I bought a new car this summer. It wasn't just new to me, it was actually new, with all of 12 miles on the odometer.
On a whim, on a hot summer day in July, I decided to stop by the local Honda dealer located near my house after lunch. I'd been thinking about getting a new car. I had been researching EVs for months but wasn't finding anything that met my driving needs. But I thought, maybe I can downsize and get a smaller SUV instead of the Odyssey.
I gave a Pilot a quick test drive and hated it. Light, bouncy. And not nearly enough cargo space.
I love my Odyssey van. I can easily haul three dogs and the mountain of crap that we need to comfortably survive in a hotel and at an agility trial. I can fit 8 foot long pieces of PVC in it. I can sleep in it if I have to (and I did during the move from Oregon to Arkansas). The Odyssey just works for me.
I bought my first Odyssey lightly used. It was still relatively low mileage but I wanted a newer car with updated safety features that the old one lacked.
The dealer had two Odysseys on the lot, a white one (hated it) and a lovely slate blue one. I looked at the salesman and said, I'll take the blue one. No test drive needed. I know what I'm getting. It's not sexy or cool, but it is exactly the kind of car that I want.
A couple of hours and a lot of paperwork later, I was transferring dog crates and assorted gear from the old Odyssey to the new one. I felt strangely emotional--I was losing an old reliable, well, I can't say a car is a friend, but it was a reliable tool that I used every day. A tool that had transported me back and forth across the country to both coasts more than once. I was sad to say goodbye to the old van. But I drive Hondas for a reason: I immediately felt at home in the new van with its nice leather interior and spiffy safety features.
