January 03, 2004
Compromise
Aren’t principles wonderful to have? They make you feel so warm and fuzzy when you decide to break them.
I spent a goodly part of the day today at the local Honda dealership. That was breaking principle #1 right there: setting foot on the lot of a Japanese car-maker. I’ve always been a buy-American sort of fellow, or at the very least, a buy-from-anyone-except-the-Japanese. I have a lot of problems with the way Japan reciprocates—or fails to reciprocate, as it were—when it comes to trading with the U.S. Our products certainly don’t get the same fair shake over there that their products enjoy here.
Principle #2 was broken when we looked at the vehicle in question: the Honda Odyssey. A minivan. Did I fail to mention that my wife and I have a no-minivan clause in our marriage contract? I think it was right in there somewhere with “to have and to hold, from this day forward, in sickness and in health, in a car or a truck, but never a minivan, for richer, for poorer…”
I take heart in that I am holding to a higher principle: buy the best you can afford in any given situation. I have a Swiss timepiece on my wrist. No, it’s not a Rolex, but Swiss watches are the best. I’ve had it for years, I wear it 99.5% of the time that I wear a watch, and I’ll likely have it for years to come. I own SIG handguns. Sure, they’re a little more expensive than a Glock, Smith & Wesson, or Colt, but I’d put them up against anyone else out of the box as the best combat pistols available. And I own a Macintosh, the best personal computer available. Buy the best of what you can afford in any given category.
So the wife decided that it was time to stop sinking our money into repairs on her current automobile, and move on. The subject of a minivan was broached. Once the subject was taken seriously, our investigation revealed that the Odyssey was our choice if we were to go that route. And so we went. We’ll take delivery of our Sage Brush Pearl minivan in a couple of days.
I, of course, will chalk this all up to my defenses being down due to my current illness brought on by the season’s weather. At least I can say it’s a Dallas Stars green, eh, SuperToad?
Posted by retrophisch at January 3, 2004 06:32 PM | TrackBack