For absolutely no reason whatsoever and apropos of nothing, I give you the color of the cars I've owned.
Grey/silver
Blue
Blue
Grey/silver
White
Gold
White
Grey/Silver
POLT
Showing posts with label Car. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Car. Show all posts
Friday, July 19, 2024
Thursday, May 25, 2023
Check this out, real quick, don't know if everybody know (Part 3749)....
Check This Out!
This is the 1935 Mercedes Benz 540K Streamline Roadster!
Damn, what a beauty! Don't imagine it'd do well over bumps or taking corners, but man it looks GOOD!
POLT
Sunday, May 07, 2023
Check this out, real quick, don't know if everybody know (Part 3723)...
Check This Out!
I wish more people realized this!
POLT
Monday, April 19, 2021
It's so cool to be uncool (Part 408)...
What's Cool?
You think you're cool? Well there is simply no way you will ever be as cool as this 1955 Bentley Sultan Roadster. Never.
Nope.....never ever.
POLT
Wednesday, November 25, 2020
It's so cool, to be uncool (Part 492)....
What's Cool?
You think you're cool? Well you'll never be as cool as the 1970 Bertone Lancia Stratos HF Zero.
POLT
Monday, March 09, 2020
So, this weekend.....yeah......
My mother's youngest brother has had prostrate cancer for over a year and a half, and it's spread to his lungs and bones. He was in the hospital to replace some stents or something last weekend, and was released Tuesday, and they told him he had about 6 months yet to live. And they sent Hospice in the help his wife with him.
Friday mom called me and said the Hospice worker had said they should make funeral arrangements, because it probably wouldn't be six months. So mom, her other brother, his wife and I decided to go visit him Sunday. We were going to meet at my mom's house at 11.
Then Sunday morning about 6:45am, mom called. and said they Hospices workers were called in overnight and they told my uncles' wife he had maybe 24 hours left. So instead of waiting until 11, we just got ready and left then.
We got there before 8. His wife, her sister, his son and his wife and his daughter and her one son were already there. We each had time to visit with him. I did so twice, but only for a short time. I told him what I needed to tell him. And then, I stayed out and let the others have their times.
He was doped up on morphine for the pain, never opened his eyes, and was gasping, not really breathing normally. I spoke to his grandson, my cousin, for a while, because he's only 14 and this is the first time someone he knows is dying. I tried to be honest and helpful, and I think I was.
And then, later that night, about 6 o'clock, he died.
I'm of course sad. But really, I'm relieved too. At least he's not suffering anymore, as he was over the last few years. So this week, is his funeral. And I'm a pall-bearer.
I've not been close to him as of later, but 35 years ago, I was at his house all the time. He had a pool behind his house and one summer, I hung out there for nearly the whole entire summer. He was a lot of fun back then. And I have many pleasant memories of him.
And at least now he's not suffering.
And THEN, today, I took my car in to get it inspected and an oil change. And the guy called to say it needed some work: back breaks and a broken tire spring (or something). So I was like, okay, whatever it takes to get it inspected. So instead of getting in back in under two hours, it took over six. And the grand total: over $700.
*SIGH*
And on top of ALL of this, my sleep schedule gets fucked up with the ludicrous time change crap. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I'm only hoping tomorrow is better.
POLT
My mother's youngest brother has had prostrate cancer for over a year and a half, and it's spread to his lungs and bones. He was in the hospital to replace some stents or something last weekend, and was released Tuesday, and they told him he had about 6 months yet to live. And they sent Hospice in the help his wife with him.
Friday mom called me and said the Hospice worker had said they should make funeral arrangements, because it probably wouldn't be six months. So mom, her other brother, his wife and I decided to go visit him Sunday. We were going to meet at my mom's house at 11.
Then Sunday morning about 6:45am, mom called. and said they Hospices workers were called in overnight and they told my uncles' wife he had maybe 24 hours left. So instead of waiting until 11, we just got ready and left then.
We got there before 8. His wife, her sister, his son and his wife and his daughter and her one son were already there. We each had time to visit with him. I did so twice, but only for a short time. I told him what I needed to tell him. And then, I stayed out and let the others have their times.
He was doped up on morphine for the pain, never opened his eyes, and was gasping, not really breathing normally. I spoke to his grandson, my cousin, for a while, because he's only 14 and this is the first time someone he knows is dying. I tried to be honest and helpful, and I think I was.
And then, later that night, about 6 o'clock, he died.
I'm of course sad. But really, I'm relieved too. At least he's not suffering anymore, as he was over the last few years. So this week, is his funeral. And I'm a pall-bearer.
I've not been close to him as of later, but 35 years ago, I was at his house all the time. He had a pool behind his house and one summer, I hung out there for nearly the whole entire summer. He was a lot of fun back then. And I have many pleasant memories of him.
And at least now he's not suffering.
And THEN, today, I took my car in to get it inspected and an oil change. And the guy called to say it needed some work: back breaks and a broken tire spring (or something). So I was like, okay, whatever it takes to get it inspected. So instead of getting in back in under two hours, it took over six. And the grand total: over $700.
*SIGH*
And on top of ALL of this, my sleep schedule gets fucked up with the ludicrous time change crap. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
I'm only hoping tomorrow is better.
POLT
Friday, June 17, 2016
Tuesday, March 29, 2016
Cars are cars, all over the world...
Earlier in the month, prior to the Great Car Exchange Caper, mom had made plans to get Belle to the local VW mechanic and have her oil changed, a new battery put in and a 40,000 mile checkup. Then two weeks ago, she bought the new car and gave me her old one (click on the above link for the entire story). Well, she kept the appointment and said, she since she had planned it, she'd pay for it all too. Who am I to argue, right?
Monday, she had a meeting to go to, but she was already carpooling with someone else going. I told her I had plans to put some money in the Credit Union and then go to Sam's to get a few things. She said we could both drive to the mechanic, I'd drive her back in her car to her house, and then I could bring her car with me and she's wait there for the carpool. So, okay.
That's what we did. I came home after taking her home. I got everything together, went to the Credit Union, Wal-Mart, then drove to Sam's and Ollie's nearby, and then returned to the Credit Union area where KFC is located, and then came home to eat it. The entire trip was just short of 50 miles.
I gotta tell ya, her car is SUH-weet! It's quite, smooth, has a great get up and go to it. And, best of all, she has a three month free subscription to Sirius radio. If I spent more time in my car than I do, I tell you what: I'd HAVE that Sirius Radio in Belle! My gosh, that is so nice. Whatever type of music I want, non-stop and no commercials. I was rocking out to the Dance/Electronica channels. They were playing a lot of 90s/00s dance songs, and that's when I was a regular at the local gay bar. I remembered a LOT of those songs. What memories. And what a great way to pass the time: not worrying about the slow cars or idiot drivers in front and around me, but instead getting into the music of my youth.
Ah well, maybe some day.
It also has one of those rear view camera thingees. I never remembered I had it until I was already backed out. I did watch it while backing into my parking space here at home, not that I needed it. It's handy, I guess, if you use it.
Anyway, it's a VERY nice car. I like mine, dont get me wrong, but it's a six year newer car, and has some nicer stuff than mine. Although I have a sunroof in mine and she doesn't and so there is that.
POLT
Monday, she had a meeting to go to, but she was already carpooling with someone else going. I told her I had plans to put some money in the Credit Union and then go to Sam's to get a few things. She said we could both drive to the mechanic, I'd drive her back in her car to her house, and then I could bring her car with me and she's wait there for the carpool. So, okay.
That's what we did. I came home after taking her home. I got everything together, went to the Credit Union, Wal-Mart, then drove to Sam's and Ollie's nearby, and then returned to the Credit Union area where KFC is located, and then came home to eat it. The entire trip was just short of 50 miles.
I gotta tell ya, her car is SUH-weet! It's quite, smooth, has a great get up and go to it. And, best of all, she has a three month free subscription to Sirius radio. If I spent more time in my car than I do, I tell you what: I'd HAVE that Sirius Radio in Belle! My gosh, that is so nice. Whatever type of music I want, non-stop and no commercials. I was rocking out to the Dance/Electronica channels. They were playing a lot of 90s/00s dance songs, and that's when I was a regular at the local gay bar. I remembered a LOT of those songs. What memories. And what a great way to pass the time: not worrying about the slow cars or idiot drivers in front and around me, but instead getting into the music of my youth.
Ah well, maybe some day.
It also has one of those rear view camera thingees. I never remembered I had it until I was already backed out. I did watch it while backing into my parking space here at home, not that I needed it. It's handy, I guess, if you use it.
Anyway, it's a VERY nice car. I like mine, dont get me wrong, but it's a six year newer car, and has some nicer stuff than mine. Although I have a sunroof in mine and she doesn't and so there is that.
POLT
Monday, March 21, 2016
Thursday, March 17, 2016
Still time to help me chose the name of my new car. Click below and vote!
http://poltspalace.blogspot.com/2016/03/wow.html
POLT
http://poltspalace.blogspot.com/2016/03/wow.html
POLT
Monday, March 14, 2016
Wow....what a day.
I had to take Sebastian to get him looked at today. We dropped him off at 8:30, then in mom's car, we got breakfast as Denny's. After that, we went to the VW dealership and mom found and test drove a car she thought she'd like to get. After all this, she and I decided to do some shopping.
We drove from the east end of Hagerstown, where everything had been so far, to the west end of Hagerstown where the shops are. We were in one store, when my phone rang. The mechanic was telling me they found out what was wrong with Sebastian. To get him all fixed up would cost roughly $1700!
Now, bear in mind, the plan was, whenever mom got her new car (the grey one), I'd get her current one (the white one) and she would use Sebastian as a trade in. And since she was looking to get the new car sometime soon, like in the next week to two weeks, I didn't really want to sink $1700 into a car I wouldn't have all that long. And according to the mechanic, I should not drive it too far or too long without getting this fixed. So I told him I'd call him back and then discussed it with mom.
She said, "Let's just do it today. Just tell him to put the car back together, we'll pick it up and take it over to the VW place and we'll just do all the exchanging today." I kinda just blinked a few times and look at her like she was crazy. But then I thought, "well that would solve all our problems,"
So, that's what we did. I called the mechanic and told him to put it all together. She called theVW dealership and told them to get the card ready. Then we had to drive back to Waynesboro from the west end of Hagerstown, pick up the titles to both our cars, and then drive back to the east end of Hagerstown.
I picked up my car, we took it to the VW dealership. We got there just a little bit before noon. We had to go through the paperwork, through the financing, getting all that crap worked out and then, FINALLY, about 4pm, we walked out of there, she was a brand new car and me, with a car new to me.
OH, but the day wasn't over yet. We still hadn't had lunch, so we drove to a local McDonald's, of all places, and had a quick meal. Then, from the east end of Hagerstown, we drove past Waynesboro, 15 miles or so north to Chambersburg, to the local AAA store in PA, and got the title and plate changed for ME (ie, changing the white car's title from mom to me, moving my plate to that car and turning in the plate that had been on the white car). After about another $100 and 45 minutes, that was done. And since both of us had already called the insurance company and gotten everything changed that way, we were, more or less, done.
We still had to go to mom's place so she could get everything out of the white car and into the grey car (I had cleaned out Sebastian earlier at the dealership). She got all her stuff out and I moved my stuff from the trunk to where I wanted it in the new car. And then, FINALLY, about 6pm, I got home.
And MAN, was I tired!
So, goodbye, Sebastian. You were a good little car. I had you a smidge over 6 years, and only had 81,000 or so miles on you. You and I were through a lot, but in the end, it was time to move on.
And so, new white car, I hope you treat me as well as Sebastian has, and I'll try to return the favor.
Which leads me to this: What should I call my new car? I'll let you, the Palace readers, vote on what you think they best name should be. Here are my suggestions/your choices:
Beverly (named after my mother where the car came from)
Belle (Because the car is white, like cotton, and in the South, cotton came from plantations, and Southern Belles lived on those plantations)
Snowflake (cause she's white as snow)
Madchen (German for girl, since she IS a Volkswagen after all)
Cast your vote below:
POLT
I had to take Sebastian to get him looked at today. We dropped him off at 8:30, then in mom's car, we got breakfast as Denny's. After that, we went to the VW dealership and mom found and test drove a car she thought she'd like to get. After all this, she and I decided to do some shopping.
We drove from the east end of Hagerstown, where everything had been so far, to the west end of Hagerstown where the shops are. We were in one store, when my phone rang. The mechanic was telling me they found out what was wrong with Sebastian. To get him all fixed up would cost roughly $1700!
Now, bear in mind, the plan was, whenever mom got her new car (the grey one), I'd get her current one (the white one) and she would use Sebastian as a trade in. And since she was looking to get the new car sometime soon, like in the next week to two weeks, I didn't really want to sink $1700 into a car I wouldn't have all that long. And according to the mechanic, I should not drive it too far or too long without getting this fixed. So I told him I'd call him back and then discussed it with mom.
She said, "Let's just do it today. Just tell him to put the car back together, we'll pick it up and take it over to the VW place and we'll just do all the exchanging today." I kinda just blinked a few times and look at her like she was crazy. But then I thought, "well that would solve all our problems,"
So, that's what we did. I called the mechanic and told him to put it all together. She called theVW dealership and told them to get the card ready. Then we had to drive back to Waynesboro from the west end of Hagerstown, pick up the titles to both our cars, and then drive back to the east end of Hagerstown.
I picked up my car, we took it to the VW dealership. We got there just a little bit before noon. We had to go through the paperwork, through the financing, getting all that crap worked out and then, FINALLY, about 4pm, we walked out of there, she was a brand new car and me, with a car new to me.
OH, but the day wasn't over yet. We still hadn't had lunch, so we drove to a local McDonald's, of all places, and had a quick meal. Then, from the east end of Hagerstown, we drove past Waynesboro, 15 miles or so north to Chambersburg, to the local AAA store in PA, and got the title and plate changed for ME (ie, changing the white car's title from mom to me, moving my plate to that car and turning in the plate that had been on the white car). After about another $100 and 45 minutes, that was done. And since both of us had already called the insurance company and gotten everything changed that way, we were, more or less, done.
We still had to go to mom's place so she could get everything out of the white car and into the grey car (I had cleaned out Sebastian earlier at the dealership). She got all her stuff out and I moved my stuff from the trunk to where I wanted it in the new car. And then, FINALLY, about 6pm, I got home.
And MAN, was I tired!
Anyway, here is the last pic of Sebastian I took.
Here is mom's old car, my new one:
And here is mom's new car!
So, goodbye, Sebastian. You were a good little car. I had you a smidge over 6 years, and only had 81,000 or so miles on you. You and I were through a lot, but in the end, it was time to move on.
And so, new white car, I hope you treat me as well as Sebastian has, and I'll try to return the favor.
Which leads me to this: What should I call my new car? I'll let you, the Palace readers, vote on what you think they best name should be. Here are my suggestions/your choices:
Beverly (named after my mother where the car came from)
Belle (Because the car is white, like cotton, and in the South, cotton came from plantations, and Southern Belles lived on those plantations)
Snowflake (cause she's white as snow)
Madchen (German for girl, since she IS a Volkswagen after all)
Cast your vote below:
POLT
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Want my baby back, so now I pack a shovel...
They're calling for snow Wednesday night into Thursday. We're definitely gonna get 1-3 inches with a possibilty of up to 8 or more.
And I'm getting antsy at the thought of snow.
It never used to be that way. Certainly when I was home, as a kid, I'd LOVE the snow! Possible days off school, snowmen, snow angels, sledding in the alley, hot cocoa when I'd come in. LOVED it. And even when I lived in the apartment for 12 years, it didn't bother me. But now, since last year when we got all the blizzards, every time they call for snow, I get all anxious and ansty. And I'm now sure why.
I thought perhaps it was because of my car. I've not had Sebastian a year yet, and while we've gone through some snow together, I'm still not totally confident with him. Miss Cleo, hell, she was like another arm, she was like a part of me, even when it came to driving in snow, no problem. But Sebastian, I'm still a bit cautious with.
Maybe it's the shoveling. In the apartment, I had to do NO shoveling, the landlord paid someone to come do it. Oh I still had to shovel out my car, and it was a bitch trudging through shin high drifts all the way back to the offstreet parking. I have much less distance to go now. But I have a sidewalk now too. Granted, it's only between 15-20 feet of sidewalk, but still, I have to shovel it out. And do it in a timely manner so I don't get fined. Like last year. Whereas in the apartment, I didn't have to go out for days if that's what was required.
It can't be taking leave from work, cause I have more time now that I've had since my first year at work in 1996. Course, with us still short a person, and two of us having to do the work of three, I don't really want to get behind any worse than I am now. But one snow day isn't gonna back me up that much.
I don't know what it is then. Maybe I'm just getting old and the prospect of snow isn't fun any more. God, I hope that's NOT it.
POLT
And I'm getting antsy at the thought of snow.
It never used to be that way. Certainly when I was home, as a kid, I'd LOVE the snow! Possible days off school, snowmen, snow angels, sledding in the alley, hot cocoa when I'd come in. LOVED it. And even when I lived in the apartment for 12 years, it didn't bother me. But now, since last year when we got all the blizzards, every time they call for snow, I get all anxious and ansty. And I'm now sure why.
I thought perhaps it was because of my car. I've not had Sebastian a year yet, and while we've gone through some snow together, I'm still not totally confident with him. Miss Cleo, hell, she was like another arm, she was like a part of me, even when it came to driving in snow, no problem. But Sebastian, I'm still a bit cautious with.
Maybe it's the shoveling. In the apartment, I had to do NO shoveling, the landlord paid someone to come do it. Oh I still had to shovel out my car, and it was a bitch trudging through shin high drifts all the way back to the offstreet parking. I have much less distance to go now. But I have a sidewalk now too. Granted, it's only between 15-20 feet of sidewalk, but still, I have to shovel it out. And do it in a timely manner so I don't get fined. Like last year. Whereas in the apartment, I didn't have to go out for days if that's what was required.
It can't be taking leave from work, cause I have more time now that I've had since my first year at work in 1996. Course, with us still short a person, and two of us having to do the work of three, I don't really want to get behind any worse than I am now. But one snow day isn't gonna back me up that much.
I don't know what it is then. Maybe I'm just getting old and the prospect of snow isn't fun any more. God, I hope that's NOT it.
POLT
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
I wanna get snowed in with you, i wanna shake off these winter blues...
So we're getting hit with another snowstorm that gonna brings upwards of a foot or more of snow. *YAWN* This is the third time this winter, the second time in a week...is this all you got Mother Nature? Puh-lease, you don't scare me.
This is what Snowpocalypse, Part Drei looked like from my front door:
I think we only have about a foot of snow, but the winds are gusting, the TV says, upwards of 30 mph hour, so I don't know how much of what you see is snow falling and snow blowing.
After being inside as much as I have, I got a tad bit cabin feverish and I decided to go out in it. But just half a block north to the Rutters convience store. I was craving a salad (no, I don't know why either) and thought I'd go there to get one. Once I got there, they didn't have any salads, but they weren't out of anything else. So I got two hot dogs, a soft pretzel, a local paper and the Washington Post. But on the trek, I also took the following photos:
I got NO idea where we're gonna PUT all this. We'll have snow lingering around until July!
POLT Listening to "Beth" by Kiss
Believe an old debaucher like me, only the most exquisite of pleasures are capable of inducing a guilty next morning taste. - Shade, Starman #41
This is what Snowpocalypse, Part Drei looked like from my front door:
I think we only have about a foot of snow, but the winds are gusting, the TV says, upwards of 30 mph hour, so I don't know how much of what you see is snow falling and snow blowing.
After being inside as much as I have, I got a tad bit cabin feverish and I decided to go out in it. But just half a block north to the Rutters convience store. I was craving a salad (no, I don't know why either) and thought I'd go there to get one. Once I got there, they didn't have any salads, but they weren't out of anything else. So I got two hot dogs, a soft pretzel, a local paper and the Washington Post. But on the trek, I also took the following photos:
Icicle deathtrap on my back porch.
Icicle deathtrap on my front porch.
The wind is doing crazy things. On my front porch here we have a roughly two foot high snow drift and not two feet away, bare porch.
My front steps are more accurately my front slope now.
An interesction, everything still snow covered and snow coming down. And don't let the traffic full you. There are more vehicles in this one photo than I saw on my entire trek otherwise.
This is 3rd Street Hill, a major road in town, still snow covered. It IS pretty on the trees and such though.
Upon returning, this is snow mid way up my calf, halfway to my knee. And now, I'm inside until it stops snowing. Only then shall I attempt to shovel any of it.
And just to give you some perspective on what we've got since last Friday, below is a photo of my backyard, with Miss Cleo parked there, just as the snow was beginning:
And this is my bakyard, with the new car parked in it, on Wednesday afternoon and in the midst of the second snowstorm (you can use the two poles as reference points) :
I got NO idea where we're gonna PUT all this. We'll have snow lingering around until July!
POLT Listening to "Beth" by Kiss
Believe an old debaucher like me, only the most exquisite of pleasures are capable of inducing a guilty next morning taste. - Shade, Starman #41
Monday, February 08, 2010
Just wanna see, baby, well that new car run...
So, today was the day to go buy the new car.
Over the weekend, I had decided on the 2008 Nissan Versa. It's got about 22000 miles on it, has a 7 yr/100,000 warranty on power train, and they were asking $10,888 for it. This morning, once I got up and ready, I met mom and we headed to Chambersburg, her following me, to trade in Miss Cleo.
Miss Cleo was a good car. She was 9 years old, I had had her for 7 years, and this was the first 'real' problem I ever had with here. Yeah, there was the battery issue in the fall of 2008, and the time the driver's seat broke and laid flat onto the back seat and I had to try to drive it home from work holding myself up by gripping the steerin wheel (NOT an easy prospect, I assure you). But other than that, no real issues with her.
And she made probably a half dozen, maybe more, trips to Toronto, countless trips to DC, a few trips to Baltimore, one or two to the Harrisburg area, once to Columbus Ohio and she was driven all OVER the four state area around here.
But, it was her time. I was worried about getting her out of the still snow covered alleyway, but like a trooper, she made it without problem. However, on the way to Chambersburg, as we went up hills, I noticed she was straining and not accelerating as much as she should. It's only about a 25 mile trip from my house to the dealership. I kept talking to her all the way there, telling what a good girl she's been, how I couldn't have ever asked for a better car, could she please keep running just until I pulled into the parking lot up there?
But we were on the outskirts of Chambersburg, the town clearly in view, when we stopped at an intersection with lights and...she shut down. She refused to start. I guess that was all she had. Five more miles and we'd have been at the dealership. She gave it her best shot, but just couldn't make it all the way, God rest her soul.
Luckily, it was on a hill going down, so I just drifted down it in neutral and turned the corner into the lesser used street and pulled over. Because of the snow, I couldn't actually get off the road, but at this intersection, the road had a turning lane as well as a regular lane going the other way, so that left plenty of room. Mom pulled in behind me and I called AAA. The lady took all my info and said because of a large demand, she couldn't give me an ETA. Mom had brought today's paper with her, so we settled in for long wait.
I didn't even get the front page read, less than 10 minutes passed, and the rollback pulled up! And before you knew it, we were in the parking lot of the dealership. The whole ride, including the breakdown, took less than an hour. Normally, it woulda taken us probably 35-40 minutes anyway, so that wasn't bad.
I laughed with the salesman, saying "I bet you never had anybody bring their trade-in in on a rollback, eh?" He told me in 7 years there's very little he hadn't seen. Ends up the gave me $100 on the tradein. And I didn't haggle with them cause, well it came in on a freakin' rollback! But even if I had driven it in, as soon as they started it up, they would have heard the noise I found the problem. I doubt I woulda gotten anymore than $200 for it that way anyway.
At any rate, after a lot of paperwork, I got the keys and drove off the lot at about noon-ish. So from leaving home in Miss Cleo, to leaving the lot with the new car took a total of 2.5 hours! Love it.
And this is the new car below:
It's official color is gold, although it was also tagged up there as beige, and my aunt, when she saw it, said it looked greensih-silver in certain light, which it kinda does. But since the official color is gold, that's what I'm going with.
I haven't named the new car yet. I've thought of a few names, but I'm not sure which one to choose. Miss Cleo was clearly feminine and regal, hence her name. But I feel like this car is more...masculine. Well, more masculine than Miss Cleo was, so I'm picking a guy name (sorta) for it.
I have a preference in mind, but what I thought I'd do is put up a poll here and see what the most popular choice is of the names I have in mind. Let me know what you prefer, maybe that'll be the name. Althought I reserve the right to totally ignore what you guys choose if I become really attached to one of them.
POLT Listening to "The Shock Of The Lightning" by Oasis
Am I the only one who feels lately - latelly being defined as since September 2001 - the nation seems overrun by yahoos? - Leonard Pitts, July 29, 2005
Over the weekend, I had decided on the 2008 Nissan Versa. It's got about 22000 miles on it, has a 7 yr/100,000 warranty on power train, and they were asking $10,888 for it. This morning, once I got up and ready, I met mom and we headed to Chambersburg, her following me, to trade in Miss Cleo.
Miss Cleo was a good car. She was 9 years old, I had had her for 7 years, and this was the first 'real' problem I ever had with here. Yeah, there was the battery issue in the fall of 2008, and the time the driver's seat broke and laid flat onto the back seat and I had to try to drive it home from work holding myself up by gripping the steerin wheel (NOT an easy prospect, I assure you). But other than that, no real issues with her.
And she made probably a half dozen, maybe more, trips to Toronto, countless trips to DC, a few trips to Baltimore, one or two to the Harrisburg area, once to Columbus Ohio and she was driven all OVER the four state area around here.
But, it was her time. I was worried about getting her out of the still snow covered alleyway, but like a trooper, she made it without problem. However, on the way to Chambersburg, as we went up hills, I noticed she was straining and not accelerating as much as she should. It's only about a 25 mile trip from my house to the dealership. I kept talking to her all the way there, telling what a good girl she's been, how I couldn't have ever asked for a better car, could she please keep running just until I pulled into the parking lot up there?
But we were on the outskirts of Chambersburg, the town clearly in view, when we stopped at an intersection with lights and...she shut down. She refused to start. I guess that was all she had. Five more miles and we'd have been at the dealership. She gave it her best shot, but just couldn't make it all the way, God rest her soul.
Luckily, it was on a hill going down, so I just drifted down it in neutral and turned the corner into the lesser used street and pulled over. Because of the snow, I couldn't actually get off the road, but at this intersection, the road had a turning lane as well as a regular lane going the other way, so that left plenty of room. Mom pulled in behind me and I called AAA. The lady took all my info and said because of a large demand, she couldn't give me an ETA. Mom had brought today's paper with her, so we settled in for long wait.
I didn't even get the front page read, less than 10 minutes passed, and the rollback pulled up! And before you knew it, we were in the parking lot of the dealership. The whole ride, including the breakdown, took less than an hour. Normally, it woulda taken us probably 35-40 minutes anyway, so that wasn't bad.
I laughed with the salesman, saying "I bet you never had anybody bring their trade-in in on a rollback, eh?" He told me in 7 years there's very little he hadn't seen. Ends up the gave me $100 on the tradein. And I didn't haggle with them cause, well it came in on a freakin' rollback! But even if I had driven it in, as soon as they started it up, they would have heard the noise I found the problem. I doubt I woulda gotten anymore than $200 for it that way anyway.
At any rate, after a lot of paperwork, I got the keys and drove off the lot at about noon-ish. So from leaving home in Miss Cleo, to leaving the lot with the new car took a total of 2.5 hours! Love it.
And this is the new car below:
It's official color is gold, although it was also tagged up there as beige, and my aunt, when she saw it, said it looked greensih-silver in certain light, which it kinda does. But since the official color is gold, that's what I'm going with.
I haven't named the new car yet. I've thought of a few names, but I'm not sure which one to choose. Miss Cleo was clearly feminine and regal, hence her name. But I feel like this car is more...masculine. Well, more masculine than Miss Cleo was, so I'm picking a guy name (sorta) for it.
I have a preference in mind, but what I thought I'd do is put up a poll here and see what the most popular choice is of the names I have in mind. Let me know what you prefer, maybe that'll be the name. Althought I reserve the right to totally ignore what you guys choose if I become really attached to one of them.
POLT Listening to "The Shock Of The Lightning" by Oasis
Am I the only one who feels lately - latelly being defined as since September 2001 - the nation seems overrun by yahoos? - Leonard Pitts, July 29, 2005
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