Living: Miatific Bliss in Five Gears

This is definitely not your father's Hupmobile

This is embarrassing, but I am standing in front of 14 Carrots, the health- food store, looking at a little blue convertible and thinking, "Aw, isn't it cute?" I do not usually gurgle about cars. Like other citizens with some mileage on them, I used to love cars, maybe 30 years ago, and then I grew up. Now when a hunk of junk that cost twice the price of my first house needs new front shocks at only 120,000 miles, my feeling is bitter resentment. Americans hate their cars.

"Love your car!" The young woman, who is quite pretty, has skipped...

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