Wheeling and Dealing

 When I bought myself a two-door, six-speed, 424 horsepower, 2010 Chevrolet Camaro Super Sport a few months ago, even I had to admit the purchase was completely frivolous. No one NEEDS to own a car with a top speed of over 150 miles per hour.

A car like that has no practical applications. I can tell you from first hand experience that as much fun as it is to drive a Camaro SS on an open stretch of highway, it is not much fun at all when it’s being used to drop children off at school every morning. I purchased the Camaro in July when school was the last thing on my mind, but soon after the Fall semester began, I realized my awesome sportscar was a lousy taxi. The Camaro sits very low, which makes it difficult to climb out of, especially for my daughter Tiana who has mobility issues caused by cerebral palsy. And having only two doors makes it tough for passengers riding in the back seat (my son Truman) to enter and exit the vehicle. 

For the past few years, my “daily driver” vehicle has been a 2010 Volkswagen Beetle, which is no easier on my children to climb in and out of than the Camaro. Most of the time we end up taking my 2015 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD to school. The four-wheel-drive, crew cab, three-quarter-ton, diesel-powered truck does have four doors, but its ride height and bumper-to-bumper length make it a behemoth in the drop-off line while its relatively poor fuel economy makes it a less-than-ideal commuter vehicle. My two-wheel-drive, regular cab, 1971 Chevy C-10 pickup is considerably smaller than its massive younger cousin, but it only has two seat belts, making it ineligible to ferry three people around town.

Eventually I came to the realization that none of my four vehicles was particularly well-suited for driving my children to school, work, doctor’s appointments, or anywhere else. I needed a four-door passenger car. Then I remembered that I already own one.

My oldest son Alex had been driving a 2014 Chevy Cruze that I bought for him to use when he went off to college. The small sedan offered plenty of room for a single college student, but when he became a father to my darling granddaughter Freya last year, the Cruze suddenly proved to be much too small. When Alex expressed an interest in acquiring a vehicle with room for a child’s car seat, a stroller, and all the other stuff that goes along with having a baby, I realized I could solve all of our family’s car needs with a little bit of wheeling and dealing.

First, I contacted the dealer who sold me the Camaro and asked if he would be interested in buying the car back at a reasonable discount that would allow him to sell the car again for a modest profit. Because the car was in the exact same condition it was in when I bought it, he happily agreed and issued me a check for my full asking price. While completing the paperwork, we calculated that I had driven the car only 1500 miles in the three months that I had owned it. A fair portion of those miles were driven at excruciatingly slow, responsible speeds while operating a taxi service for my children.

Next, I began searching for small SUVs or station wagons for Alex and his little family. I found a pre-owned, all-wheel-drive Subaru Outback wagon for sale near St. Louis that seemed like a good candidate, so I traded in my Volkswagen and used some of the cash from selling my Camaro to purchase it. I also bought a brand-new set of tires for Alex’s girlfriend’s car while I was at it. Now Baby Freya has two comfortable and safe cars to ride around in.

The third part of my plan was to make the Cruze my new daily driver. With four doors, a backup camera, and a comfortable ride height, the Cruze is an ideal vehicle for shuttling kids to and from school. Plus, if and when Truman and Tiana get their driver’s licenses, it will be a perfect first car for them to drive.

Naturally, when my kids start driving the Cruze, (which may be soon), I will be on the lookout for a new daily driver for myself. This time I won’t be constrained by the need for a practical family car. Perhaps I’ll buy another Camaro. Or a Corvette. Maybe something luxurious like a Cadillac. Or a muscle car. A Jeep would be fun. Oh, the possibilities…