It was just over five years ago that I signed the paperwork, got a new license plate and drove my brand new Si off the dealership lot, excited to go show my friends and take everyone for rides. Back then, you were defined by the car you drove, the brand of designer jeans you wore, the clubs you spent your weekends at. So you can imagine my excitement when I proudly introduced my 2.0-liter, 16-valve, DOHC i-VTEC engine, 6-speed close-ratio manual transmission 2-door coupe, complete with bucket seats and a 7-speaker, 350-watt premium audio system featuring a subwoofer. This beast, which I named Stacy Dash (for being big, black and beautiful!), produces 197-horsepower @ 7800 rpm and 139 lb-ft. of torque at 6100 rpm. All the technicalities aside, this car drove like a snake, super fast, super sexy, and always made a statement. It has been my change room, my break room, my storage unit, my microwave and freezer, my closet and desk, my haven, my safety net, and of course, a very reliable vehicle to take me to and from all the places I went to. Various road trips would not have been possible without this car. Some of my most intense and important conversations took place while I was safely nestled in those bucket seats. Stacy Dash represented my youth to me; vroom vroom, stick shift, loud Kanye West tracks on blast. And clearly, at 19, this is all I wanted in a car. Now, five long and life-changing years later, the lease has expired and its time for me to move on. While some of you may be eye-rolling at this post, even I didn’t fully realize how much I identified with my car, and how special it was to me. But alas, change is good – heck, its important and necessary. So this is it Stacy Dash, goodbye to you and may your new owner (my little brother) hold you also to such a high standard. A strange thing this is, this “growing up”. I don’t know if I particularly like it all the time. But as I’ve said time and time again on this blog; time for bigger and better things.
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