As Dan heard from me personally, the Nissan and I were hit on Sunday morning by an elderly gentleman who went through a red light. I am fine. It is not.
In an earlier period of my life I might have felt vindicated in my views of the elderly as poor drivers, and while I find it funny and ironic, I have long since released any strong feelings I have on that subject. I'm not sure that much about the accident had to do with his age, although he didn't appear to swerve or attempt to avoid my car prior to running into me. He went through a red light at an intersection where it is very difficult to see what color the light is. Luckily he hit me forward of the driver's door or I might not have come out as well as I did.
And so, even though I haven't heard officially from the insurance company, I feel fairly certain that the Sentra will be 'totalled', after having given me 160,000 miles and just 40 days short of 10 years of service. It was a noble chariot, and it will be remembered with fondness.
There were many trips to Minneapolis, usually with just a carload of me.
It made the trip east with a U-haul trailer far beyond its capabilities, leaving just an inch of clearance between the hitch and the pavement. Up the Adirondacks it could barely manage 45 mph, while on the downhill run I realized it almost ran away.
It made the trip back west and east again for out first Christmas back from our new home, 24 hours each way.
And countless other great trips, to Colorado, to Canada, to New Jersey, to Manhattan and all over New England. It saw a good chunk of the country, and it did with grace and simple efficiency.
And so the question is now, what shall carry me forward into the future. I have begun the process of researching my options, and with all likelihood it will be a car of similar ilk, though perhaps a hatchback this time, to provide a bit more functionality. Cars high in the running right now are the Mazda3 hatchback, the Toyota Matrix and the Scion Xa. I'm not likely to get anything more than a couple of years old, as dealing with maintenance issues is far down my list of priorities.
Give the Nissan a hearty huzzah. It deserves to be feted.
7 comments:
Mixdorf, I am glad that you are alright! Is the old dude okay? I am sad because I assumed that I would be getting your old car when you were done with it. I guess not now. :)
Old dude is fine - his 9000lb Mercury Grand Marquis barely noticed me.
Alas, you're on your own.
Huzzah for the noble Nissan! May she be at peace.
Are you considering a Hybrid?
For what it's worth, here's our take on our two compacts:
We love our Corolla. An amazing car for which we have not a complaint. We like our Saturn OK, though it seems to have something pop up now and again. Granted, it's a '96 (2 years older than the Toyota), but there is no doubt in how they sound, how they act, how they feel, that the Corolla is a far superior automobile.
I love the idea of a hybrid but the economics don't work. The amount I save in gas costs (assuming $2.20/gal over 5 years - possibly low) is not even close to made up in the Matrix and Xa and just gets close in the Mazda3.
I have considered the Corolla, and my rental while all this shakes out is a Corolla. It remains a possibility, and no doubt would be a very reliable car, but it's just a 4 door sedan and I'm really looking for something more functional - hatchback/wagon.
Ethically I will keep a hybrid as a possiblity as I check cars out, knowing that there is more to life than economics, but in the end I have to make a comprehensive decision based on economics, ethics, aesthetics and function, not necessarily in that order.
I believe the correct order is: aesthetics, asthmatics, arimetics, acrobatics, and aereolas.
You may put areolas last, but I don't.
Good Lord Man!
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