Fernando's Demise?

If you know me -- or if you read this blog with any regularity -- you know how much I love my car. I hardly ever call him "my car"; I refer to him as Fernando and everyone knows who I mean. My kids joke that I love Fernando more than I love them, and I joke back that Fernando is still with me. It isn't just the level of comfort I feel with him -- although that's big -- it's all the memories I associate with him. I have written posts about my love for him, lasting odes to our deep bond.

But Fernando is having problems. I would never mention this within his "earshot", and if anyone brings it up while we are riding, I shush them. I keep thinking that if he knows I'm planning to get a new vehicle he'll behave better, or conversely he will give up altogether. I know this is completely irrational, but that doesn't stop me from thinking it. My love for Fernando aside, I also love not having a car payment. He came home with me new (in 2004) when he was a sixty-three mile baby. He's now around 160,000 -- not horrible -- and he is throwing a wrench in my plan to keep him forever. The AC goes out on the driver's side, blowing hot air even after I turn it off. Oddly, the rear AC controls work fine, as does the cool air on the passenger side. It has to do with some flap that doesn't open when it should, or opens when it shouldn't -- not sure. At some point it was a recall issue, which I found out about too late to have work done on it.

His other problems are mostly cosmetic and/or minor (although he does seem to squeak a bit sometimes, a suspension issue, I suspect): a hole in the windshield washer line (I had the reservoir replaced a few years ago), falling headliner that flaps in the wind on my side and keeps me from opening my moonroof, CDs stuck in the disc changer (which really doesn't bother me too much, as it happened several years ago -- suspiciously when my sons used my car to go to the beach -- and I have XM radio), some splits in the seats, and those normal things that go wrong with a thirteen-year-old vehicle. But this isn't just a vehicle. When I got him, my two younger sons were still in school. My granddaughter was born the year after Fernando, so virtually every time I've seen her, she's ridden with him. All of our beach trips, visits back and forth from the DC area, a (much too) long drive to Dallas -- so many travels with and without my kids, so many memories.

He's going in for an oil change tomorrow, and in a rather sneaky move, I will be having him appraised and checking out my options at the Chevy dealer. I have decided if I get something else it will be another Tahoe or a Silverado. I don't want a brand-new vehicle (even if, as the lady I spoke with at the dealership said, it could be cheaper than a one- or two-year-old car/truck); even with my excellent driving record, insurance would go way up. I'm not sure what I'll do. I'm also having the mechanics look him over to see how much it would cost to fix the bigger issues. Shelling out a few thousand dollars for repairs would be more palatable to me than shelling out the same amount for a down payment and then having an additional monthly bill. I've cut back on a lot of spending -- a choice when I bought the time share -- and I'm not thrilled with the prospect of car payments. So as much fun as it might be to have a newer vehicle, I'm pulling for Fernando to be "worth fixing". I'll keep you posted.