Sunday, January 07, 2007

R.I.P. Explorer 1998-2006

I wasn't holding out, but it is high time that I tell you about my recent vehicle exchange.

My first car was a White 1989 Mazda MX-6. It did the job, but not without some serious oil-burning and other complications. After I finished undergrad, my parents decided that I needed something else if I was going to go back to grad school rather than enter the real world.

Enter the 1995 Explorer Sport. This vehicle was fan-damn-tastic. The mileage was okay for an SUV, but it ran like a pro. The only problems with it were that it tended to get dirty and it tended to run into things. Other than that, it was far more reliable than I ever should have expected.

When I graduated with my MM, my parents gave me the title as my graduation gift. It was the first major item that I have ever owned on paper. In spite of my failure to keep it tidy, I did take care of it where it counted (this could be used as a euphemism if the subject of this entry weren't a car). Over the last six months or so, the age of the vehicle began to make itself heard. After learning that the cost to maintain the vehicle over the next year would be similar to the amount I would pay on a new car, we decided it was time for something new.

So, I offer a few statistics and the final pictures of the trusty Explorer.

• Amount of time it spent in my possession: 8 years, 10 months, 15 days
• Number of miles added to the odometer in that time: 133,070
• Number of times the Explorer struck a foreign object: 2
• Number of bloggers linked to your right (my left) who rode in the Explorer: 9
• Number of times someone I didn't know entered the Explorer and removed something of value: 2
• Number of states in which the Explorer travelled when in my possession: 9
• Approximate number of days prior to my move when the Explorer did not contain a random RCB drill chart: 3




Solid.

As guilty as I felt when I drove away and as much as I liked that vehicle, it is hard to feel bad when the wheels don't make a vibrating sound and the passengers aren't propelled into the ceiling when you hit a speed bump. Such is the case when I'm driving this...





It's an '07 Civic EX Coupe. As much as I have protested buying brand new cars in the past, the break in interest rates made it less expensive than a used car.

So here it is. Here's hoping I get to take you along for a ride some time soon. Here's also hoping it works out half as well as the previous car.

13 comments:

Chris said...

fancy. Enjoy that extra gas money. And, dude, try not to run into stuff, at least for a while.

Adam said...

Number of bloggers losted on the right with almost identical cars: 1.

Well, we both just got rid of those Exporers, and I will agree on the "fan-damn-tastic." Much more solid that I expected when I bought it.

What was the final mileage count?

Honda's a good car.

Adam said...

losted = listed

Brett said...

174,885

Adam said...

Not too bad. I had 206K, so I was worried you had gotten 250. Then I would have felt like I should have kept mine.

Adam said...

This new Civic design is sharp. Congratulations on your new ride!

Chris said...

I said goodbye to my Expedition recently also. Yeah... good trucks.

Congrats on the new wheels. Now go put some miles on them!

--C

Michael said...

Sweet.

Oob said...

First girly response...


oooooohh, pretty!

Mr. Oubre said...

I bet you can't get Todd in the backseat to read the bible to us again like my first ride in the Explorer.....congrats!

Ludakit said...

I liked the old explorer, I really did. I only rode in it a handful of times, but even to the first-timer it felt like a broken in pair of jeans.

However, the new ride is sharp as shit. Kickass sound system, iPod hookup, and I believe a moon roof to boot. Couple that with the James Bond type display and you've got a recipe that makes drawers drop.

Crude, but effective.

Special K said...

Awesome and welcome to the Honda world. I enjoyed the Mx-6. Been in that one too... to the H.M. several times.

Dave said...

That truck was built Ford tough, you know.

But hey - the new wheels are definitely sweet. Glad I got to check it out!