Bittersweet Farewell
Aug 14th, 2009 by Alex
On Wednesday afternoon I sold my emerald green Saturn SL2 to a coworker. After a quick stop at the bank, we went to the MVA together. I signed the title over to him on the trunk lid. As soon as he got his new tags, I turned mine in. My last ride in Tai was as a passenger, on the way back to the office.
She was my first car, bought brand new and custom-built for me by American hands. With the odometer reading just shy of 150,000 miles, I’ve been the owner for over 10 years. That’s a long time by today’s automotive standards.
Over those years, I’ve had nothing but good things to say about the little plastic cars. An O2 sensor was replaced, along with the hanger bracket for the muffler. But otherwise, no repairs other then preventative maintenance. After ten years the gas mileage was still in the low- to mid-30’s. That’s more than I can say for most automatics from that period. Despite the mileage, the clear coat was still intact, giving her a nice shine.
It’s not surprise that many people personify their car. A car is the ultimate wing man to modern life. Sure, a car gets us from place to place, but there’s more to it than that. Memories occur both in the car and after been transported by the car. There are people I know that haven’t ever known me to drive anything else, and now don’t know what to make of it when I pull up in something different. In good times and bad, our cars are there for us. Sometimes they have their bad moments and breakdowns, just like we do.
I’ve had a lot of memories with Tai. Ice storms in Rochester. Dates. Road trips both in and out of college. Working as a co-op in Annapolis. Funerals. Commuting into Arlington. A half-dozen weddings. Carting dozens of Dell servers to Asburn. A trip to the plant where she was build in Spring Hill, Tennessee. The list goes on.
Selling her was bittersweet. The sale signifies the end of a period: my beginning years of driving, but also — and more importantly — being self-sufficient.
I am happy that I sold her to a guy I know, rather than taking the trade-in at the dealership. She would have been sold for scrap, never to be enjoyed by anyone. Instead, he’ll take good care of her.
Farewell Tai.
miles += 6,000 so far. I drive too much.
Sean Busbey: You do indeed. You keep that pace you’ll easily break 200,000 within a year.