It's a Tracker, so what?

So, another step in preparing to move to Mexico City (apart from going to concerts) is figuring out how to get myself and my stuff there. I could just show up with a dittybag containing my thong and flip-flops, maybe some sunscreen. But I've never really been the type to travel light. I have a lot of clothes for different occasions, and shoes for many moods. Plus books, and a computer (natch), which is really too much to take on the plane.

The first time I moved to Mexico, I paid the airline's extra fee and took four or five big boxes. When Oswaldo, the poor guy sent to pick me up, saw all my stuff piled next to the VW Bug he was driving, he never let his smile fade. He really tried, but the roof could only hold so much. We ended up getting a taxi to follow us with the overflow. Which was really not overflow, but the main part.

Anyway, I knew I wanted to take a car with me--1. for all my stuff and 2. to go places on weekends that aren't convenient by bus. But I also knew that whatever car I took would have to be able to blend in and survive on the mean streets of the big city. And be reliable enough to make the 1,000 mile journey back to Alabama every now and then. And be cheap enough to buy in cash. And be kinda cute.

So I found this used Chevy Tracker for sale, pretty cheap. It seemed to be in good condition, large enough to carry my stuff, inconspicuous enough to blend in, truck-y enough to run over curbs and big potholes (which I have a tendency to do), and worn-in enough so that didn't have to worry about scratches and dents and dings.

But in our automaniacal (sic, right?) culture, there is a bit of stigma attached to the Tracker. It's not manly enough to be a truck, but not a car, either. It's mostly Japanese, but doesn't get the respect of a Honda or Toyota. It's not really trendy--no one really likes it. It's sort of an undertruck.

But.

It's a different point of view, here vs. there. When I lived in Mexico before, I thought Trackers were cool, probably because I didn't have a car, and the people that I knew that did have cars had even crappier ones. For myself and most of the people I knew, a Tracker was Nice (yes, that's a capital N). Then, I also thought $40 was expensive for a hotel room, and that a $3 dollar taxi ride meant the driver was ripping me off. But it was, and he was. Ahh, economics in perspective.

I guess how the Tracker looks just depends on where you stand.