And They Say Cars are Just for Driving

Yes, it has been 41 days since I last posted…it would be boring for me to list out my relatively pathetic excuses and even more boring for you to read them. So—moving on.
When I was born, my parents owned a 1973 red convertible Volkswagen Super Beetle. My grandpa had bought it for my mom as a high school graduation present. This started my family’s now long standing passion for Farfegnugan—the people’s car—German engineering—the cute little body styles and wide variety of colors.
Since then, my parents have gone through two Bugs, two Vans, two Jettas, and two Cabriolets.
When I moved out of my parent’s house I was poor and scared of owning an unreliable car, so I was left alone and depressed; driving a Chevy S-10 truck that was loaned to me by my grandparents. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciated their generosity, but if you have ever owned a Volkswagen, you know what it is like to feel the legendary “farfegnugan”; you have felt a connection with your car unlike any other. You know what it is like to sit in the drivers seat, hugging the steering wheel, crying and apologizing to your car for smashing its headlights, hood and fender in the accident; as if it was a friend…uh…maybe that was just me.

Anyway, I find it interesting that the most depressing six years of my life coincided with the six years when I didn’t have a VW in my life.
My first marriage lasted for three years. I should have known that it wasn’t going to work when he convinced me to buy a Mazda. Yes, Mazdas are reliable and well engineered, but for me, they are like a dress from Ann Taylor. Pretty cute…well made…but they just don’t ever fit quite right.

I knew I was in love with my new husband long before I saw his ’64 VW Bus; but seeing it made me believe that he was someone I could love forever. If you are reading this and thinking that the last sentence is the weirdest thing you’ve ever heard, chances are that you don’t have a VW sitting in your garage. My husband and I have a baby blue Cabriolet and his freshly painted red and white Bus sitting in our garage. While our relationship is held together by so many things besides the Volkswagen blood that runs through our veins, it is always nice to know that deep down; we’ll forever remember the happiness we found together as VW drivers.