Thursday, May 18, 2006

The ol' grey mare aint what she used to be...

Actually, I should refer to her as "The Oyster Saturn" as that is what my good buddy Josh dubbed her... yes, I am referring to my car. She finally died on Tuesday (well.. she started the death process on Sunday night).

This week has been a fun one to say the least. The Oyster Saturn (TOS) decided she didn't have the will to live anymore on Sunday night... in Buffalo, TX (somewhere between Dallas and Houston on I-45). There was much drama to be had as I had to have her towed... not fun. However, I got a nice hook up from a friend on that, so the final bill was not as bad as it could have been.

On Monday, by the sheer grace of our great God, I was able to drive TOS to the Saturn dealership. A kind man in the Tiger Mart parking lot in Buffalo told me that the car wouldn't make it more than 15 miles (and that was just by hearing the noises it was making as I drove up... truly amazing). So I found a dealership that was a mere 9 miles from my humble abode... and set off. As I said... she made it. I dropped her off... the mechanics (again, purely by sound) had a good idea what was wrong. Apparently "throwing a rod" is a common term in car repair lingo. Well... that was what TOS was trying to do.

On Tuesday (after I had done some on-line and in person shopping), I decided on a new-to-me Mazda 6 from CarMax (little plug... this is the only place I will ever buy a car from going forward). During the test drive, the salesman and I stopped at the Saturn dealership to retreive TOS. Well... she allowed me to back her out... and then breathed her last breath. It was a sad moment, actually.

I ended up purchasing the Mazda (yet to be named - I will be accepting ideas over the next several days, months) on Tuesday night. She is a little bigger... a little faster... but still a pretty light drinker, so I am happy.

And I have just received confirmation that TOS is only worth about $100. So sad...

The quote of the week is as follows (I have heard it from MANY people in response to the fact that TOS gave out after a mere 6.5 years/117,000 miles): "It is a Saturn...(slight pause) no offense."

12 comments:

Unknown said...

good choice, good choice- i LOVE the mazda 6 and have been harassing the hertz people for 7 months to make sure i've had one almost the whole time i've been in houston. SO MUCH better than a saturn! no offense. :)

Troy said...

I am interested to hear more about your experience at CarMax. I think my "Golden Oldie" is about done herself after 8 years and 140,000mi.

Laurie said...

I will miss TOS. I loved that car...mostly because you and I so frequently got confused in the parking lot on which Saturn was yours and which was mine.

Mine just crossed the 100,000 marker and will be five years old this year. But the guy at the dealership told me I "have a good little car" on my hands. So here's hoping for a few more years out of her.

Todd Richards said...

Laurie... I think TOS would have lasted longer if I had taken better care of her. I neglected her a little... didn't fulfill my role as her "protector" very well. So you will probably get a few more years out of yours. But remember... it is a Saturn... no offense.

Troy... the fact that you call your car the Golden Oldie made my morning. That is hilarious.

Kristi... I am very pleased with my Mazda 6. Glad to know you approve. :-)

Anonymous said...

At least you didn't ram her onto a boulder...

Anonymous said...

Be happy TOS lasted as long as it did. You are lucky. You should have opted for an F150 instead of the double Z. Note my suggestion for your new car. Zoom zoom, or anything else to help you incorporate Z's in the new name. Or you could use a ZZ Top song title or phrase.

Todd Richards said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Todd Richards said...

Chet... you are a genius. I am liking "Double Z" for the name. Very nice, indeed. I am not sold yet.. but it is on the list.

As for the F Juan... Can you imagine the shock my system would receive going from a fuel efficient Saturn to a F150? Oh man... it gives me knots just thinking about it. F Juan's are not light drinkers at all... they are straight up booze hounds.

Erin said...

Todd, I'm sorry for your loss. And even more sorry that it will be a while before I can tell if you are at an event or not when I arrive.

Troy said...

Calling the F150 an F Juan....That is awesome.

Todd Richards said...

Unfortunately, I can't take credit for the F Juan. My buddy Chet calls it that all the time... as do many of my college buddies.

Michael, Meg & Naomi said...

Don't knock the Saturn people! Mine was traded after 7 years with over 130,000 miles and I got $1500. I didn't think that was too shaby! Todd I guess you decided against the Vue! Glad you chose a Mazda 6. If you would have chosen a Mazda 3, I would have thought it was a little girly!