Ode to a 1984 Buick Skylark — and to all the other cars of my life

America is a nation of cars. Those hunks of metal on four rubber tires are our lifelines. They are how we go to work, go home, go out to eat, go on vacation, and go just about everywhere and anywhere. When we are just a few days old, we come home from the hospital in one, and on our way out, we head to the grave in a hearse.I bought it for $450 from a friend who was moving to New York City. It was cream with a plush, brown interior.From birth to death; we live in cars.We love our cars when they...