Car Club

After college I bought my first car, a Saturn SLC. It was forest green with a tan racing stripe and flip up headlights. 

I loved that car!

At the time, Saturn had a cult following. Twice they held reunions where Saturn owners gathered in Spring Hill, Tennessee. We drove "Sadie" to the second homecoming in August 1994.

It was a blast!  

The weekend included a sanitized tour of the factory and a concert by Faith Hill and Tim McGraw. What I remember the most is a sea of Saturns, and people wandering around the parking lot with their clickers setting off multiple cars. At the time Saturn had two basic car types: coupe and sedan, both of which came in a rainbow of colors. Still, most people proudly brought their Saturn to the event making it nearly impossible to find yours in the grass parking lot.

The car also came with a Car Club with window decals, t-shirts, and a pledge to give a "big toothy grin" whenever we passed the dealership. I'll have to see if I can find my Saturn packet. Other than the reunion, I only remember meeting once up at the dealership on Route 1 in South Brunswick. 

Fast forward a quarter of a century and it was time for me to replace the grey Toyota Corolla with something more fun. I set my sights on a light blue Toyota Solera with a tan top. Unlike the Saturn I bought custom made for me, fresh off the assembly line, this car would be used. My car was made in 2008.

As you'd expect from an 11-year old car, there were not a lot of them floating around Lawrenceville. Still, every so often I'd see one. At least in my head, I'd wave.

A few months I go my car twin was at the jug handle by our house. We waved to each other! I've seen her car parked around town.

Last week a white Solera with a black top made a point of parking next to me. The owner came into the CVS and introduced himself. He was admiring my car. He used to have a car twin, but recently traded it for this one. He found his current car in Florida with only 30,000 miles on it -- not many for a 15 year old car.

A few days later, in the same parking lot, I met the owner of a light blue Solera with a dark blue top. She was happy to meet me, too. She said she recently replaced her top (at the same place I got mine), and had gutters put into it. The interior is the same tan as mine. When I admired her clean steering wheel, she said it is a cover she found at Dollar Tree.

Relaying this story on Facebook, a friend who lives in Princeton said she, too, has a white Solera. 

We've decided we'll wave to each other as we pass each other on the roads.

I'm calling it my secret club.