My first new car in over twenty years!

I bought my first new car in over twenty years! For my own chronicling and your amusement: here are the five cars I have ever owned.

1. Isuzu I-Mark. Metallic sky blue, similar in color to this one. Bought brand new, just before starting my first-ever full-time job at the age of 21…at the U.S. Census Bureau, where I continue to work today. Died when the transmission made it no longer possible to drive forward. (It drove in reverse just fine!). Name of the car: Yentastinoz, a conglomeration of Yiddish, Italian, and Poorly Spelled English. Props to any of you who can figure out why I gave it that name.

2. Geo Prizm (same as a Toyota Corolla when Toyota was in cahoots with GM). Dark teal. Bought brand new. Donated to the Salvation Army when I came into an inheritance from my grandmother. Name of the car: Azul, Spanish for “blue”, which in turn comes from the Arabic word “Azraq”. I pronounced it using the Arabic (and English) sound for “z”.

3. Toyota Avalon. Gold. Wanted a bigger car. Bought used with 20K miles on it. Died at 199K miles when another car landed on top of it in the garage where I worked…at the U.S. Census Bureau. Name of the car: Augusta Dorada, Spanish for “Golden Augusta”, in honor of my grandmother Augusta Parker Wooster.

Short tribute: Born in Waterloo, Illinois on October 27, 1893, I am a musician today because of her. She bought me my first piano which I own to this day. (I was six years old.) She was an intellect as well, a thesis shy of a Master’s Degree at the University of Chicago in the early 20th century. Her favorite quatrain: “Good, better, best, / Never let it rest, / Until the good is better, / And the better best.”

4. Toyota Avalon. Silver Pine Metallic (light green). Bought used with 40K miles on it. Died at 396K miles(!!!) when I was in a bad auto accident two months ago. I walked out of the car from the accident. I suffered from a broken arm (anterior radius) that required surgery to fix. Name of the car: Rafiki, Swahili for the word “friend”, which in turns comes from the Arabic word “Rafiqi”, which means “my friend.”

5. Toyota Prius, Sea Pearl Metallic (light teal). Bought brand new. With a broken arm, unable to drive, I had a lot of time to think about what kind of car I wanted. I always wanted my fifth car to be all-electric. As my garage is not electrified and do not feel that the electric charging infrastructure is big enough, I suffered from range anxiety. I learned only upon buying the car that there is no room for a spare tire, not even a donut! For anyone reading this post who owns a hybrid or an all-electric, how do you manage flat tire anxiety?!

I originally wanted to name my car “Greenbelt” for three reasons: (1) the car has a green tint to it, (2) being a hybrid it is good for the environment, and (3) nothing screams living in Greenbelt (as I do) more than owning a Prius. (Greenbelt is Progressive in its politics.)

I decided instead to go with another African name, this one from the Nguni language of Southern Africa: Ubuntu. And no, fellow geeks, I am NOT talking about the Debain GNU/Linux based Operating System!

Ubuntu is an ancient philosophy that is all about “behaving well towards others or acting in ways that benefit the community”. I bought this car primarily because its safety features will help mitigate my getting into an accident that killed Rafiki, protecting myself and other cars alike. Ubuntu. I also bought this car because it gets ~50 miles per gallon and is good for the environment. Ubuntu. I also like the name because it has a spiritual component: fostering connections among people. As I am a Sufi, that works for me!

For more on Ubuntu, check out https://www.thoughtco.com/the-meaning-of-ubuntu-43307

I am beyond excited to own a new car. Will Ubuntu live to see 400K miles or more? Stay tuned!

Special props to my salesperson Antony Rozario at DARCARS in Silver Spring (my hometown) for searching a 500 mile radius to bring Ubuntu home to me.