another analogy- relationships like used cars

I wrote about this awhile back in Hawaii, and although I am not car shopping right now, it's been coming up in several conversations with other folks who are. Cynical, yes... but maybe with some accuracy?

"A relationship is like owning a used car. You know how cars develop their own personalities? They tend to break down in the same ways every time. Some wear out brakes real fast, others snap belts. There's usually a repetitive squeak you just don't want to bother fixing. But you get to know it, you learn to anticipate what will go wrong, and even if you are annoyed, you generally understand how to keep it going.

In shopping for another used car, there's only so much you can see before you buy. Test drive it for a week if you want. Take it to the mechanic, pop the hood, learn its complete history, but there's always something that you're going to overlook. Or that will develop after you get it home.

Sometimes they are clearly junkers, or you can see through the newly cleaned engine to its deeper problems. You can leave those at the dealership and move on. But sometimes it looks near perfect, maybe even nicer than the one you've been driving... and you give up your old reliable for something seemingly better.

I've been swapping cars for years, looking for that perfect one. Turns out that probably doesn't exist. And every time I trade one in, I seem to leave something under the seats."
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Epilogue- I ride a bike now.

Ol' Blue on Laundry Duty