Monday Musings: What Does Your Car Say?

I recently noticed that a Twitter friend of mine (William G. Jones) mentioned in his brief bio: “I drive a ’57 Chevy.”   On Twitter, you only get 160 characters to describe yourself, so you have to think hard about what summarizes your purpose in life, your personality, or generally why people should care one bit about your 140-character posts.  And I can tell you right now, it would have never crossed my mind to mention my car.

I have owned three cars in my life.  I currently drive a 10-year-old Honda Civic with over 120K miles on it.  Not nearly as cool as a ’57 Chevy, huh?

But I realize that I make assumptions about people based on what they drive.  And you might correctly presume a few things about me based on my car (pictured below).

1.  I am petite.  If I were a 6’2” 250-pounder, I wouldn’t be squeezing myself into that little car.  Instead, I stand on my tippy toes to get things off the top shelf at the grocery store and can still fit into the McDonald’s playroom tubes without too much difficulty.  So slipping myself into a compact car isn’t a stretch for me.  In fact, it’s reasonably roomy.

2.  I am frugal.  Well, at least about my car.  I don’t drive luxury, I don’t pay a lot for gasoline, and I clearly don’t replace my vehicle very often.   I would rather drive a reliable but relatively boring automobile and splurge in other areas – like eating out, pedicures, and books!

3.  I like green.  It’s my favorite color.  Maybe you couldn’t conclude that automatically, but most people choose a color that they like for their vehicle.  I’m good with any shade of green.

4. I have a family.  Admittedly, a lot of people who drive Civics do not have families, but one peek into my car and you would immediately see the evidence – drive-through cups, library books, a pair of dirty socks, school papers, and more.  And it’s a four-door sedan, meaning everyone gets his/her own door and window.  I have, however, avoided the purchase of a mini-van; although people tell me how convenient they are, a mini-van screams, “I drive a kid taxi!”

What I wish my car said about me (but it doesn’t) could be better communicated with this baby:

Yes, that’s Diana Riggs as Emma Peel from The Avengers, next to her powder blue Lotus Elan S3.  It says everything that I wish I could say about myself.  You fill in the blanks.

What do you think I wish my car said about me?  What does your car say about you?  What would you like to drive?  What do you wish your car said about you?