A Car Story

By:  Carrie Wood

A young man will fall in love, in a sense with his car.  He washes it, waxes it, and spends time transforming it into what he wants it to be, what he knows it can be.  Hours are spent under the hood of that car.  Cleaning, oiling, adjusting, fine-tuning.  The car purrs smoothly for a while, but then needs more adjusting.  The young man wants his car to be the best so he spends countless hours, bent under the hood or engine of the car.  The time he invests is well spent, for now he knows his car - each noise, tick, creak, rumble, and oil drip.  It is only through this [investment of] time that the car can run at its peak performance.  It can accelerate to pass a car safely, gives a smooth, satisfying ride, and its mpg’s are at their best.  The young man is proud of his accomplishment.

One day, he meets a Master Mechanic, who, seeing the enthusiasm the young man has for his car, asks to look at it, to hear [its engine], and to take a ride in the car.  The young man is proud.  His moment to shine has come.  After a short ride, the Mechanic smiles and praises the boy’s efforts - for the car certainly looks and sounds beautiful! With true humility, the Mechanic asked if he might make a small adjustment.  The boy was stupefied and thoroughly amazed that after all his hard work any adjustment could be made.  “Yes,” he says, “make any adjustment you deem necessary.”  A small tool comes out of the Master’s pocket and he leans over and gently adjusts as the engine is running.  There is a change, small, but noticeable even from the start.  The Mechanic explains that this small adjustment has just extended the life of the car’s engine because it allows the parts to move as they were designed to move. Just one tweak and the car is better.

The young man is shocked.  How could he have spent so many hours, days, months with this car and not have known about this adjustment?  He looks at the Mechanic with wonder and awe and asks, “How did you do that?  How did you know about such an [intricate] adjustment when I didn’t know after years of working on this car?”  The Mechanic smiled, wiped his hands on a rag and said, “That’s easy, son.  You see, I created that engine.  I put every part in its place - not [used] parts or [mass] manufactured parts, no, I designed each part and they were custom made.  It is a unique [creation], and if you look closely you will see my name imprinted on this engine.”  The young man leaned in, and saw the name; he knew it was imprinted on every part of the engine.  How could he not have known that it was the Creator’s name?

“One more thing, son,” said the Master, “where is the operator’s manual for the car?” 

“It’s right here,” the young man said proudly as he pulled a much-aged manual from the glove box.  Looking at the first page, the Master pointed to his own name and contact information.  Looking at the young man he said, “I was right in front of you, why didn’t you call or contact me?”  The boy was incredulous.  “This car is over 50 years old.  [I did not think] that contact information was still correct.  Nobody keeps the same address and phone number for that long.  Hey, wait,” the young man leaned into the engine, holding the manual in one hand and running his free hand over the engine.  He hadn’t noticed before that what looked like serial numbers were actually the same on each part.  All this time, the Maker’s phone number had been right there! 

Turning, the boy saw tears in the Master’s eyes.  “You see, son, this was not meant to be something you worked on alone.  Had you really read the manual, you would have noticed my name on each page.  I was repeatedly urging you to call me to work on it with you.  Each person who has owned this car has had the same offer, the same opportunity.  Only a few took me up on the offer, and what a sweet ride it was when they did!  What about you, son, what will you do now?” 

What a choice, what an offer!  The young man leaned against the car amazed, realizing that what he knew about the car was so shallow in proportion to what the Master knew.  “Do you mean to tell me,” said the boy, “that you not only created this car, designing each part yourself, but you are willing to work on it with me anytime I call you?” 

“Anytime,” said the Maker.

“How much will it cost?” the young man asked. 

“Nothing,” said the Maker, watching the incredulous look on the young man’s face. “You see, I factored a lifetime warranty into the deal when I made the car.  My time and labor are free to the owner. 

“Oh sure, the original owner had the warranty,” said the boy. 

“Well now, that is true, he did have the original warranty.  We worked together on this car for many years.  We laughed and talked.  We knew each other so well that eventually we would be able to move together, synchronized to tune and to maintain it.  We spent many hours traveling together in this car, wandering down country lanes, the windows open, the smell of sweet meadow grasses blowing in our faces.  We also drove fast on major interstates, or sat backed up in traffic at times, bumper to bumper.  The car acquired a few bumps and scratches from time to time, and the tires would need replacing, but it was a good ride.  We drove through the mountains, snow falling all around us, [threatening hinder our travels].  Four-wheel drive was useful during those times!  We would reach down, put it into gear and take the mountain on!”

The Mater was sitting inside the car, telling the story with the young man listening intently, envisioning the snowstorm - for he had seen some big storms in his own life.  Quietly, he turned to the Master and asked the question that was burning deep inside of him.  “Why?  Why did the original owner get rid of the car?  Why sell something so wonderful?  There isn’t a vehicle on the road to match this one!” 

“Ah…a good question,” said the Maker.  “He didn’t sell the car, he gave it away.”   

“What?!  No, it can’t be.  There is no way someone would give away a car this sweet with a warranty like this.  Your story is fake, old man.  You have pulled a good one on me.”

Once again the glove compartment was opened and the manual removed.  The Maker turned to a page the young man had seen but never paid attention to.  At the top of the page in bold letters it said, OWNER DOCUMENTATION. There was a list of several previous owners, but the first name on the list had the same last name as the Maker.  “Do you see this name?” he said, pointing to the top of the page.  “This is my son.  He is a great man, a delight to my heart as a father.  One day, while driving, he turned to me and said, ‘Dad, this time we share together is awesome.  We have worked on this car for over three years now.  I want others to be able to enjoy a ride like this.  Not just the car, but the whole experience - the sweet country roads, blizzards in the mountains, traffic in the cities - and all of it with you sitting beside them.  [I want others to know] you can fix anything on this care and on this journey.  Let’s give it away.’  And with that the idea was formed.”   There was a long pause.  “My son died shortly after that; he was 33 years old. 

The life insurance policy that he had purchased was for an incredible amount.  In his will, he left the money to every person who [would ever] own this car, to be used for maintenance and upkeep by the Master.  He paid for my lifelong work on this car, no matter what the damage or wear may be.  The only stipulation is that you freely ask me to work on the car.  I am available twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  And by the way…I love road trips!” 

With a twinkle in his eye, the Master leaned over, opened the door and motioned for the young man to take the wheel.  Slowly, hesitantly, the boy moved towards the car, reached in and turned the engine off.  He pulled the key out of the ignition, and without hesitation, he turned to the Maker saying, “I accept the deal and I want the warranty.  Now, Sir, please show me how to start the engine and drive.”