On Tuesday morning, I drove to the body shop and cleaned out Lightning’s Girl for the final time. Two tripods in the trunk. A couple of camera lenses. That Dunkin’ Donuts gift card that I use for morning coffee and wake-up wraps. The green E-Z Pass that I have to send back to the state – although my new car is a hybrid, it’s not designated as a “clean” car that qualifies for the green E-Z Pass discount.
The body shop already removed my license plates, so they could get transferred to the new vehicle.
I took one final cursory pass around the car. Four years and a ton of memories.
One final photo to say goodbye to Lightning’s Girl.
I returned the rental car on Tuesday morning. The next time I willingly accept a Nissan Rogue as a rental, please kick me in the face. That car had more blind spots than Stevie Wonder, and its ride was less “where do you want to go” and more of a “fine, we’ll get there when I feel like it” vibe. Ugh.
That being said, yesterday was the first day with me and my new-to-me Chevrolet Malibu that still does NOT have a nickname. Nicknames are earned. You don’t just bestow a nickname on someone or something. And I still have about sixteen different nicknames – some good, some corny, some with hidden meanings, some with snide meanings – waiting to see which one works with this chariot.
The new dealership applied my license plates and temporary title. All I had to do was climb in and start the vehicle.
2017 Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid. My fourth Chevrolet and my sixth GM vehicle.
Now comes the transfer. Not just tags and title.
I had to contact OnStar and disconnect my original OnStar account from Lightning’s Girl and move it to this new whip. And SiriusXM had to move as well. And I have to reprogram all the station buttons.
I had to re-sync the Bluetooth connector for hands-free communication on my phone. This stuff is important. I do not need Johnny Badge arresting me for handheld cell phone usage.
Adjust the seats. Adjust the mirrors. Adjust the steering column for the dimensions of a 6’1″ man.
Fill the gas tank. On the positive, I don’t need 93 or 94 octane any more, this car will take regular 87 octane fuel. On the negative … this car has a large fuel tank. $40 to top off the car, even with 87 octane. Thanks, Trump.
A few more adjustments. Getting used to seeing where all my components exist. The setup is typical for Chevrolets of the era, but I still have to hardwire my brain to expect results that were previously missing.
First trip out of Albany County with the vehicle – last night, when I drove to Clifton Park to host my Wednesday trivia game. Eight teams at the country club that night, and I still finished the game in time for everyone to watch the World Cup match.
On the way home from trivia, I made my first car-to-cell call with the new vehicle. Called my son Kris. He told me about the Supergirl movie, what he liked about it and what he didn’t like. He noted that there’s a character in there called Shadowman, and he remembered Shadowman from those Valiant Comics he and I read together ages ago. My son is smart as a whip. He’s been through more in his short life than I’ve been through in mine.
Parked the car in front of my apartment. Made it through the first day without any trouble.
Now let’s see how far the car can go. My shortest time of ownership was approximately two yeas; that was the Saturn Ion “Cardachrome” that had an annoying and ultimately dangerous electrical issue. Let’s see if I can get two years out of this new car.
I’ll say this much.
I’ve already completed one day with it.
Today will be the second day.
Tomorrow will be the third.
Fingers crossed.
Chuck The Writer 