Happy Birthday, Grieving_pln! (and R.I.P. 'Buck Hakkai')

[not_hathor]

Happy birthday, dear 'grieving_pln" -- and have I mentioned lately how wonderful it is to know that you are, indeed, celebrating a Happy Return of the Day????

Okay, the semi-sad stuff....Along with all the busy work-related and canine related activities consuming my waking hours over the past two months (have I mentioned the knitted Dish cloths? I really like the 'feather and fan' pattern I found, as it is surprisingly forgiving of mistakes, such as too many knit-stitches between the yarn-overs, or knit-togethers in the wrong place because I lost count-- it still looks pretty regardless!), I've been fretting about the state of my 1994 Buick LeSabre -- things needing to be repaired, odd sounds from the engine, not-so-slow air leaks in the tires, transmission fluid leaks, brake fluid leaks -- keeping a running tally in my head (exhaust system, tires, shocks, brakes, ENGINE) and came to the conclusion about a week ago that the cost of bringing my dear 'Buck Hakkai' up to safety standards was going to cost more than he was worth. I feel bad because I really should have been more pro-active about maintenance all along, but...

Our bank had a repossessed 2001 Mercury Grand Marquis with reasonable cost and payments, but we decided to see what else was available locally... unlike last time, I couldn't just pay cash (paid for 'Buck Hakkai' with a combination of tax refund and insurance settlement), and the banks are leery of financing on pre-owned vehicles that are more than five years old. The dealership that sold Husband his car three years ago had a few possibilities posted on their website, so we went over there yesterday 'just to look'.....




Behold! The reason RIA Credit Union owns my soul for the next four and a half years: a 2004 Chevy Malibu, one previous owner who judging from the CARFAX report only drove it back and forth from Texas to Iowa for the past six years.

*Waves 'Bai' to DemiCon, MediaWest*Con, AnimeIowa, I-Con (might be able to swing TARDIS-Con in November)* for the forseeable future*

Comments

[sienata.livejournal.com]

my parents had a chevy impala, which is the next size up from the malibu, and before that a chevy monte carlo. my mom drove the crap out of both of them, 100 miles per day to work and back, and they were both excellent cars. she never had any trouble with either of them. she nows has a red chevy hrr which she adores. she thinks it's the cutest car ever and i have to agree with her. it suits her to a tee! enjoy ur new car. i hope you get many happy miles out of it. :)

[not-hathor.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I had a Chevy Cavalier before the LeSabre and it was a good car until it literally blew out its muffler -- we're talking rusty metal shrapnel! -- the shop guy told me I was incredibly lucky that my gas tank was nearly empty and nothing caught fire -- I suspected vandalism by neighborhood punks but could never prove anything. This little gold Malibu is just the right size for me, and it's got amazing trunk space in case I can ever afford to Road Trip again, LOL...

[reziac.livejournal.com]

Looks spiffy... if the money was flowing the other way you could name it "Gold Mine" :) How many miles on it?

Engine in my old Ford truck (32 years, 203,000 miles) runs better'n ever, but the little things are worn out, like the doorlatch innards and the window gears. And ever since I towed my tenant's van up the canyon the transmission likes to smell burnt, and jump a bit when going slow up a hill. (Tho I can get a drop-in replacement for about $500, so if it dies, it'll get fixed.) Been talking to a guy about trading my mom's old car ('79 Chrysler LeBaron, now a modern classic) for a slightly newer/heavier-duty Ford pickup, but ain't happened yet.

I did finally get all the hoses and such replaced... being mostly original equipment, they were getting kinda crunchy! It gets some such minor overhaul every 4 years or so (last time it was leaky brake cylinders and valve covers.. it's a Ford, it's supposed to leak! :) but otherwise it's been about as trouble-free as a vehicle can get, especially considering how hard it works (does the job of a much heavier truck).

Last week someone gift me a 24' travel trailer, 36 years old but rather an upgrade from the old one. Pulls nice. Freecycle is a wonderful thing. :)