Congrats on the car, Lexie! It sounds really great. Happy driving!
I'm going thru a sad time w/my 17-year-old Saturn wagon. It was the first new-new car that I ever had. I've had it nearly as long as AH and I were married. It has a lot of memories--has carried 3 of our dogs on their last ride ever and countless bags of groceries over the years. It's the same car w/the magic radio that has played me such appropriate songs in the last several months--"Won't Get Fooled Again" on the day I filed for divorce, "I Won't Back Down" when I was seriously considering stopping the proceedings (altho I did end up legally separating rather than divorcing). It has been remarkably reliable and has never left me stranded anywhere. It has a manual transmission, crank windows, non-power locks and a key that I can get replaced for $1.29 at any hardware store. I love my Saturn.
But I fear it's near the end of its life--this week I need to take it to my mechanic for an assessment of whether the growing number of issues it has are worth fixing or whether this is the end. And that bums me out. A lot. For several different reasons.
But this thread helps me realize that there's another car out there for me, and maybe I can even learn to be happy with it, altho that seems so unlikely right now...
Gosh, Lexie, I'm not so sure this thread was OT at all, at least not for me!