Back in 2000 when I was taking my sabbatical from the Navy and working as a mechanic, I purchased a 1989 Diesel Suburban. I had a lot of tools and wanted something I could load everything up into that had an alarm system and got reasonably good gas (in this case diesel) mileage. She served me well but I admit that she did break down several times when I really needed her. Went through 2 transmissions and a rear end so eventually I got a few vehicles that were reliable across long distances and new cars started taking up the bulk of my driving.
The burban stayed in the back burner, I used her to move around town and she was my mobile storage unit. The years of strangers saying “Doc, don’t you think it’s time for a new car” (maybe 15), the times when she left me abandoned in the middle of the desert (twice) and the little bits of her that died (many) started to add up. And I discovered that yes, I was able to live without her, I’ll probably miss taking naps in the back seat till the day I die but it was time to let go and set her free.
So over the last few weeks, I have been running an ad on Craigslist and last night, I got a phone call from an excited buyer with a handful of cash, I gave her a final kiss goodbye on the hood and like that she was gone. I’m a little sad but its better this way, I didn’t have the time and patience to give her the love and tender loving care that she needed and with new excited owners, I think she’ll do just fine.
I think a period in my life just ended.
No comments:
Post a Comment