Getting the Car Painted

I drive a 2001 Honda Accord and have been in love with that car since the first time I laid eyes on it. We bought it in the fall of 2002 so it had probably been on the road for 2 years by then and it had been in an accident but we weren't told this.

So far I've had almost 6 years of relatively worry free driving with this car but, since I drive down to Florida in the winter, I was a little worried I was taking too much of a chance with a car of this age. My plan was to trade it in next year but everyone has been telling me a Honda is good for 10 years and more so I'd be crazy to get rid of it. Well, they convinced me and I'm going to keep it for at least 2 more years.

Last year I had the hood repainted because a large patch of clearcoat had disintegrated right in front of the window. The man who painted the car said there had been a deep pocket of Bondo in that spot and he thinks it might have had a rock dropped on it before I bought the car. In any case, he did an excellent job of repainting and matched the color perfectly.

I'm not sure why but some more smaller patches of clearcoat had begun to come off and my sweet little car was sort of looking like it had a skin problem. Because this didn't affect the mechanics of the car and the fact that I'd planned on trading it in next year, I had decided against having those spots repainted until just recently. Today my little car is in the shop to have it's blemishes repaired and repainted.

I feel stranded without my reliable little car sitting in the driveway and waiting to take me wherever my whims direct. It's hard to believe that I relied on my husband or public transport until I was the ripe old age of 44. That's when I finally got my driver's licence and my own car for the first time in my life. The exhilarating rush of liberation has never left me and I still feel a little giddy with happiness when I step out the door and see MY car waiting for me. The feeling of gratitude lingers as I turn the key and the motor catches immediately. Good car!

I might not get my car back until Sunday but when she comes home she'll be so beautiful!