View From a Height

It lasted me 8+ years and 128,000 miles, almost all of it with me behind the wheel. It took me to the Pacific Northwest and back, and to California and back. It took me all over Utah and Nevada and New Mexico and Wyoming. It especially took me all over Colorado, and probably drove on just about everything in the state that was paved and west of the Divide. And a fair amount that wasn't paved, including Boreas Pass, Buffalo Pass, Black Sage Pass, and Cordova Pass.

The trunk held a ton. In addition to me, it hauled tools and a dog and skach and drywall - lots of drywall - and wood and shelving and rocks and dirt and yucca and hens 'n' chicks. The trunk still had pine needles from the skach and the roof had dents from the drywall and wood, enough that two dealers had to be reassured that I hadn't rolled the thing.

It had idiosyncrasies, like passenger's side front window that had a tendency to go off the rails, and require a manual override to finish rolling up. Towards the end, things had started to go wrong, and keeping it repaired would have cost the equivalent of car payments. I had hoped to keep it going for another year or so, even on life support, but in the end, I asked a little too much of it.

So it was a good car, not a great car. But for a very long time, it was my car.