"Years ago when I moved to Los Angeles from New York, I was convinced I could survive without a car. They all told me "Nobody walks in LA," a statement I met with a defiant scoff. If anyone could get to know the city sans vehicular assistance, it was this east coast metropolitan explorer. It took only one hot month of confusing bus routes and unsolicited rideshare monologues before I realized the truth: LA demands wheels."
"Naturally this revelation would require a car shopping trip, which I naively pictured as the thrilling automotive equivalent of plucking a handbag from some glossy department store shelf. Buying my first car (a beat-up 1988 sedan purchased off someone's front lawn) was one thing. The retail experience was another, and it promised endless dreamy options replete with cute colors and backup cameras (!)."
"When I called my parents to inform them I'd "just pop by" a dealership to find my perfect fit that weekend, my dad insisted that I wait until he could fly out from New Jersey to help me. Me, being the grown woman that I am, insisted right back: "I'm not a baby! I'm a 30 year-old woman who moved 3,000 miles for independence!" Still, he booked a cross-country flight to come to my aid - and thank goodness he did."
Moved from New York to Los Angeles believing a car was unnecessary and initially resisted the idea that nobody walks in LA. After a month of confusing bus routes and unsolicited rideshare monologues, realized that LA demands wheels. Expected dealership shopping to be fun and easy but encountered financing, down payments, negotiating add-ons, and confusing retail tactics. First car had been a beat-up 1988 sedan bought off a front lawn, which contrasted with the glossy retail options. Father flew in from New Jersey to help navigate purchases, turning brief errands into eight-hour father-daughter odysseys. Lease expiry in 2025 provokes dread about repeating the process.
Read at Bustle
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