 I'm not sure when it happened, but I've been naming my cars for quite a few years now. I figure that if people can name boats and ships, I can name my car. My current car, an economic little silver Kia, is called Sylvia. I thought it was a nice play on the color, silver, and it was the name of Danny Kaye's wife. What these two things have in common, beats me.
Before Sylvia, was Hildegaard - a big, sturdy BMW 525e. Dan bought Hildegaard from me when it became apparent that little short me trying to drive a big car, was a bit like a child trying to steer a wild bull. Hildegaard just seemed an appropriate name for a German car that is built like a tank. One night, Hildegaard hit a kangaroo (aka boulder) as we were coming back from a dinner in the Blue Mountains. The kangaroo wound up with less damage than Hildegaard, and, although her headlights are permanently shining upwards into the trees now (we call it "possum-spotting"), she survived with just a big dent, which we will eventually repair. For now, the damage elicits some interesting conversation.
 I traded Chloe in for Hildegaard. Chloe was a saucy little red BMW 318i. Her previous owner, a college student, flogged her transmission to death. We replaced her diff and her transmission and she handled beautifully. If it wasn't for the fact that her fuel economy was so poor, I'd probably still own her, but she guzzled gas like an alcoholic guzzles Colt malt liquor. She was too high on the maintenance scale. I like things that are low maintenance - like cats. This allows me, myself, to be the high maintenance feature of our household.
Before I moved out to Australia, I owned the Green Lantern. It was a little Chevy Metro. Sleek,  sporty, but economical and practical. I loved that car. It was a beautiful shade of green. I thought of naming it the Green Hornet, but didn't want to insult my Chevy by naming it after another car manufacturer.
I'll probably go on naming my cars until dementia settles in. Up until now, my cars, like my pets, have always named themselves, but I think, next time, I might pick a favorite name and find a car to match it. Some ideas:
Doris Day - My '56 Nomad
Naomi (Watts) - a Mazda Miata
Clyde - an old Ford pickup truck
Axle Rose - a red convertible
 Regardless, I will always feel a connection with my cars - even if I want to shoot it, like my first car, a '76 Dodge Colt, called Heap of Sh*t. |
posted by Melanie O. at 
