What Friends...er Cars...Are For!

As you may have learned by now, I am not a fan of goodbyes. This past weekend I had a particularly rough goodbye. I had to say goodbye to my dear and wonderful car, Franklin. Yes, my car is/was named Franklin and yes, I am dedicating an entire post to my car. 

Franklin was a 1993 Mazda Protege, automatic seat belts and all. I'm sure that back in the day it was a pretty sweet ride. It got me where I needed to go including a ton of trips between Iowa and Wisconsin, down to Georgia (including up a mountain, yikes!), across the lake to Michigan, and around the hills of Pennsylvania. Sure, it had its quirks, including a recent incident when it choked my roommate with the automatic seat belt. She's fine, no worries! One of my friends who rode home with me in college told me he felt like he was riding in a clown car. All quirks aside, it was a very reliable car and I loved it.

The trusty ole guy.

Well, the time finally came for me to replace him. More like the time came when the car started smoking while sitting just outside of the Squirrel Hill tunnel. That terrible panicked feeling was enough to get me car shopping. I was very wary of being a young girl looking for a new car in a bigger city, so I did what many girls would do in my situation. I called my dad!

My dad found a car for me back in Oostburg thanks to our neighbor Tony who helps run the local car dealership/repair shop. Julia and I were crazy enough to drive home over the weekend and go pick up the car. Besides running into some of the craziest weather ever, it was an awesome trip! We got to spend a day with family and friends and I traded Franklin in for a new-to-me car.

The new acquisition? A 2001 Mazda 626 LX. When I tell people what kind of car it is, I feel all cool being able to rattle off the numbers and letters, like I know what I am talking about. I don't, but still, I can sound pretty convincing. It is an awesome car with lots of room, plus it hasn't starting smoking yet which I take as a good sign.

The new guy!

I have just taken yet another step into adulthood with buying my first car. It feels...strange. But I am loving my new ride! I am still searching for that perfect name. If you have any opinions or suggestions, I am most definitely open to them. In the mean time, I'll be cruising the streets of Pittsburgh, soaking up my new-ish car smell.