A milestone

While this might seem unimportant to some, a significant event happened this weekend. Jose let me drive his car. It was only to the car wash, then the tennis courts but it was monumental. His car is his baby. He would rather drive his daughter's car to avoid bad weather and excess miles for his Acura. I had been busting his ass for some time about letting me drive his car. I realized weeks ago that would be the true test. Only when I drove his car would I know that he trusted me. I say that in jest, but only partly. It was fun to mention it, then see him cringe. It gave me the chance to get dramatic and lament that he didn't really care about me, that I wasn't as important as his car, or that he didn't trust me.

I've learned a lot about him through the car buying process. I see cars as purely functional. I want something reliable, durable, safe. There is still a cuteness factor where I want it to look nice and NOT be an avocado green Chevy Nova. Maybe this is a Mars vs. Venus thing. I want the respect of the salesperson. I need that validation and if you call me "honey", I'm not buying a car from you. Cars serve a purpose. I need to get to work, go the grocery store, drive to Target. It is a means to an end.

Cars are a luxury item for Jose. He wants the bells and whistles. I just want it to have a radio. He wants the style and prestige. I want it to start on a cold morning. The design of the dash, the small nuances of engineering changes, the variations of options available- all those things excite him. I like having a cup holder.

While I was car shopping, we wouldn't even be close to a test drive and he was asking about what color it came in. Nice way to play it cool! I was perfectly fine getting info and walking away. He would have signed his name in a heartbeat if you handed him a pen. He felt guilty for the Honda guy when I decided I was getting another Rav4. The only part I felt bad about was that the Honda guy was wearing a herringbone jacket with a vertical stripe shirt and a horizontal stripe tie. I think I got a good deal. That was my goal. Jose wants everyone to be happy.

True confession time: I did get heated seats. I know that negates everything I just wrote about function vs luxury. I try to play it off as a medical need. When you use heated seated, that little bit of warmth helps to avoid lower back stiffness. That sounds like a good story, but really I just like having a butt warmer.