Glovebox Words

The entries borrow a few words from the lot. Here they are, briefly, in the order they turn up.

Odometer reading

The distance a car has travelled, shown on the dashboard. On these pages the numbers at the top of each entry are decorative; they mark the page, not a real car.

Consignment

An owner leaves a car with a dealer, who shows it and handles the sale. The owner keeps title until a buyer is found.

Glovebox log

A small notebook kept in the car with dated lines about work done and things noticed. The subject of the first entry.

Walk around

A slow circle around a parked car, stopping at each corner to look at one thing. The subject of the second entry.

The loop

A short, quiet route used for test drives so that a nervous driver can try an unfamiliar car twice without traffic pressure.

Handover

The moment the keys pass from one owner to the next, usually with a few minutes of conversation about the car's history.

Second owner

Whoever drives the car next. In the fourth entry, also anyone who hears a story you know well.