Connections grow with age, including our connections to our cars.
When junior Sophie Grossman drives her 2007 Mazda 5 to school, she’s driving a car with eccentric characteristics caused by aging machinery. Rather than being disuaded from driving, she embraces the uniqueness.
“When the handle is broken, you have to do certain things to unlock it,” Grossman said. “It’s very quirky, but I love all the quirks to it.”
The blue-purple Mazda has a long history. Previously owned by her childhood friend’s family, it was first gifted to Grossman’s sister when she began driving at 16. Later, Grossman herself would take the wheel, and she now drives it everywhere.
Though she first learned to drive in her parents’ car, Grossman prefers the aesthetics and driving dynamics of her own vehicle.
“It takes a lot to press on the brakes and the gas, which I know is weird, but I prefer it like that,” Grossman said.
She isn’t the only one who enjoys the quirks. Grossman’s friends have also grown fond of the car and its small personalizations, including a Little Tree air freshener.
“They love the look,” Grossman said. “They also always say my car has a signature scent, I always have my Little Tree.”
One popular feature is the CD player. Though the number of CD players installed in cars has rapidly declined over the years, particularly due to motor companies phasing out the addition of this hardware, Grossman and her friends still find fun in the physical music medium.
“I can’t play bluetooth music,” she said. “So it’s just fun. They always get to pick out a CD they want to play, they get to choose the album that they want.”
Having the Mazda to herself and owning its unique features has allowed Grossman to make many new memories, including a favorite of driving to Wawa in the summer.
Another memory from a school day with a two-hour delay, a side effect of keystone testing, is more negative and tested the limits of the Mazda. Grossman was carpooling with friends and on the way to school when something went wrong with the car.
“I was pulling out of my friend’s driveway when I was like ‘Huh, that’s weird, my steering wheel is moving by itself. Not good,’” Grossman said. “I got a flat tire literally on the way to school.”
A call to her dad and a trip to an auto shop helped to secure the safety of her car and its future on the road.
“I was really scared for a few days that I wasn’t going to have my car back, but they fixed it,” Grossman said. “It’s been through some degrees, but it’s back now, and I’m very glad that it’s not broken.”
