A MILESTONE FOR MY EL

I have recently rolled passed the 250,000 km mark on my car. This is significant because I have never seen a number this high on any of the cars that I have ever driven. Prior to this current vehicle, I’ve been driving my parents’ cars. They include a cherry red Chevrolet Cavalier, a silver Buick Regal, a blue Pontiac Sunflower (I mean, Sunfire), a maroon Chevrolet Lumina van. Oh yeah, they had an old, beat-up Honda Accord that didn’t last very long. With the exception of this last car, all their vehicles have always been “domestic”/North American. It was typical that once these cars reached 100,000 km, they would have already died or were in the process of dying. When I was shopping for my current vehicle, Sam, my salesperson, showed me his Acura Integra. It had 425,000 km on it! That basically sealed the deal for me. So, as I recently crawled from underneath the car after replacing the oil yet again, I find I have a heightened sense of respect for the car. Kind of like meeting an old timer who has many stories to share. Stories about the many miles traveled to Queen’s university, the weekly jaunts to Niagara University for 2 years straight, the countless commutes from home to work, the journeys to Blue Mountain, having to sit on a freezing train from Toronto to Calgary, and, most recently, the completed marathon 22 hour round trip trek from Calgary to Whistler. It’s no wonder that I’ve accumulated so many km in the span of its 7 year life! In that time, it’s been my bed, my dinning room, my dance floor, my closet. My shelter from the rain and cold, my refuge from the heat and smog. It's lugged my bike, my snowboard and, believe it or not, a few dozen digital pianos to my customers. In it, I’ve learned (right off the dealer lot) and have come to love driving stick. I’ve mastered the art of multitasking by being able to drink a Timmy’s double double, shift the stick, adjust the radio knob and eat a bagel at the same time! Through it, I’ve become more comfortable in doing my own car maintenance and have discovered a whole community of other passionate EL owners. And it’s been very reliable. I was one of those over-anxious kids who got his “365” the day after his birthday. I got my license about 2 months later, so I’ve been driving for the better part of the last 15 years. Nearly 7 of which were in this car. In fact, I think I am very blessed to have received an anti-lemon! Well, hopefully I can see the day that the odometer hits 425,000 km.

Oh darn! I hope I haven't jinxed it, because this sure reads like a eulogy!