Wrecking the Car

I was on my way home about 5 PM today when I managed to smack the car in front of me - really hard, too. Aside from the obvious and fatal damage to my beloved Mitsubishi, the other guy was taken away in a neck brace and ambulance. The hospital will be calling later to fill me in on his condition. His name is Craig, but he was in no shape to exchange info beyond inquiring about my injuries. And I was equally concerned about his.

208,000 miles and I loved that car. It was just inspected 3 weeks ago and passed with flying colors. With a new set of tires, brand new catalytic converter, and a kick ass Boss stereo system, including a USB port, she will be missed.

But I did get to take home a little memento of the occasion - it seems that there is a big lump on my head and my right knee hurts. Aside from that, I'm fine. But, we're a one car family now.

The Perfect Moment

The car turned 200,000 miles today. I can't take credit for all of those miles, having bought the vehicle with something like 125,000 miles on it. But in the last 3 and a half years, this $2,600 automobile has ferried me around flawlessly, leaving me stranded only 3 times. Twice was in my driveway, in need of a new battery, and once, in a parking lot when I had the engine off and the music on for a long time. I pulled out my cables and had it jumped before AAA ever got there.

I have calculated the cost of operating my 1996 Mitsubishi Galant, and find it to be really cheap when compared to buying, or leasing, anything else. It gets between 25 to 30 miles per gallon, depending on several factors. It has taken me on trips into the mountains, as well as just going into town while shopping. The total cost per mile to own and operate this car, including gas, is about 28 cents per mile. Gas is by far the most expensive portion of this, averaging about 14-15 cents per mile, based on about $3.78 per gallon and a 27 mile per gallon average. In other words, half of the cost to operate this vehicle for 75,000 miles has been spent on gas!

It's really a perfect moment when you watch the numbers roll over. I tried to take the picture while driving, but it came out a bit blurry, so I took this one after I pulled over. Probably a good idea if I want the car to get to 250,000 miles. Beyond that, well, let's just say that we're taking it 50,000 miles at a time...

Me and My Car

My car is 2 years old today. What I mean by that is that I have had it for 2 years. It's a 1996 Mitsubishi Galant.

They say that people often resemble their pets and I am inclined to agree. As a matter of fact I can even justify extending that viewpoint to include people and their cars. Take me and my car as a case in point.

We are both, as you can see by the picture, primarily gray and a bit battered in places. We both need a little TLC to get us going in the morning. For me it's iced tea, for the car it's radiator fluid and check the oil.

We're both a little tired and I figured out the reason why. I have traveled 3 times around the world with lots of extra miles operating at sea, add to that all of my road trips and commutes and I have logged about 189,000 miles. So has my car.

There are, in both cases, some bows to things modern. I love music and cherish my scan sticks. The car has a USB port. We were made for one another.

When I bought the car I was ill and wondered if I was going to make it. The car was in the same shape. Now here I am 2 years later and both the car and I are stabilized. Don't get me wrong, I'm not ready for the Olympics and the car isn't going to be doing the Daytona 500 anytime soon, but we are comfortable with one another and our individual quirks.

So I guess we're like Roy Rogers and Trigger, sidekicks forever on a sunset trail.