New Car

Let me just start by saying that I get attached to things.  Deeply attached.  I have cried over a ruined broom kind of attachment.  So when it comes to things as important as our vehicles, it's no wonder that I had a good sob in the bathroom of a used car dealership.

Last week our Yukon started to beep for about a minute when we turned it on, flashing Oil Pressure Low.  It would turn off after a while, only flashing a few times if we'd stopped at an intersection soon after beginning, but it still ran as it had always ran.  However, with the increased mornings of incessant beeping, Randy decided to take it in.  He knew my attachment and his own reluctance to spend money (we haven't had a car payment in many, many years), so we planned to just pay a bit of money to fix it so that we could be the proud owners of a car that reached 300,000 miles.  I loved so many features of that car, plus the many, many memories in that car, that I didn't really want to see it go.  Honestly, if it was possible, I would have rebuilt every single thing just to keep it.  Mice infestation and all.

When Randy got the call from the repair shop I knew it was not good news.  They said they could fix one thing, but worried that the added pressure would cause problems with something else.  They worried that they would do that one thing, but that it might not actually fix anything at all.  Randy kept telling them that we were leaning towards just fixing it, but he took on his "tone" and told Randy he didn't think it was a good idea.  This repair shop has been our only repair shop since they saved us thousands a few years ago, and have saved us thousands since.  They are very honest, very reliable, and always go above and beyond in their service.  He became our friend in telling us it was time to let this car go.

Looking at and getting a new car should be a really fun prospect, but it felt more like losing another family member, if I am being honest.  We thought we had at least another year, and in one 10-minute phone call we learned it was over.  I bring a lot of drama into what others would consider nothing when a car is 14 years old and has 275,000+ miles, but my attachment to this car ran deep because of what it transported between Richland and Seattle for all those years.  That car brought joy.  From February 3, 2012 to November 20, 2018, that car carried my family, my whole family, to some pretty incredible places, and brought our family together when we had to be separated for cancer care.  That is why it was so hard to leave it behind.

 We bought this car used for $10,000, with more than 100,000 miles and some pretty ugly cosmetic issues.  I loved so much of the rest of it, the cosmetic issues stopped being seen fairly quick, even though they were really stark flaws.

They must have had a dashboard cover that was secured to the dash, because there were three very large spots where the color had been pulled off.  Our car was a leper.

 

I honestly don't know what happened to the spots on the console.  But you can see just how much of a leper she really was.  Also, because this car was a 2004, I will bring your attention to the cassette player.  That was used, actually!  Tyson listened to Indian in the Cupboard in this car.  Not only did it have a CD player, but down below it had a 6 CD player.  Towards the end, the 6 CD was the only one that worked.

 Also, under the vent you'll notice two additions: the metallic disk and the oval thingy.  Randy added the metallic disk so that we could connect our phones to the radio (Which actually broke away from the black plastic and would hang with wires showing when connected to the phone cable), and the oval thingy was added by the previous owners to play the sound of the after-market DVD player through the radio.  It wasn't two years before the DVD stopped working and we never fixed it.

The only thing that ever changed on this view was those beautiful odometer numbers.  This was our final view.  278,229.  We were that close to our goal of 300,000.  We got $2,500 for her.  We considered asking more for the trade because it didn't come with dead mice carcasses.  I'm really going to miss our Mags, short for maggots.

This view will be missed.  I am crying as I blog.  I love this car so much.

I added this sticker 6 years ago, just one week after we arrived in Richland.  It meant a lot as I put it on, and has meant a lot ever since.  Even though it is severely altered, weathered and crumbling, you can still clearly see the message: Choose The Right.

As Randy researched and talked with a friend that restores vehicles, he came to realize he wanted an Expedition EL for the EcoBoost feature.  As we test drove one locally, I could hear his excitement for the fuel economy and the towing capabilities of this car.  He also liked that they keep their value, are among the top of a few lists, and that they are American made.  I like that it still has the trunk size that I have come to depend on.  Trunk of dreams, I tell you.  The only drawback to buying used is that you don't actually choose your colors.  This has a black interior and we have a white doge that sheds.  This is going to be fun... for the kids that get to vacuum this baby out after every road trip.

Purchased February 3, 2012.

2004 Yukon XL Denali. 100,000+ miles.  $10,000.

 Purchased November 20, 2018.  

2017 Ford Expedition EL Limited.  51,000 miles.  With trade-in, discount, and down payment, the total for my new soon-to-be attachment was $33,000.  

Our first family road trip is today: Thanksgiving in Mount Vernon.  I cannot wait to see where this vehicle takes us.