Maxed Out

For the past 7 years I have been driving a 1992 Maxima. I don't feel right saying it's "my" car but I have been happily racking up the miles regardless. Right now it registers 192,696 miles. It was Sven's car before he and Hyuna were married, and was purchased from the stereotypical "little old man who only drove to church" original owner. Even though it was 7 years old it only had about 14,000 miles on it when purchased, and was in great condition. I've already written one post about it, which is interesting because I don't think I'm that sentimental about cars. I guess I'm sentimental about the memories associated with cars though.

So this car makes me think of all the happiness when Sven and Hyuna married and drove it off on their honeymoon, and then drove it back to finish school in Provo. It went with them to Korea, where Seth was born. It was used to introduce Keven and me to many exquisite places when we went there to meet our new grandson, Seth. They brought it back with them to Rochester, NY, where I went to meet another new little grandson, Gabe, and was also introduced to some wonderful new places while there: upstate New York (Palmyra, the Sacred Grove and Niagara Falls) on one trip and Vermont (Lake Champlain, The Vermont Bear Company, Ben & Jerry's, and Sharon, VT, Joseph Smith's birthplace) on another. Lots of miles sitting in the backseat of the Maxima with my two sweet little grandsons keeping me company. When the family headed back to Korea they decided to leave the car with us and I've been zipping around in it since.

What I love about this car:

• It ALWAYS starts! It is a warm-weather vehicle. It frequently won't start if there is rain (which happened a lot in NY and Korea). Many years ago (b.c. cell phones) we had a vehicle that left me stranded with little kids in awkward places - the middle of intersections, for instance.  I once told Keven that I didn't care what I drove as long as it would always start, and that remains true today.
• It has a classic, kind of retro look. Doesn't look a day over 10, though.
• Gets better mileage than you would guess - about 20 mph on the freeway. OK, I know that's not so good for the newer cars, but I think it's terrific for a 20-year old!
• Has great oomph. I like that in a car when I'm next to something sporty waiting at a red light. I beat 'em just about every time.
• Lots of room in the trunk. I load up all the office supplies at Sam's several times a month. People are amazed that I can get it all in there.
• The seats are really comfortable. Sometimes when I pull in the driveway after a long day I am just so doggone tired. I recline the seat and listen to the music a little while and actually doze off. I could take regular naps there (except during the summer, of course).

The things that might drive other people nuts but don't bother me:

• The radio is pretty lousy. Actually sometimes that bothers me.
• The electrical system is shot, as in you have to manually lock and unlock each door every single time. We had to have the alarm system disconnected because it would go off for no reason. Actually we had to have it disconnected twice because it had 2 different systems!
• The release for the trunk doesn't work so you have to manually unlock the trunk too.
• The rear window brake light died and went to heaven, but it's physical remains just kind of melted and warped into a funny mass. I have cleverly covered it with a scarf (which has faded and needs to be replaced).

The only real complaint: the air conditioning is LOUSY. By the end of summer last year I wasn't willing to go through another summer without drastic improvement, but we were pretty sure the car would be replaced before this summer so we didn't do anything. And somehow, I did get through this summer - maybe it wasn't as hot as last year.

So all this about a car. I don't know why, really. I had to leave it at the shop today for what is hopefully a minor repair. I don't think we'll invest too much in fixing anything though, so if it's major I guess we'll be hunting for a new car. I just need something reliable. With a good air conditioner. And a decent radio. That's all.