Ask Debbie...

Dear Sam:

Please, Please don't listen to Amy on this one!

I really don't think she "truly understands" the situation. She has a forty-year-old car that she's keeping, but she says it's not reasonable for you. So it's okay for her, but not for you? She says it's "unsafe at any speed;" which Amy's Corvair may well be, but if you've loved your Suburban this long, I'm sure you've taken care of it quite well, and let's face it, something built in 1990 was put together a lot better (and built a lot safer to begin with) than those ol' Corvairs. She also says that "women don't seem to get so sentimental about cars," and I can tell ya that's a load of crap right there. That's three good reasons I think Amy's way off-base on this one.

No, Sam, you are not crazy; there's nothing crazy about emotional connection. When it comes to insensetive, I don't know for sure, but I doubt it. I get the feeling from your letter that you do care about your wife's wishes; surely she cares about yours too. Maybe you can explain your thoughts to her so that she'll see why you want to keep the Suburban.

There's no real reason to worry about the safety of a 1990 model unless it's been abused or poorly maintained; which I'm sure yours has not; since you say you're emotionally attached to it, I'd say you've most likely taken good care of it. With six kids, there's nothing unreasonable about a big American-made 1990 Suburban where everybody has a seatbelt and nobody's crowded.

If you want to keep it, I say by all means, keep it! Surely keeping it maintained & insured is cheaper than making payments on something brand-new that's big enough for a family of eight. On an emotional level, if you just really need something else to drive, there's nothing wrong with keeping it around just in case you might want to get it out every now and then or maybe hang onto it to pass it along to one of the kids as a sentimental classic. I'll never forget driving to the Homecoming Game my Senior Year in the Trans-Am that My Mom drove me to my first day of Kindergarten in; Mom and I both still Love that car, it's not goin' anywhere -- surely one of your kids is sentimental too!

Where I come from, there are more memories stored-up in rollin'-stock than you'd ever believe. Words can't describe the feeling of finding that Indy Pace Car Mustang that I watched My Dad rebuild when I was in first grade; I was so proud to bring that home years later for Mom to see. I still smile when I see my ol' 94 Ford across the parking lot, and I plan to keep it for a long long time. I still get goosebumps when I think about bein' seventeen and crusin' down the highway in that limited-edition '75 GMC that My Mom drove when I was a baby. I still remember the shine of red paint, the smell of black leather, and the rumble of that '72 Pantera that My Dad sold shortly before I got a driver's license; and I'd give anything for a chance to have it back. Oh, the 351, and the smell, and the rumble like thunder that shook the whole neighborhood... It's makin' me feel all funny inside!

If you want to hang onto it, by all means, hang onto it! It's better than letting it go and wishing you hadn't!


_\,,/ More later...