My cell phone rings, “We’re here to deliver your car,” the guy from Page One Automotive says. I have no idea what to expect, and run down the hallway to open my garage door. There, parked on the street, sits a gorgeous silver 2011 Buick Regal Turbo Sedan. A little intimidated, I stop half way down my driveway. The delivery guy hands me the remote, requests my signature on his paperwork, and within seconds he’s gone. Now it’s just me and my luxury car for the next four days.
It takes me a while to pluck up the courage to check her out. First I have to get my heart rate back to normal and make sure my hair and make-up look just as polished as Regal, before I take her for a spin. Her flowing lines and sculpted body deserve to be seen, so what better place to take her than the upscale Newport Beach Library, where I’m editing my travel memoir.
As I roll my computer case through the garage, my Kia Rio looks concerned. “Don’t worry, you’re still mine,” I say.
Regal is outside, waiting for me, and as I click on the remote to open her trunk, I realize, “OMG, I lost the key.” I back track through my garage, eyes focused on the cement floor but I can’t find it. I ask my 23-year-old son to help me look for it. He inspects the remote and all of a sudden, this metal prong ejects. “There’s the key,” he says. Now I feel dumb.
I head back to Regal, open the doors and slide into the soft leather seat. I already feel pampered, wondering if this seat will start pulsing and kneading my back like the one at the nail salon. I insert the key and the engine purrs ever so smoothly.
Everything is elegant inside, from the leather steering wheel to the ebony trim with its piano-black accents. But like any woman, I need music to get in the mood, so I play with the sound system first.
I’ve never been inside a car with a seven speaker sound system, and once I discover XM Radio, I’m hooked. I find my favorite dance hits on “The Groove,” and start wiggling to the beat, reminiscing over my night club days in Paris where I’d dance to Donna Summer and other disco hits. Now I’m relaxed in my elegant interior when I hear a tapping on the window. It’s my neighbor from across the street.
“Got a new car?” he asks.
“GM offered me a car to drive to Speed Fest this weekend,” I reply.
“Looks great,” Jim says.
“I love it, but I can’t figure out where the hand break is.”
“Let me take a look.”
I get out and Jim gets in.
“See the red light with the P?” I say “Well, does that mean the brake is on?”
Jim fumbles around with various buttons, then pulls out the manual from the glove box and thumbs through to the correct page. He reads the instructions.
I’ve never heard of an electric park brake before, and once Jim figures out how to release it, I take off and start jammin’ to Ray Parker Jr. & Raydio playing, “For those who like to Groove.”
As my foot pushes down on the accelerator, I feel the turbo kick in, giving me the boost I need to pass a slow Lexus before the on-ramp to the 405 freeway. I’m in my own cocoon, happy and enjoying a luxury I’m not used to. What a difference from six years ago when my family lived a simple life on the island of Ambergris Caye. We would take our kids to school by boat.
My husband can’t wait to drive Regal to Speed Fest.
“Here’s the address,” I say, handing him the paper.
“Why don’t you enter it in the navigation system,” he says.
“I’m not sure how it works.”
It’s not as easy to figure out as I thought so I pull out my tablet for navigation. Too much technology to keep up with, and we’re running late.
The ride to Coronado is smooth, turbo-powered and luxurious. I head over to the Chevy booth where they are celebrating 100 years of Chevy + 100 years of Naval Aviation, and thank Dave Barthmuss and Sara Leeper for offering me four days of luxury driving.
Not long ago, I contributed to a blog post on GM’s the future is electric blog and was offered a nice car to drive, plus 8 tickets to attend Speed Fest in San Diego. Since my youngest son, 17, enlisted, I have been involved with Cell phones for Soldiers which Chevy is also helping raise funds for. Please contact me if you have a use cell phone you wish to get rid of.
Do you enjoy driving? What features are important to you in a car?
Sonia, you had a blast! Great article, funny, too.
Car is awesome. Some residents in Naples are
finding ‘gators in their garages!
Nancy,
No that’s scary.
Why so many gators? Is it the weather? Hope you don’t have one in there.
Good for you! Are you thinking about getting one? Now why can’t I get VW to let me test a car or two? Great job Sonia!
b
Barbara, I’ve been thinking about you and how your VW plans were going. As you know, I contributed to a post regarding tips for parents of college bound students, for GM. I had written an article in 2009 on the OC Register Blog about my son going to college, and this is how it all started. Keep being Gutsy.
Ooh – love the photos from the Speed Fest. And what a car!
Now I just need your professional camera and skill, and everything would look 100% better. Unfortunately, I’m not happy with my Sony DSC-W320/W330 Cyber-shot camera. It’s small, and inexpensive, which is why I bought it, but the quality isn’t half as good as my old Kodak, which no longer works.
How fun to go the “royal” way for a few days! And it’s always great to get a good freebie (I just got a freebie culture, food and wine tour through Romania and Moldova).
I must admit I’d be even more intimidated than you by all that technology in that car! However, when it comes to cars, I really don’t give a hoot about what it looks like or how fancy it is as long as it gets me where I need to be without giving me any trouble, keeps me warm in the winter and cold in the summer.
Miss Footloose | Life in the Expat Lane recently posted..Expat Life: Oh, the Places You’ll Go!
I’m coming over to read about your tour of Romania and Moldova. I have to tell you my husband drives a small Mazda truck (without air-conditioning) as it was cheaper. I don’t know how he does it as LA gets so hot and he has to wear a suit. He wanted the truck to transport equipment when he’s filming on weekends, once in a while.
Cute post. There are benefits for getting out there and expressing an opinion. Good on you!
Dee,
Thanks, but I’m not quite sure what you mean about “expressing an opinion?”
sonia – what’s the latest on your memoir?
Amanda recently posted..santorini: on the edge of a dream
Hi Amanda,
I wrote a post a month or so ago about the re-write based on advice from editors and agents I received. Part of it is here: https://soniamarsh.com/2011/09/the-truth-about-writing-a-book.html
What about you? Let’s keep encouraging one another.
I bet your 23 year old must have been really envious !!!
It all looks so glamorous…
Here in France its cold and cloudy,no sunshine…Bye for now !
Nice article! I have a Kia Forte and it is so not luxurious! I look forward to reading your blog:)
Sonia, You make driving that Regal sound so good that it almost convinces me to try one. And I hate driving! With a vengeance. Normally, I’m not the slightest bit impressed by cars and all those new gadgets inside them that you mention would confuse me no end. But when you mention you heard the turbo kick in, I could relate to that as once, long ago, I had a car that felt like I was taking off on a flying carpet.
Looks like you had a great time at Speed Fest and congratulations on driving that wonderful car.
Penelope J. recently posted..Never Give Up on Your Dream
I started to read your post but then became distracted by the picture of the new car in your garage. How is it you have so much empty space in your garage?! I would not physically be able to take a picture of our car from any vantage point within our garage as our garage is our “free storage unit”. So full is it that one of us must back the car OUT of the garage in order for a passenger to get in.
We moved last year to a bigger house which meant that some of the stuff stored in our former house (where neither car fit in the garage) to a house that could accommodate some of the stuff we stored previously in the garage. We have the luxury of now fitting one car in our two-car garage.
Oh yes.. I must continue reading the rest of your post.
Robert the Skeptic recently posted..The Elephant in the Room
Very funny, however I would like my garage to be even more organized. My husband wants both our cars in the garage, and his was gone when I took the photo. I prefer having less stuff and would like to sort through our clutter.
Hi Sonia!
You noticed I had a long blogging break 🙂
I needed time to do things in real life.
We were waiting for curtains with tracks till the end of August and after that we noticed how some furniture needed to change place, two tables painting (one done) etc etc. Who said moving is easy!? 🙂
But now I want to have weekly routine. On Mondays I take painting/drawing lessons, on Tue I visit blogger friend’s blogs.
I read your tips – they are good!
I’ll try to come back and read what’s the situation in your book project. Can’t wait to read it when ready!
BLOGitse recently posted..Let’s dance! San Francisco
So I wonder if you’re living in Finland full-time now? I shall have to come back and see where you are. Sonia.