1) Denial – “I love this car.” “This is a great car!” “I am so happy to have bought this particular car!” – Denial is a temporary stage that one enters when one initially buys the car. There is a feeling of false happiness, and hope that this car will be better than the last P.O.S. you just traded away. Denial can last months, or sometimes years.
2) Anger – “Are you kidding me?! I just bought this thing!” “Seriously, car? SERIOUSLY?!” “#$%^&%$*@ CAR!” – Anger sets in once the buyer realizes that their new vehicle has major problems. Perhaps it leaks oil. Maybe to save money, the manufacturers started making the engines out of papier mache. It’s possible that you will finally finish your internet research, only to learn that your car has an estimated life expectancy of 18 months. Whatever the reason, you will soon get very angry with your car.
3) Bargaining – “If I can just drive it to 100K miles, it will have been worth it.” “Hold together car, I only have 16 more payments!” “I guess spending $5000 on a new transmission is cheaper than a new car…” “If I can just drive it to 75K miles, it will have been worth it.” – Bargaining is the stage in which you must decide how long you are really going to keep your car, which you loved so well only two stages ago. Sometimes this stage involves negotiating with a higher power, such as an auto mechanic.
4) Depression – “I can’t afford a new car.” “My car sucks, so my life sucks.” “I miss my old car.” “It is 3 AM and I am somewhere on the Jersey Turnpike in a blizzard. I wonder how far I will have to walk to the next exit…oh, 17 miles.” – Depression sets in when you finally realize that you absolutely must have a new car, but also realize that there is no way you can afford one. It is also at this stage that you notice that all of your friends seem to be getting new cars.
5) Acceptance – “Who cares if I can’t afford it? I have to have car.” “Well, I guess a nice used car would cost less than a new engine.” “That’s it. We’re done, car.” – Finally, one must accept that their car is terrible and barely functional and begin the process of getting a new car. Luckily for these people, there is a light at the end of the tunnel, because once they have selected their next vehicle, they get to hang out in stage one again for a while.
Nice! This is real somehow. It’s possible that people would feel this way, but I guess not my cousin. He only experienced the 1st, 4th and 5th stage! Haha! I suddenly remembered the times when I had to comfort him when he was in the 4th stage – depression! In fact, I realized that he’s should still be thankful to me… He uses the same car ’til now. 🙂