For Whom the Bell Tolls

At long last, the time has come to say farewell to my beloved '92 Subaru Legacy. I have been driving this car since my senior year in highschool - so to say I have an emotional attachment is a slight understatement. I LOVE my Roo. She has always limped to the location I needed her to get to . . . even with the equivalent of a broken front leg. When her clutch gave out, we coasted into a conveniently close Firestone. After work one evening, when the stickshift literally came off (leaving me only a 1/2 inch piece of metal buried deep in the plastic accordian material with which to shift), I drove her home. Just this Friday, she limped over 20 miles while the bolt and bracket holding her timing belt broke (awful knocking noise . . . let me tell you).

And now the bell is tolling.

While I love my Roo, she has grown old, and every 4-6 months, she needs another $600-$800 in repairs. (This bolt/bracket fix was $200 just to tear the engine apart and FIND the problem - which is a special order part and another $400 to repair.) I have ponied up the cash for this final fix - but it is just that, a final fix. In the meantime, I will be saving a down payment and searching for her replacement. I'm thinking Volkswagon Jetta - so let me know if you see any Jettas in need of a loving home.

But I'm going to miss my Roo. Even though the cars have grown sleeker and more powerful, I still remember when she pulled away from a light smooth as a river of molasses, engine quiet as a whisper as she accelerated. I am the only person who knows exactly how to place her parking brake to prevent her rolling backwards (much to my husband's chagrin). When her calipers needed to be replaced two years ago, I was the first to feel the tremors and hear the vibrations. It took another two weeks before the noise was loud enough for the Firestone personnel to hear and pinpoint the problem.

Ah, my Roo . . .

But, I think she is ready to go. Winter is approaching (always hard on her engine - one of the belts makes a horrendous screeching/chunking noise on cold days until the engine warms up). Her lights have dimmed (or, more likely, they are installing more powerful headlights in the newer vehicles) - either way, I can't see very well when I drive at night. Tiny bits and pieces have begun to come loose and disappear. I'm still looking for the triangular piece of plastic that belongs to the dashboard. Oh - and when it rains, the entire car fogs up because the seals on the windows are giving out. And when I turn on the AC, there is a slight smell of mold that comes from a time when I floated her across a flooded intersection during a massive rainstorm/flood. We made it across safely, but her brakes were wet - I almost didn't come to a stop at the next light. :P :P :P

So many memories.

"Looking for reliable vehicle to help carry 2 year old son to daycare. Must be gentle, hard-working, and low maintenance. Slight blemishes or unsightly bumpers acceptable. Bronco stickers on rear bumper may bring up painful memories and cause buyer to cry shamelessly. High mileage will be ignored in favor of quality of service. Arrangements can be made for new tires, window tinting, and ever-sexy addition of baby car-seat."

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