Good Night Sweet ... uh, Neon

This year is going on record as one of the most expensive to date. Frick. After close to a decade of semi-faithful service, the almost trusty Neon has to be put down. Put out to pasture. Sent to that junkyard in the sky. Two in the hat. Not quite that dramatic but we are getting rid of it. The reason? Well several really but the main one is that the transmission has decided that shifting isn't a top priority anymore. There are other issues (needs brakes, muffler, body work, mystery rattles and noises) that while certainly don't warrant getting rid of a car, certainly don't make me want to drive it either.

What car are we looking to purchase in it's absence? An older VW Jetta diesel. Or maybe a Golf diesel. I'm talking 2002-ish. Yeah, yeah, diesel is more expensive but right now if we commute in the Neon we get maybe 21-22 mpg (it's about 15 miles from home to work). A diesel VW would get about 45 mpg in the city. That's a drive to work, back home and then back to work on one gallon. Pretty sweet if'n you ask me, which you didn't.

The timetable on this purchase is a leisurely stroll. We don't technically NEED another car but it has become a convenience that I don't think I can convince the Wiff to forgo. So most likely by the end of July we'll be buying a new-to-us car. Actually we already looked at some at the place where we bought the old Volvo in Saugus. I liked dealing with the guy Miran who owns the place since he was straightforward and didn't try to pressure us.

What's kinda sad is that the Neon was my first brand-new car ever. I bought it back in 1998 for $16k (whatta dummy) and I did enjoy the little car for what it's worth. It's fairly peppy and easy to park and handles ok too. Not a bad city car all and all. But then it got older and rustier and dented and scratched. Sort of like me but with wheels. And about a year and a half ago I rear-ended a Volvo wagon (not ours) and smooshed the front bumper (and the headlights, and the turn signals, and the fog lights, and the hood latch). Instead of that happy look the Neon is famous for, it had a permanent frowny face. Permanent in the sense that I'm not going to pay to fix it.

this isn't mine but it looks just like mine

We will end up donating the car to a charity (cancer? NPR? lung society?) rather than try to sell it because I don't think it's a) worth the time and b) worth any money. I thought I'd be driving that thing until it really completely fell apart but I think that maybe I've lost my love for the Neon. I never even named it.

I'm breaking up with my car.