Economy
It's Just Not That Easy to Get Rid of Your Car
Research proves we're prone to emotional attachments with our vehicles. So here's some advice from someone who finally let go of hers.
I was dragging some boxes out to the garage when I found my mom in the driveway, gently dabbing at the windshield of my Prius with a soapy rag. “You don’t have to do that,” I said, embarrassed that she’d take it upon herself to wash my grimy property. “I know,” she replied. “I guess it’s my way of saying goodbye.”
Hugging her, I interpreted this as a slightly odd farewell to me, since I was about to drive cross country for a new start in D.C. There I’d sell Evelyn, my trodden though trusty 2004 hybrid, and skip through city life unencumbered. My mom would miss me, I supposed.