The circle of life is in full swing at Casa Keleschenyi. In the month between December 15 and January 15 we put our 15-year-old dog to sleep and our 14 -year-old Pontiac Vibe throttled for the last time. It is a period of adjustment as we continue to mourn our four legged friend and now have a heavy heart for the loss of our best car to date.
My husband and I were not knowledgeable car people when we first started out. We had a lot of respect for people who researched cars, prepared finances for cars, but we were not them. Our rendezvous with the Vibe came out of necessity. We were driving a Volkswagen Jetta - a sleek, black, classy number upside down in negative equity. Oh yeah, it was gorgeous and purred like an expensive Persian cat, but our family was expanding and so was I. Our first born was on his way and when we put the car seat in the car for a test run, my belly touched the dashboard. Wish I had that photo.
Once the baby arrived we had to position the car seat between the driver and passenger seats to provide enough leg room for the grown ups. We would never be able to take an additional passenger. On the way home from the hospital it was just the three of us, stuffed in our Jetta, but happy as can be.
As babies do- they grow and within eight months we were at a dealership. We were desperate for a new ride as our trips between our home in Virginia and family back in Pennsylvania were getting more frequent because of the first grandchild. Comfort was a nine hour issue and the time to fix it had come. We spent an entire day working out the deal for a new car and we had only one choice - a Frosty Pontiac Vibe...a car we had never heard of before that day.
We had no idea that when we drove off the lot, we had the best car in the world. In the 14 years that we owned it, the only time we had to put a lot of money into it was last November. The car had around 160,000 miles and we were not ready to send it to the junk yard in the sky. We were told a few years back that even though it was a Pontiac it had a Toyota engine. It was made well and we sure got our money's worth.
The Vibe broke down on the Parkway East two weeks ago. It did not look good and we were hoping that just maybe it was a cheap, quick fix. It wasn't. That Toyota engine finally gave out. Our Vibe was dead.
We are preparing to donate our vehicle to a non-profit. Many take vehicle donations whether they are running or not and sell then at an auto auction. The non-profit gets they money it sells for. For us it is a win-win. They take care of the pick up and we support a local organization. It was still hard to clean out the car. Mementoes from years gone by - photos, cards, even some baby items that were tucked away in the storage area, were rediscovered. The guardian angel clip my mom gave us that hung over the visors was the last thing to be removed. It was sad.
The Vibe was not my primary mode of transportation over the last couple years since a van became necessary to transport 3 kids comfortably. But each time I got in that car I loved the way the seat felt when I sat down. A familiar, comfortable feeling - like an old friend. It wasn't like the van I have to hop up into. The Vibe - you eased your backside into. It had a moon roof, which we hardly ever used because what was the point, but when we did it felt like a luxury.
Two of our three kids came home in the Vibe after they were born. One on a cold January day six years ago with no heat working in the car. There were trips to the emergency room, trips to the beach and trips to school. Soon another vehicle will be part of our comings and goings, which in a few years will include trips to college.
Now it is time for our next car adventure to begin. Unfortunately, we cannot just go buy another Vibe, since they stopped making them back in 2009. So hopefully we can take our time and uncover another hidden gem that will eventually get us to each college campus no matter how far.
No comments:
Post a Comment