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First car more than just vehicle

1997 Chevy Cavalier provides freedom, fond memories, new experiences, proves to be coming-of-age car

August 30, 2012
	<p>Harrington</p>

Harrington

Editor’s Note: Views expressed in guest columns and letters to the editor reflect the views of the author, not the views of The State News.

I’ll never forget my first car. It wasn’t shiny or new or fast. It was a 1997 turquoise Chevy Cavalier, passed down through a line of various family members – including my older brother — before it was finally turned over to me when I turned 16.

That car – “The Cav,” or “Chugaboo,” as we affectionately referred to it – easily could be spotted across any parking lot. Its cheery, rounded features and bright blue exterior, slightly rusted around the edges, made it stand out and gave it personality.

I never knew much about cars, but from the minute I took hold of that steering wheel, I knew I was in love.

All of a sudden, I could go more places, see more people and do more things. My world was instantly expanded, and my freedom was infinitely greater.

Chugaboo had character, and that’s what I treasured most about it. Whenever people would ask me to describe my dream car, I would always say “a 1997 blue Cavalier.”

The other day, I found out my mom is giving away good ole’ Chuggs. After I heard the news, there was a slight knot in the back of my throat and a feeling of hollowness in my stomach, which persisted throughout the rest of the day.

“I never even got to say goodbye,” was the first thought that entered my mind.

There’s just something about letting go of “The Cav” that makes my heart ache, as dramatic as that sounds.

Five years of memories – good and bad – float about in that cute little turquoise Chevy, and each time I get in the driver’s seat, it brings them back, like an old song drifting through the radio speakers.

Like a friend, I loved “The Cav” for its distinguishing flaws: the broken power locks and air conditioning, the duct-taped seat levers, the blown-out speakers and that one back tire that never seemed to have enough air.

Some of my very best times took place in that car. Those long summer-night drives with my three best friends – windows rolled down, our favorite teenybop songs blaring and us singing along at the top of our lungs.

The hourlong talks in my high school crush’s driveway when I drove him home from school each day.

Those moments after, when I was turning out of his neighborhood and brimming with excitement about what had just taken place.

Some of my most difficult times also took place in that car — memories that played a big role in teaching me how to grow up. There was the time I barely missed hitting another vehicle when Chugaboo hit a patch of black ice. Those hours I spent in the library parking lot with my best friends as they tried to console me after my first breakup.

I don’t know how many times I cried on that steering wheel.

The Cavalier proved to be a coming-of-age car. It was my own space where I could go at the end of the day if I felt overwhelmed by life’s worries.

More than just a car, the Cavalier was a refuge, a retreat, a haven, when I had nowhere else to go. It gave me my first glimpse of freedom and independence. It was a companion who knew my deepest secrets and has seen me at some of my highest and lowest points.

When my uncle gave the Cavalier to my family back in 2005, it already had accumulated more than 150,000 miles, and he told us, “I’ll guarantee it for 30 minutes or 30 miles, whichever comes first.” Seven years later, it still refuses to die and is being passed on to someone else.

In the past few days, I realized that the Cavalier is a symbol of my years at college and that letting go of my car is probably going to feel a lot like leaving college and all the unique experiences my time here has encompassed. But like my time at MSU, I realize I have gotten everything I could out of that car, and soon it will be time to move on.

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After many wonderful years together, I know the Cavalier was and will always be a part of me, just like my memories at MSU.

And every time I see a bright blue Chevy Cavalier on the road, I’ll smile and think of the great memories my own Chevy provided to me — and how it was with me through some of the greatest years of my life.

Katie Harrington is the opinion editor at The State News and a journalism senior. Reach her at harri878@msu.edu.

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