I would have to say the turning point in the "Burb" was our road trip to Montana, which by the way was one of our best road trips EVER, but pulling a 6000lb trailer over 2000 miles and our family around seemed to sap what little life Ol'Besty had in her. It was also on that trip almost a year ago when we realized out newly repaired windshield had a leak in it, which to date we haven't made the time to go repair. Why, is a whole other story. Now Ol'Betsy rides like a cart on rails, you feel every minute bump, rock or crack in the road, her doors creak and moan and the side steps do show every 170,000 miles she has been driven. Her best speed, where there is little vibration or hum, is between 65 and 70 mph. Not to mention she gets a whopping 9 or 10 miles to the gallon. Filling her up has gone from $70 to a full tank to well over $100 in the two years of ownership.
Why you ask do we hang on to her for dear life? You know I honestly don't know. We could very easily go out tomorrow and trade her in, but that would mean several things. First off, the quandary of what type of vehicle to replace her with. Then there is the inherent cost of owning a new vehicle. The endless money pit, the immediate deprecation after driving it off the lot - 30% or more, the monthly payment in addition to the gas bill and insurance. The latter I do not mind at all. The first well, does annoy me a little. I do enjoy the idea of having only one car payment and don't like being overly excessive in vehicles. After the excitement of owning a new vehicle wears off will we be back to our old habits of an occasional stop at some fast food drive thru, only to have Elliott throwing his highly nutritious meal all over the back of the vehicle? I don't know. Do I want to know? Not really. So here are some of the positives of Ol'Besty, she's fully paid off. I do not want to own a minivan- one of the three vehicle choices for a family our size. She can be obliterated by the two year old and I will not freak out. Plus, I do believe her humming keeps the baby asleep - it's almost sounds like being in the womb. So for now, unless we have an immediate change of heart, Ol'Betsy is here with us for better or worse. HA HA.
1 comment:
I rode in it at 65-70 and I could barely hear Steve talk, maybe that's because I was lulled asleep by it? The Burb not only gets you around where you need to go...it doubles as a playground, a dumpster, a laundry hamper, a junk drawer, a file cabinet, a science experiment and an indoor waterfall but the dang thing is paid off and is seemingly indestructible. My recommends would be to seal the windshield and cut that stupid thing on the visor that always falls down...it has long ago lost it's elacticity and will never hold anything in place again. :) Keep the Burb!
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