With A New Car Comes A New Name

With the hail storm from a few weeks ago destroying my Jetta, I was forced to accept that Mad Max was totaled and a new family car was needed.  Mad Max had a busted front windshield, 16 holes in the rear windshield, dents from bumper to bumper, plastic pieces chipped off the side mirrors and other spots, and the CD player stopped working.

Joanna and I spent most of this past weekend and Monday car shopping, which was really supposed to be reserved for skipping work in order to eat a nice breakfast, see a movie, and watch the Opening Day baseball game at home.  Among the numerous cars test driven we viewed a Nissan Altima, even though it was out of our price range.  The car drove really well and the amenities were extremely nice.  It was the best of all the cars we looked at, which led us to see what a step down in the Nissan family would be.  And that leads me to the introduction of Mr. Draper.

You might be wondering about the name of the car.  I normally select literary or film/television references when naming my vehicles, which is not the norm.  Most roadster people believe a car should have a female name, but I like to pick names that fit me and my likes in life at the time I owned the car.

Mad Max received its name because I bought it when Mad Max: Fury Road was released in theaters and the Jetta had the tightest handling of any car I had ever owned.  I felt like I could out maneuver any scavenger or outlander in the Mad Max world.

Moby D, which was my Toyota Camry, was named in honor of the Herman Melville novel Moby Dick.  Like the whale, the car was white and the book was one of my favorites at the time.

Prior to Moby D, the names of my vehicles were the Boat for a Dodge Intrepid, because of the length of the vehicle being much larger than anything I had driven before, the Beamer for my 1975 BMW (I know it is not that original), and Jimmy, which was the GMC SUV I inherited for my first ever car.

So the reason behind Mr. Draper is because this Nissan Sentra is the nicest car I have ever owned.  Its features include keyless push button ignition and a rear view camera.  Due to these classy features, I felt I needed a classy name.  Don Draper is the main character from the recently concluded AMC series Mad Men, about the 1960s New York advertising world.  While it sounds boring and extremely niche, the show was an enthralling look at our country during a time period that I didn't really get to study in school.  Most history classes end at the dropping of the atomic bomb during World War II.

Although Don Draper isn't a hero or someone to be idolized, he was the epitome of class.  He drank the best liquor, dressed in the best suits, held one of the most prestigious positions in his field, and was always at the side of a gorgeous woman with equal amounts of fashion sense and elegance.

My new car's name is a representation of that refinement because in today's auto industry, most cars with keyless ignition and rear view cameras aren't found in vehicles I should be able to afford.  But I have been blessed with Mr. Draper and hopefully he can avoid the same demise as Mad Max.

It should be noted that Mad Max met a violent end, which is quite fitting considering the inspiration from where his name came from.