 I borrowed from Mom and Dad to buy my very first car... a 1981 VW Rabbit diesel). Instead of paying several years after I buy a vehicle, I save several years in anticipation of needing a vehicle. My target is then a 1 or 2 year old vehicle.
5. Related to #4, I am a volunteer budget counselor through my church, trained by Crown Financial Ministries. I teach principles of Biblical stewardship and help families set attainable financial goals, set up responsible household budgets, and create debt payback schedules, etc.
6. Even though I have always been on the shy side, I love drama. I often get involved with the nightly skits at Vacation Bible Fun or Christmas plays at church. I would love to land a role in a community theater someday, but I don't think we have one in our town.
7. I often wished that I had more siblings. I have one brother, but I often wondered what it would have been like to live in a larger family. Still, when it came to my own family, I thought two kids was a good number. I have four. Guess I get to experience a bigger family, after all.

Tagging seven more people may be difficult. Many of the bloggers I read have already been tagged, but I'll see what I can do. How about:

1. Kelly
2. Jill at "Making Room for Mallory"
3. Tracy at "Five Kids for us to Love"
4. Michael at "Doubling Up"
5. Chris Fabry at "The Flog"
6. Tara at "Red Thread Journey"
7. Tim at "Grab a Corner"