Cured

By Joe Rector

A few weeks ago, I discussed my severe case of car fever. Well, I am healed! Yes, I took the dive and bought a new “used” car. It’s my brother’s fault. He asked me on a Saturday to ride with him as he completed some errands. When I told him I hadn’t decided to buy a car yet, he replied that there was no harm in looking.

That drive to Rusty Wallace Nissan did me in. Upon arriving at the dealership, I immediately saw the vehicle in which I was most interested. Jim led me to the salesman with whom he’d dealt, and before long I was sitting in a cubicle talking about that car and the deal it would be. To be honest, the vehicle was spot on. It was the color I wanted, and it had plenty of bells and whistles, something my other cars never had.

I drove the car home, but I called Amy to prepare her for what I was doing. She looked at the car and liked it. However, she wanted to know how we would pay for it. We had agreed to wait until April before shopping, but I told her that this car was a 2024 with only 2,914 miles on it. That meant it was virtually new. Additionally, the dealership was running a sale, and the first payment wasn’t due until May.

The salesman, David Bonah, made the experience the best one I’ve ever had. Usually, I leave car buying to Amy. She’s a tough negotiator and has no qualms about walking out if things don’t work right. David was forthcoming and helpful, and I felt that he was honest in his work with me. A few days later, he even helped me to sell my 2011 Pathfinder on the day it was listed for sale. David has also made himself available to answer questions that I have had.

This new car scares me. I don’t like for things to be smarter than I am. However, this Pathfinder has heated seats and steering wheel, all sorts of driving aids, a wonderful sound system, and charging portals. Best of all, the car has Apple Play, which allows me to listen to my own music. Understanding how to set the door locks took some time, but I am a fan of how they work without fumbling with the key fob all the time.

I’ve had a trailer hitch added and have hauled mulch for landscaping at the house. The muck from the mulch place dirtied up my new ride, so I cleaned it. The passage of time will be necessary before the “I can’t stand for my car to be dirty” feelings to subside. Of course, I dread the first ding from another’s car door hitting mine or a gravel chipping the paint, but once that happens, I’ll settle down.

I bought my first Pathfinder in 1987. It was brand new, but the car had no back seat, radio or air conditioning. Adding them afterward was more economical. The 2011 model that I was driving had some features that were nice. Now I have a car that’s smarter than I am, I don’t understand all the features that are offered, and I’m nervous about the first ding. Isn’t it grand to live in this age? Maybe the best thing of all is that I bought this new Pathfinder before tariffs raise prices by several thousands of dollars.