Sunday, June 06, 2010

Keep on Rolling

We're back home from a quickie trip that ended up here, my mom's place in Lake Geneva.  Which is set up as my summer escape should a heat wave happen this summer (she has central air).  I was a little tired and out of it on the way back, requiring a Starbuck's stop, and missed my Rav4 turning over 200,000 miles.  I've only owned four cars in my life--all purchased new with the intention of driving them until they were done.  I traded each of them in when they were exhausted, except for my 1984 Honda Civic, which I should have kept a little longer.  If you've followed along with the blog, you may recall that there was some discussion last summer about getting rid of the Rav4 for a minivan.  Given my current setbacks, I'm glad I don't have a car payment to be concerned with at the moment. 
I kept asking myself, why trade in the best car that I've ever had?  This vehicle has kept me safe for many long drives to some dicey neighborhoods, through inclement weather,  been a participant in vacation fun, and has been a little refuge to have some private little meltdowns when there was no place else.  I have a history with this car.  It's original battery was replaced at about 150,000 miles, and apart from new tires and routine stuff, she hasn't needed much.  How much farther can we go?  Keep your fingers crossed for us.

5 comments:

cathye said...

Hooray for 1984 Civics! I had a Civic S...it lasted until 1992 when the timing belt broke, otherwise I'd probably still be driving it.

NEEDLEWINGS said...

I was just blog hopping, which I rarely get a chance to but I happened upon yours. I have been to Lake Geneva and told hubby I wanted to move there! Gorgeous area but he wants to be with less cold and snow! I live in SE Ohio and get through Chicago at least once a year on my way to visit my mom and sisters in ND.

Hope your Rav4 goes another 200,000 miles! We nearly bought one in '97, but got the Honda CRV instead. It turned over 200,000 miles too. Best vehicle we have had too. Hubby has it now and I have a Mountaineer, but I would sooner have a Honda any time as we have more repairs in the Mountaineer than any other vehicle I have had.

I am not sure what your current set backs are and I know the economy sucks, but sounds like you could use a little lift. I don't knit, but I do quilt. Call it a RAK if you will. If you still have your 90 inch quilt that needs quilting, I will be glad to do it if you can fund the shipping, batting and backing:)
http://enchantedquilts.com

Corinne said...

Thanks, Needlewings, for your concern! I did get the giant log cabin long arm quilted. The backstory is that my full time job went away last December, and I'm slowly trying to get Lucky Penny going, after neglecting it for a while. I'm not desperate, yet. Waiting to see if I'm eligible for an unemployment extention!

Carol said...

We love Hondas, too! My husband's Civic went to over 300,000 before he traded it for a Fit. I have the Oddessy - perfect for dog-showing, gets us to dog sports events all over the place!Plus - I love the Piccolo sweater!! I'm making a wardrobe of them for Hershey.

rita said...

I've had three Camrys over the past 21 years, one new, and all have gone at least 220,000 miles without needing much repair. We planned to run the last one until it dropped, preferably in a few years, but in November the engine bit the dust. Having just bought our retirement home in the Keys and my husband had lost his job a year earlier, we really didn't want to put money into a car. But he'd just moved to the house, leaving me in Virginia to work until the end of the school year, and I had to have reliable transportation.

We ended up buying a brand spanking new Prius III (now that we've sold our house in WV we have no mortgage!!!) that I love dearly. It costs about $25 to fill it and gets about 48 mpg. Did I mention that I love it?