Previously, on A Mind Occasionally Voyaging…
My car finally melted away to nothing.
I’ve been driving my dad’s old Volvo since then. It’s not a bad car, or, at least, it wasn’t in her heyday. 18 gallon gas tank, which means that I only have to fill her up once a week, even with the mileage hit it takes when the turbocharger kicks in. But it’s old, and it loses two quarts of oil a week, most of which ends up on the rear windscreen. And most of the electronics are out. And there are other various things wrong with it. But it runs great, and it’s a comfy car to drive.
But it’s also just a loaner. Which is why I did something uncharacteristic, and didn’t spend months agonizing over this decision.
I bought a car. Here she is:
For those of you who do better with statistics than with pictures, here’s her vitals:
1998 Subaru Legacy Outback Limited Edition
117k miles
4-speed Automatic Transmission
2.5L H4 PFI DOHC 16V
Leather Seats
Alloy Wheels
All-wheel drive
There’s a few things I’ll miss: you can’t get automatic seatbelts any more, so I’ll be buckling up manually from now on. And the stereo has a CD player built in, so they didn’t think anyone would need a line input jack. And the controls are all small and dainty as you see on most modern cars. And the speedometer is on the left, which creeps me the hell out.
But she’s mine. Yay me.