It had character; it wasn’t German, the sticker price seemed right. It was pearly white. When I saw it, I just knew

There are many parallels between buying a car and finding your “other half.” Not to be melodramatic, but hear me out.

Both are a first “big decision,” both are long-term investments, both come in a multitude of versions, both are a reflection of your “brand,” and both can help you get from point A to point B.

I was in the market for a vehicle for a while; I kept posting, “looking for a car, know a guy?” The joke was that my friends would retort, “What if I know a guy, with a car?”

I had my criteria. Something with character, not the standard lease du jour, sedan-small yet sturdy, “luxury-ish” but not German, leather interior, preferably a sunroof, and a demure but atypical color.

I also didn’t want to finance it through the bank and be beholden for the next three to five years plus interest. So it had to be within my budget, a non-lemon, under 35,000 street mileage (highway miles I was okay with, I got schooled on potholes), and it shouldn’t be crazy in terms of the insurance. Oh, and it had to be 2016 and up, practically a baby.

I specifically didn’t want a backup camera; I think parallel parking is becoming a lost art, so I was prepared to get a newish model and nix the backup camera.

My father kept sending me links of what a crazy car market we’re in. Car chips are discontinued; used cars that would normally retail for $20,000 were being sold for above their MSRP. I was going nowhere fast.