I just got back from buying a new car.  Well, actually, not a new car but a used car.  The lease was finally up on our GMC Acadia and instead of signing up for a new lease, we made the decision this time around to actually buy something.  In this case we bought a used Jeep Grand Cherokee.  As I left the dealership I felt a bit sad. I wasn’t sad about buying the car itself, after all, we needed another set of wheels.  I was sad because neither of my sons joined me in for the care buying experience.  It seems to me that this generation finds no allure of the car buying experience.

Years ago, buying a car was part of a boy’s right of passage – kinda like a Bar Mitzvah but without all the chanting.  I remember those rare special occasions when my Dad decided to buy a new car – hoping that one day he would take me with him.  When that day finally came, it was magical!

Buying a car when I was a kid was a very big deal and nobody was as prepared as my Dad.  When we got to the dealership my Dad gave me that nod – like I was part of some kind of caper.  The salesman greeted us as soon as we closed our car door.  “Looking for a new car?” he asked.  “Maybe” my Dad replied – smiling at the salesman and looking back at me.  The game was afoot.  My Dad selected a car and I got to sit in the backseat while we took the rest ride.  The salesman droned on and on about this and that oblivious to the fact that my Dad had crafted out his plan way in advance.  He knew what he was going to say and how he was going to say it.  He was a master of the car haggle and in the end, we always got a good deal.  I remember sitting in the passenger seat as we pulled into the driveway – victorious!  We got to show off our fresh kill to the family and neighborhood.  I can still smell the scent of new car and cigarettes.

Today, my kids could care less about whether we have a new car, old car or any car for that matter.  They only get excited when a new game comes out (you should have seen them a few weeks ago when Call of Duty Black Ops was released).  I think in the years to come, people will be buying their cars on Amazon, waiting for the UPS truck to pull up with their car towed in the back on a trailer.  Some think that this is progress.  I actually think its this generation’s loss.  Oh wait, the UPS guy is here – maybe my new CDs are finally here!