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I'm Ranting!

Trench Warfare

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Have you noticed this trend in your town?

Despite the fact that car lots occupy perfectly serviceable places, they all feel the need to go and build New! Bigger! Better! lots. There have been four separate dealers who have done this in my town and it just irritates the living daylight out of me.

One, in particular, sends me over the edge every time I see it.

For starters, they built right next to the interstate, which is fine. I guess. If you want to see a mile of cars when you drive by. Obviously, you don't get enough of those when you're on the highway. That one spot USED to be the best sledding hill in town. No more, because now at the bottom of said hill is, you know, asphalt.

Secondly, it's a Chevrolet dealership. Last I heard, GM is hardly a financially solvent company. I can't help but wonder if this place will be shuttered up in five year's time.

Thirdly, in it's wake, the dealership left this heinous eyesore of an asphalt graveyard on Main Street that goes on for a full city block. And I'm not kidding: it's heinous. What on earth is going to happen to this place?

Fourthly, the dealership, no doubt in an effort to enhance the buying experience for the consumer, felt the need to include on the grounds--get this: Dog parks. Not one but two of them. One for big dogs and one for little dogs. Wasn't that nice? Because I don't know about you, but the first thing I think when I go to buy a car is "Hey! Let's bring the dog!"

Fifthly, the intrinsic message this trend sends out just bugs me on all kinds of levels. For one thing, it's a total waste of resources. And it is so very American, to not be satisfied with what you have and to buy more.* And it's CARS. I have a love/hate relationship with cars. I hate that they're so expensive: initial cost, gas, insurance, repairs, yearly taxes, general upkeep--let's be honest, they're money pits. AND they're a depreciating asset. I hate that most of us genuinely need them because we don't have adequate mass transit systems in our towns. And then I hate that our entire infrastructure system is literally planned around cars. And then that gets me to hating the impact we as a nation have on the environment because of our love affair with vehicles. And THEN I hate myself because I'm part of the problem.

I'm exhausted.

It's not easy being thoughtful. ->

*The fact that we're reconverting our garage into a master bedroom suite doesn't count.