In February 1999, I bought my first car—a red Toyota Celica. I loved that car! (Sorry about the photo quality. It’s a 25-year-old Polaroid print.)
Of course, Ted and I have shopped for and bought cars together since we were married, but we always needed a car for him to drive to work and one in which our entire family could sit. Even after I began working, I was the one who drove the “family” car. The Celica was the first car I ever picked out just for me–and titled in my name! It was pretty exciting to finally buy a car for myself, and the Celica had a stick shift, heated seats, a moonroof, and a 6-disc CD changer. Whoo-ee!
Twelve years later, in April 2011, I traded my red Celica for a red Lexus IS-C. That’s for “Intelligent Sport Convertible.” I loved that car. It had such a nice ride that, even on long road trips, Ted and I didn’t feel stiff or ach-y after hours of driving. It had heated and cooled seats, navigation, Bluetooth, and SiriusXM.
The #1 fun factor of my IS-C was the power convertible top. It was fun to watch and a bit amazing to see how the car top and rear window fit in the trunk and still left room for other things within the cargo net space. If people were passing by while I put the top up or down, at least one of them would stop to watch and then make a comment to me about how awesome that was.
Thirteen years later, in August 2024, I parted with my red IS-C and bought a red Lexus RC F Sport. I love this car! (There’s a pattern in my cars.) The “RC” stands for “Radical Coupé” and the “F” is for “Fuji Raceway.” One reviewer begged to differ, saying that the “F” is for “fun, fast, and ferocious.” That works for me.
The fun factors in this car include all the new technology (including a touch screen), incredibly comfortable bucket seats that wrap around the occupants, heated and cooled seats and a heated steering wheel, cornering lights, headlight cleaners, de-icing windshield wipers, a moonroof (again), and a low-slung, sporty look. Ted says he’ll be able to reach more than halfway across the top when it’s time for him to wash it. Unbelievably, although it’s far sportier than my IS-C, the ride is even smoother and quieter. And then there’s the F Sport engine that has a discrete growl rather than a near-silent purr.
I had no complaints about my IS-C–in fact, we never repaired the IS-C because nothing ever broke–I just wanted to ride in something different after 13 years. Although the convertible was loads of fun, the car handled more like a sedan than my Celica—and remember that I loved my Celica. The RC combines the best of both worlds: the Lexus luxuries with what some of the reviews call “aggressive” styling. I went from this . . .
. . . to this.
As I walked into the garage on the third day I had my RC, my car’s name popped into my head. It’s “Gigi” because I’m a Great-Grandmother (G. G.) and the name Gigi is a perfect fit.
