Car Cred

In New York just having a car is cool. If you have a big car, that holds lots of people, even better. With a minivan or a SUV you can drive people places -- upstate, the Hamptons, to client meetings in Connecticut and Jersey, where ever. Even though I only have one kid, in 2002 I bought a minivan. Mostly because at the time we also ferried around our two Godchildren, and we liked to road trip.

My first week in Cincinnati I swiped the side of the van on the pillars in the underground garage at the office. Twice. Hey, I was use to having the car parked for me in underground garages. So now I had a minivan with dents on the side. Totally uncool amongst the BMW's, Lexus', and Audi's in that garage. I'd sometimes think about getting a new car, but my old WASP up-brining -- where one bought a car for cash and drove it for at least 100,000 miles, wouldn't let me entertain that idea for very long. And, I just couldn't buy into the whole BMW, Lexus "thing." I'd sometimes think that the thing to do would be to rise above all that and get a Prius -- especially since those (gas guzzling) luxury sedans were just one step down from a Hummer as far as I was concerned.

Well now I don't have to worry for a while. The Minivan still has only 60,000 miles on it -- and now that I'm in beauty school I get compliments on it again -- "Miss Cynthia, I sure like your van." There is one student who's mother picks her up in a big Mercedes ("rich bitch"), and another who's boyfriend drives a Cadillac Escalade (drug dealer), a couple of nice Camary's and a Honda CRV ("nice, lucky"); but for the most part the cars resemble those of my friends from the prep school days -- really old, beat-up and 100,000 miles +. Back then you were lucky to get your mothers old car when you got your license. Except for Steven Goldberg -- his dad bought him a Camero (I think) and we all kind of thought "how nouveau riche."