Cleveland Real Estate News

Watching the evening news I heard the sound bite: coming up a story about the possible end of an era for a beloved car line. My mind immediately went to my parent’s 1956 Bel Air. For most of my life my parents had a Ford, because Dad worked at Ford and loyalty reigned. But early on we had that Bel Air and to this day I think it was the most beautiful car anyone in my family ever owned.  A two toned green, with the bottom half a crisp sea green and the top a mellow mint green. Add in all that chrome and it was a sight to behold.

I immediately had tears in my eyes. I’m sure some of what was going on was the sentiment involved in remembering childhood. But it was also the beauty of the car.

The story on NBC finally came on and it focused on Pontiac which we all know (due to the planned restructuring) is being ‘demoted’ and who knows, maybe eliminated eventually. The car enthusiast interviewed waxed on about the muscle cars, the stacked headlights, etc.  All this is true.  He said things changed when suddenly all cars started looking alike. I would use the term, the industry may have jumped the shark? But then I got to thinking…

Were we misguided in having such fantasy about cars? Did it serve us well or do us a disservice? Are we in a situation now where we might find ourselves viewing cars as necessary, allowing us to emphasize fuel efficiency and meeting our needs, not our wants? I don’t know the answer.  I do know that over the last 14 or so years I have changed my philosophy about cars. Yes I still have a love affair with the Mini, but in my heart, I know a used, fuel efficient car with a good maintenance record as a brand, is the way I will go.

I understand the joy of the booming steel industry and the open road, the mass production of cars and the independence felt when you could own one even if you were not rich.  I understand the loyalty my family felt to Ford because it put food on our table and my Dad had pride in his work and his company.

Now I’m wondering if maybe fantasy has to take a backseat. And maybe that’s not a bad thing. Maybe adjusting how we view the automobile can help us all be happier as we look to buy cars that work well and fit our needs, rather than dreaming about owning a car that we want that probably costs at least twice what we need to spend on it.

But that Bel Air sure was beautiful.   Peace Out – 3C