Vern's Volvo

If we accept that both cars cannot simultaneously be Vern’s Volvo then the only other car that can be Vern’s would be the present one which he drives. Every time that a part of Vern’s car was replaced, that new part was accepted by Vern and became a part of the Volvo. The old part of the Volvo was simply put aside and forgotten about—never again to be used by Vern.

Let's compare Vern’s Volvo to the human body. We consider every part of our body to be ours. Therefore our foot is our foot, our hand is our hand, and our heart is our heart. However, if our heart stops working and we need a heart transplant, when does our sick heart stop being ours and the new donor heart start? Generally we as humans tend to accept the new heart as our own, and we come to accept that the old heart is no longer a part of us. If we define a heart as being the part of our body which pumps our blood and keeps us alive, then it is in the moment the heart becomes sick and must be removed that it stops being our heart. The new heart does keep us alive and is a part of our body, and so the moment the surgery is completed, the donor heart becomes a part of us, and becomes our heart. Therefore, at what point do we stop being who we are?

The same can be asked about Vern’s Volvo, at what point does Vern’s car stop being his car? If we define Vern’s Volvo as being a vehicle which Vern owns and/or uses as transportation, then the only time that Vern’s Volvo stops being his Volvo is when he sells the entire car and drives a different one. For the moment; however, Vern’s Volvo, despite having had parts replaced, has been accepted by Vern as being the car that he drives, therefore it is his.

Using this logic, the old heap of car parts are not Vern’s Volvo because he does not drive a heap of car parts and they are no longer his—they are Grace’s. The old car parts stopped being a part of Vern’s Volvo because they were “sick” or simply stopped working; therefore, they had to be replaced. Also, since only one car can be Vern’s Volvo, and the Volvo that he currently drives is his, then the heap of junk parts is immediately eliminated as being his car.