Thank you, GMC

Among automotive companies, brand loyalty is a big deal. It’s important, no matter what industry but, some people seem to have the same kind of devotion to “their” car company as others do a particular sports team or spouse. “Don’t talk bad about brand z or we’ll have words.” I remember when I was a kid, and growing up, my dad always drove a GMC truck. He was a GMC truck man when the C series came out and remained a GMC truck man until he passed.

Those trucks, all of them, got us into and out of some difficult situations. The one I remember most was an early 80s model. It was red with a white top, had two gas tanks and was unstoppable. I can still hear the clicking sound of the floor-mounted high beam switch. Why’d they ever move that switch? The bench seat made it easy for me to sit near Dad and watch all of the intricacies of driving both on and off road. It’s hard for me to imagine a childhood without seeing several pickup trucks in the pre-dawn light, gun racks in the rear window, ready to take their drivers to the depths of the woods.

Hunting was a big part of what we did when I was young; but it wasn’t the only reason that my dad depended on his GMC truck. It seemed to be indestructible. Sand, gravel, dirt, three wheelers, Jon boats, and heavy machinery all held their place in the bed at one time or another. My dad was a hard-working, blue collar man. He relied on his truck for work, pleasure, and transportation.

A lot of time has passed since then. I’m not a manual laborer. In fact, my hands are baby soft. I’m much more comfortable typing on my keyboard than up a tree, freezing, in the middle of December. Still, I drive a GMC Acadia because I remember my dad and his devotion to the brand. His GMC never let him down and I don’t expect that mine will either. Even though I don’t ask as much of my vehicles as my dad did, I still expect as much.