It was a salutation unique to me, “Take good care of that car!”
The young man behind the register said it just as I turned to leave the gas station. With my back turned, a puzzled look emerged on my face, “Take good care of that car?”
What an odd thing to say I thought as I pushed open the door… I mean, I’d expect to hear “Have a nice evening” or even “Take care,” but not “Take good care of that car.”
Immediately, however, everything began to make sense as I walked outside and remembered the shiny, black, 2016 Chevrolet Camaro I had just driven to the gas station. He was complimenting me on it.
“This must be what it feels like…” was the thought racing through my mind as I stepped on the gas and sped away into the quiet night.
At this point, I should probably back up.
This past Saturday, my Southwest flight landed on the dark runway of an airport in the middle of a snowy, blizzardy Omaha, NE. Snow plows worked tirelessly removing the wet, heavy snow. The temperature was not cold, 33 degrees F to be exact, but the temps were dropping and snow was definitely sticking to the pavement.
I had arrived in Omaha that evening to speak at a church the next morning 45 minutes away in Lincoln, NE. Around 10pm, when I approached the weary airport employee at the car rental counter, I was the only customer in sight—probably his last one of the night.
I’m guessing because the man’s shift was almost over (or maybe because of the frequency with which I have rented cars from this particular company), upon arrival, the gentleman asked if I was interested in an upgrade on my reserved vehicle.
“Sure,” I responded. Why would any traveler turn down a free upgrade?
“Great. How ‘bout I give you the Camaro?” he asked.
“For free?” I clarified. I mean, knowing me, my original reservation was for the cheapest car in their database and a Camaro seemed like a pretty significant upgrade.
“Yes, for free. Nobody else seems interested in it today.”
I remembered the wet, December snow falling outside. “Sure, I’ll take it. I learned to drive in North Dakota—a little snow doesn’t worry me.”
Before I knew it, I was off the lot heading to my night’s lodging with plenty of time to make final preparations for my busy Sunday morning. On my way, I stopped at a small gas station to pick up some Chap Stick.
In that particular gas station, I was met with that unfamiliar greeting by the young cashier with the dark hair, “Take good care of that car.”
Why he thought wishing my car well was more important than wishing me well, I’ll never know…
But maybe that’s because I’ve never been much of a car-guy. I know there are some who find great enjoyment in the pursuit, but it’s always seemed like an expensive hobby to me. Not to mention, I’ve seen countless financial lives burdened (or even ruined) by too ambitious of a monthly car payment. So I almost consider it a blessing that I’ve never been particular drawn to expensive vehicles.
It’s probably because of that “noncar-guy status” that the gas station attendant’s salutation sounded so strange to me. When a middle-age man drives up in a white 2005 Honda Accord, nobody rushes to compliment him on his car. They must save those greetings for the folks in the Camaros and Mustangs.
For the first time in my life, somebody went out of their way to compliment me on the car they assumed I owned.
So you’ll have to excuse me for being surprised by it. And you’ll have to forgive me for my internal reaction to it as well.
You see, when I climbed back into that car—a car that I don’t even own—I experienced a rush of pride. It was brief. But nevertheless, there was a distinct feeling of arrogance that caused me to prop my head up a little bit higher and step on the gas a little bit harder… I was driving an expensive car—nicer, I assume, than the car driven by that man behind the counter.
I asked myself in that moment, “Is this what it feels like to drive a sports car? To know that people look at you and your car when you pull up next to them at a red light or into your parking spot at the gas station? This must be part of the appeal.” Is this what draws people to expensive cars? Is this why they buy them?
I know, of course, there are other reasons people are drawn to expensive vehicles. They enjoy the speed, the craftsmanship, the hobby, or the memories conjured up because of them.
But is it also the case, in many circumstances, that these feelings and this appearance of superiority are also part of the draw?
Because if that’s the case, what a shame. There are far more important things I’d like to be known for than the model of vehicle I park in my garage.
I’m so glad I’m not a car-guy…
And yet, I can’t help but believe this appeal extends beyond the cars that we drive. Maybe I am not a car-guy, per se… but that doesn’t mean I may not be trying to impress others with the things that I own in other ways.
Sometimes we seek these feelings of pride in the houses that we live in… the clothes that we wear… the technology that we carry… or the vacations that we take. Too often, we pursue these things not because of the value they offer to our lives, but because we crave the attention and acclamation of others.
Which makes me wonder, “Is that why we’re doing all this? Is this one of the reasons we keep buying all this stuff we don’t need?”
Just to impress our family, our friends, our neighbors, or the cashier at the gas station?
Because if so, what a shame.
Our lives hold far greater potential than that.
Great post!!! Hey there was a post on here a few weeks ago, about “is that it” regarding kids and presents saying something like “is that all the presents” i can no longer find the post. anyone have a link?
Check out the archive.
https://www.becomingminimalist.com/archives/
It has what you’re looking for + every post Joshua has ever written on this site.
Thanks Jeffrey Pillow, its so weird i have checked there going all the way back to august(even though i know that post was in October/November) Its as if it disappeared from the site. :(
You can find it here: Parents, What Expectations Are We Setting for the Holidays?
A THOUSAND THANK YOU’S!!!!
Will be sharing this with my wife, we are in the process of expanding our family and i would love to instill in our children the thoughts and values the article represents.
My first car was the cheapest option I could by, and then modded it to run on natural gas and save even more, since I was making a big mileage.
After an incident that would have costed me a lot in repairs, I decided to go for a new car: an entry level on the premium range, with the smaller motor option, so that I could keep fuel costs down.
I bought it out of aesthetics and comfort, I also took status into account. Status can play in your favor, or not: people might respect you more but also might assume you’re wealthy and ask you money/
Since then I’ve become less off a ‘car guy’ and grew a better understanding of running costs associated with premium cars, I know how much freedom I would have got by saving more.
I don’t own a car (I don’t earn enough for a car) but I use the car sharing service in my city. One thing I really like about it is that there are all kinds of different vehicles I can book. One day I booked a sportier car and I admit, it was a lot of fun to drive.
Years ago I watched Anderson Cooper interview his mom about her love of her 1970s Camaro. When you think about it, a fully loaded Camaro is a fairly modest vehicle for such a wealthy family.
Definitely not a car person myself. For the past decade I have used a combination of public transportation, biking and walking… At one point in life I did have two cars – at once! A Buick LeSabre that I used for work and a Jeep Cherokee with 225,000 miles on it that took me everywhere I needed to go in life. Seems to me that when people judge you based on looks, you have a natural tendency to judge yourself. As a minimalist I think practicality wins (nearly) every time :)
I bought a used Toyota pickup because it was reliable, affordable and low on insurance. But I’m not a car guy. I remember an essay in Newsweek once by a car guy. He wrote eloquently about how he could barely afford the car, but every time he got in it he felt like he would live forever. Owning something to impress others is sad. Owning something because it brings you joy, that’s different to me.
I recently began reading your blog after reading your book The More of Less this fall (great book). I 100% agree with this post. I’m 24 years old and at my age many of my friends are upgrading their cars to brand new cars simply because they can afford it. I often listen to them complain about their car payments and drastically higher insurance bill now. I still drive the same 2007 Ford Focus I bought back in college that I now share with my fiancé (we are trying the one car family after he decided to go back and finish college). My car has a front bumper with a large and it’s slowly become detached on one side, but I absolutely love my car. My friends and family often poke fun at us for not upgrading, but I think a lot of people forget that a car is just a mode of transportation from point A to point B and I do not see the point of spending thousands of dollars on just that point A to point B part of life. We instead are saving that money that would have been wasted on a car, insurance, and sales tax and using it on a trip to Europe this summer. I think that’s a much better use of money.
It’s probably not even really about the stuff, it’s about the pride in our hearts. One could basically pursue minimalism with that same attitude as owning a fancy car.
Meriam,
This is so true. Spend any real time on the minimalist blogs and you can see how minimalism can appear as the latest incarnation of “keeping up with the jonses”…in reverse…”gave up my solid 6 figure salary for a minimalist life in in some perfect beach town, or city high-rise with fabulous views and empty, top of the line kitchen, just me and my 3K macbook pro, locavore food, and $15.00 a lb. fair trade columbian coffee…” i love the movement, but one has to be careful to remember stuff is just the tip of the iceberg.
The problem goes beyond cars. I’ve downgraded my vehicle to a 1999 Ford Ranger, which won’t impress anyone, but I’m still guilty in other areas.
We often try to guess how much money is driving down the road when we see a big modified truck or SUV (we live in Oklahoma). Often we say “there goes $75000 in debt” or “there goes half our house.” That being said my husband is a mechanic and his brothers are engineers so they do like to talk car design and we love to see a car that has been lovingly restored. For some people it’s about appreciating the machine and a connection to friends and family.
My favorite car is one that runs and was paid for a long time ago.
What Betsy said, x1000. Keep it simple.
And frankly, the people who I’ve heard vocalize their judgement of others for the cars they drove…are not people I really wanted as friends.
I do think this car-pride post is tipping towards the puritan idea that any pride in possession (of anything) at all is a bad thing.
Betsy, you made me chuckle. So true!