Eleanor: The car, the dream
She’s white, with yellow eyes. She amounts to a cute five feet tall, and she is easy to get to know. My dad and I like to call her Eleanor. We adopted Eleanor the very day she was born. Today she is an elegant 19 years old, and I believe it is time to let her leave our family and be on her way with life. My parents, on the other hand, have a contradicting view. Although I am fond of Eleanor, the family Honda Civic, I believe, now that I am of driving age, that it is time that my parents purchase me a new car.
Eleanor is old, and just like anything else that is old, Eleanor is starting to see more and more problems every day. Although she was a state of the art car in 1985, her safety has become very outdated, as technology has been advanced greatly in the past 19 years. Eleanor unlike any other car on the road today, does not have a single airbag. This deficiency increases the fatality of a car crash tremendously. Most all cars today have at least four airbags that save the lives of more and more people everyday. Another safety issue that can truly show the danger in such a car is crash tests. Every year there are new crash test requirements that cars must pass in order to be put on the market. If the Honda Civic were to take a crash test, it would fail miserably. For the past five years a new discovery has been found in front hood and fender crashes that decreases the seriousness of a collision. Designers have made front hoods and fenders crunch more, therefore decreasing the force put on a person to bring them to a stop, when they crash into an object. Eleanor is not equipped with these highly advanced innovations and therefore the force put on a person in a crash would be much greater, which could result in much more serious damages. Lastly concerning car safety, the backseat seatbelts, solely go across the stomach of the passenger, unlike up to date technology, which encompasses a shoulder strap as well. Overall this obsolete car doesn’t hold a candle to the new complex developments that have been formed.
Another characteristic that is the brother of old, is unreliability. Eleanor has over 200,000 miles on her. This number in the car world means one, and only one thing. Enough! The car has lasted long enough and it is time for it to be retired. With that many miles, the car could break down at any moment. It’s bad enough that you have to sit in the car for ten minutes to warm it up or it will stall, plus you also have to worry if it’s going to make it to your destination. Another flaw after all the wear and tear that the car has been through, is that the heat has broken, and in the many days that it is subzero in Port Washington, heat is a necessary instrument for survival. Eleanor has only so many more “putts” until she becomes silent.
Finally, I feel that I deserve a new car and a new car deserves me. Throughout my entire high school career I have maintained an A average, by working diligently and assiduously for three long and strenuous years. Therefore after all of my hard work and devotion, I believe it would only be fair if I were rewarded for my efforts. As you are probably wavering your decisions as I speak the issue of capital has come to my mind. Cars are not as cheap as they used to be back in 1985, as the American economy has prospered and car quality has increased tremendously. Therefore, I propose three solutions to this predicament. You could purchase a used car, which would at least cut the expenses in half. Or you can lease a car, which would also decrease the price of a car greatly. Another choice is that I can help chip in to pay for the car. On the whole a new car is essential to the Borow family.
The first car was created in 1769 and only until the 1900’s had automobiles become popular. Starting with Henry Ford’s Model T up to today’s 2004 Ferrari, the price of cars has varied between $825 and $760,000 dollars. This fact is a result of two things. Firstly the car has been made as something to show off to people, as many cars can cost more than a house. Secondly a car is a way of transportation and a lot of people obtain one in the year of 2004. The bottom and truthful line is that cars are supposed to be driven with some class. No longer does any piece of metal roll down the cemented roads, especially on Long Island. Eleanor has served her purpose and it is time for her to retire. Her out of date style and safety features have been greatly surpassed by life saving, sleek looking, and dependable innovative vehicles. I am not simply requesting a new car, I am telling you, mom and dad, that it is a necessary action that you must take.