Why do I value a clean car?

Yesterday we had car “detailing” done, which I only recently learned means “really good cleaning”, not “fancy painting”. One of our cars had had a leak. Water got in and it started to mold. So we called someone to do a through interior cleaning. For double they price, the also offered exterior cleaning, wax, and shine, etc.

I got to thinking about what motivates someone to pay for interior verses exterior cleaning. Interior cleaning is about you enjoying being in your own space. Exterior cleaning is about what other people think of you:

…
We'll glide on our motor trip
With pride in our ownership
The envy of all we survey.
Oh, you, pretty Chitty Bang Bang, …

Chitty Bang Bang

I guess to me, a car is just a tool, a way to get from here to there, but…

It's all up to what you value
In your motor car
It all rests on what it cost you
Getting where you are
It's what you value

George Harrison