I'm unreasonably sad about my car

After 8 years and 180,000 miles, I sold my car today. Loved that car -- a little green Sebring convertible that I had in four different states, and gracefully served as I transitioned from my 30s into fatherhood and my 40s. It handled beautifully and never needed repairs, aside from tires and brakes. I loved putting the top down and driving for hours.

On Sunday my little car's engine threw a rod going up a mountain in western Maryland. We were stuck at the side of the road for about 20 minutes before I tried cranking the engine a final time and it somehow rattled to life. We jumped in and my Sebring made it another two miles before we coasted into a service station/restaurant, which allowed the family to wait in some comfort for AAA to arrive.

I sold my car tonight to Carmax for $300 but am completely depressed that my broken-down car is gone. It's completely irrational considering it's an inanimate object, but I know I'll never enjoy a car as much as that one again.

Thanks for letting me spill. And if anyone has a car story that isn't transmissiony, let's hear 'em.

 

I wonder if it was the same mountain on which our Hyundai's gas pedal broke off completely.

Anyway, RIP (sorta) beanpole's car.

 

A guy knocked up a chick in his truck...so he named the kid Dodge in honor of the truck.

His name...is Earl.

Kidding aside. I'm not a car guy by any means, but I love(d) "my" cars. In order, from age 16 (which was 1993) up I have owned a 1986 Plymouth Duster, a 1989 Chevy Beretta, a 1992 Honda Civic, a 2002 Ford Escort ZX2, and now, a 2006 Mercury Milan.

The Duster was silver and had a sunroof. I would blast my metal and drive a billion miles an hour down county roads in the Upper Peninsula and drove it into the ground. I sold it to another guy at my college radio station for 2 cds and 100 bucks. He took it to the shop to get checked over after he bought it and they said they wouldn't let him leave the garage unless they were allowed to junk it!

The Beretta saw lots of the Midwest with me and it got me through most of college.

The Civic was a graduation present from my aunt (it only had like 35K on it, even though it was 8 years old) and I drove it to its death six year later (lots of miles traveling to high school games). The death was spectacular. I was driving home and the engine caught on fire about a mile away. My garage was on the way home, so I pulled over to the side, popped the hood, doused the flames and drove with smoke flying for the final .5 mile, pulled in and gave it to my mechanic and said, how much you want for it? He gave me 50 bucks and I walked home from there.

The ZX2 tried to kill me once. The U-joint crapped out on the front left (it was the day after the latest WrestleMania in Detroit) and I didn't know it...drove 2 hours on that thing and couldn't figure out why it was steering so bad. Pulled into my driveway and stopped, when I cut the wheel to back up, the tire almost fell off. If angels didn't hold that wheel on while I was going 75-80 up I75, I would be dead. Plain and simple.

 

Great story. I've had a couple of clunkers that I was happy to ditch. When I was a kid I had a Pontiac Sunfire that had a major repair every six months before the head gasket finally blew while I was at 60 mph, and I sprayed antifreeze for a mile. Glad I got to drive a great one for a few years.

 

I drove a '66 Mustang Convertible (white/black interior) that my dad and I fully restored from the ground up in about 1996. In 2004, eight years later, I sold it for some needed cash so we could buy a new minivan. I loved cruising with the top down, even with the hand crank windows and drum brakes.

 

Many people develop attachments to their cars. Some even name them.

My car is Ethel. For me, she's a link to my aunt who died 13 years ago. That car was the last one my aunt drove before she passed.

 

I've driven some crappy cars over the years and have never really developed an attachment to any of them, that is until the one I have now. After owning an 81 Relient K car, a 93 Mazda 323 and a 98 or 99 Buick Century I needed vehicle that was more suitable to being in my mid 20s and finally having a good paying job and I bought a brand new 2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara. I love it. It had 14 kilometres on it when I drove it off the lot. It now has 105,000 Km. Right now it is really all I have to show for 10 years of being in the business. If I ever have kids it will be the vehicle I pass on.

 

My folks got me a 2003 Kia Spectra GSX when I was 18. I drove it diagonally across the continent from Florida to Alaska, and since I hated taking pictures of myself, I used it as my stand-in when taking a scenic photo so people would know I was there. On my way back down three years later, I took an impromptu detour on the Top of the World Highway, which as it turns out had just opened for the summer, and nearly skidded off a mountain somewhere because there were random snowdrifts that would be easy to drive over if your vehicle wasn't a dang Kia Spectra. Just after that, I picked my girlfriend up and we spent the next few weeks driving around the U.S. Some of our best memories are in that car (and no that's not what I mean ... well ... OK, maybe ...). I sold it in Phoenix for 700 bones and missed it immediately. I was pretty bummed that afternoon, even though the dang thing was undriveable at that point. I haven't owned a car since, and when the time comes to get one, I don't expect to ever build a similar connection with it.

 

Oh God. Now, you're going to have a car payment!! THE HORRORS!!!!!

 

Yeah, not happy about that, either. I've not had a car payment in 6 years.

 

So much for financial freedom!!!

Any idea what you're going to get?

 

I think I know the road you are talking about. I blew out a sparkplug on that road about a decade ago. I have also witnessed more than one car's engine just blow up trying to take on those hills. You just pass them and wish them the best.