We were about to purchase another Volvo station wagon – a black-on-black cross country wagon. A good-looking car. A sophisticated car. And about as masculine as a Volvo can get. The brochure, in fact, featured handsome fellas hauling kayaks and coolers and mountain bikes. Not a woman or child in sight.
We were about to bite the bullet and blow $35K when we decided – for the fun of it – to check out the new Dodge Magnum station wagon, a modified muscle car. We didn’t like it. And we weren’t fond of the PT Cruiser the old boys at the dealership were pushing. Although, the price and the possibility of being able to take out all the seats was intriguing. The next thing I know, the old boys had slipped keys into my palm and we were off test driving a pickup truck.
Two days later we’re on our way to Hinder Ford in Aberdeen, Maryland, to pick up our new, shiny white, 2006 Ford F-150 4x4 pickup truck. Purchased sight unseen over the phone from Michael’s brother in law, a Ford dealer.
There’s a big difference between a Volvo and a Ford truck, and we wrestled with the whole image factor. Most of our friends laughed and wondered aloud if we were becoming rednecks or lesbians. Seriously, I'm a loafers and button-down kind of guy. Yeah, I own a pair of cowboy boots, but I've never felt very comfortable in them. And then there was the whole environmental angle. How does somebody who works for an environmental group and recognizes that global warming is the number one problem facing humanity buy a truck?
Luckily I can rationalize anything. At any time. A truck would be practical. We could haul our ladders, our mulch, and our lawnmower between houses. We do all our own yard work. It would be fun. And with four wheel drive, we could take it right out onto the beach. Hell, we could haul our Adirondack chairs with us. Wouldn’t that be great for a beach party? No more flimsy aluminum sand chairs. Yeah, the gas mileage sucked. But, the price was right -- we got a great deal on it and still had cash in the bank accounts. The fact that we also had a chic little aqua Thunderbird convertible helped too.
Another reason, though, had to do with a new year’s resolution. I vowed in 2006 to pay more attention to the “wild voice” within. I want to inspire my writing and avoid becoming too complacent with life. Driving a big white truck was just the thing to help me keep that resolution, to inspire the "wild voice."
The Ford F-150 4x4 is an inspiring, brawny, stud of a truck powered by a V8 engine -- whatever that means. It’s big. I stand 6’3” and it’s taller than me. You have to climb up in it. There are no frills and no gadgetry. We insisted on hand operated windows and a classic, bench-style front seat. It’s got an AM/FM radio. It has air conditioning, but no fancy seat warmers or individual temperature controls. No cruise control. No navigation equipment. Vinyl flooring means I can hose out the sand. It’s a truck. And, in my opinion, if you’re gonna drive a truck, then you ought to drive a truck. I’m not sure what that means. But, it sure sounds right.
No comments:
Post a Comment