‘You can’t fire me, I quit’ I swear is what I heard from my 2010 Pontiac Vibe last Saturday at the dealership… if you read last week’s newsletter, you will know this car had a nickname of ‘Tim.’ Even though I do refer to her as a ‘she’ their name is Tim.
I woke up early and prepared myself to say good-bye to this reliable lil vessel I’d had since late 2010. Never let me down, never ran out of gas, quirks were livable and she was a little worse for the wear but nevertheless in good condition and I was counting on a decent trade value. We confirmed our appointment and drove over to the place, about 10 miles away. The car was FINE.
Pulling up I saw the newer car I’d picked out online waiting for a test drive, all shiny and whatnot. A red car - never had one - they always say ‘red cars get pulled over more often’ but I figured I’ll take my chances, this 2021 RAV4 looks sweet.
The car salesperson, Ben, was genuinely nice and as we test drove, asked if my old car had a name. Smiling, I said ‘We called her Tim.’ He appreciated the sentiment. After the test drive of the RAV4 confirmed I wanted the car, he assessed Tim, started her up and took a few numbers down, etc. We waited around and drank coffees and figured he’d come back with a good number.
A few minutes later he came up to us, concerned, and said, ‘Does Tim ever… have any problems getting started?’
Dumbfounded, I said, ‘No, never had a problem!’ This was 100% true.
‘Well, she won’t start.’ I appreciated the proper use of gender/name in this sensitive car salesperson. ‘The mechanic went to have a look over, and she isn’t cooperating.’
WTF!!!
Sure enough, the car wouldn’t start. We tried giving her a jump. We tried coaxing her. Nothing. She had made her final journey and now it was time to say goodbye.
In the end, they gave us a little bit of $ and agreed to take the car, which in hindsight is a blessing in disguise. She waited to quit until I delivered her to her final destination. Perhaps something will be salvaged and she will rest in peace, knowing she had a good life and provided me over a decade of reliability. Laughter and tears contained within her, she was a very good car. Thank you, Tim.
Aw! So sweet that she waited for you to bring her where you needed to be.
I just…have no words. She was a collection of metal…yet somehow she knew. We know people ‘know’ don’t we Megan? A car though? Perhaps it was your spirit that kept her going and when your spirit departed…?