Newsletter chitchat - May 7, 2024

[Cassel]

What kind of vehicle do you drive or have driven?

Did you keep your vehicles long?

Let's chat.

[Lyn Lou]

Over the years I have had many cars, but one car meant a lot to me.  It was a Renault Scenic which I purchased from a close friend who had just been diagnosed from Cancer. It was more money than we would normally spend on a car,  £6000 at the time, but for me it was the perfect car, it was not as old as the cars I was used to driving as my husband always buys 2nd hand cars, and this one was not that old, it was in perfect condition, it was spacious, with a large "boot" area,  for shopping and transporting larger items,  it had lots of "hidden" compartments to put things, also 2 sunroofs, one over the front seats and one over the back seats. 
I found it easy to drive, I loved driving it, it was the best car I had ever owned and driven, plus it had sentimental value as my close friend died within a couple of months of the day I bought his car.  (I still miss him, he was a great friend).

Most cars we had  prior to that were shared between my husband and myself, and this was the first car that was my own car. I had the car for a number of years, until it came to the point when it started to have problems, i thought the problems could be fixed, but sadly it was the end of the road for my beloved car, 😞  I was gutted, as I was so attached to this car, which had never happened to me before.  I wish I still had this car or that I could get another one just like that. 

The image was one of two images I could find (2012), the other one was when it was covered in snow, so the car was not recognisable. 

Edited May 8 by Lyn Lou

[Rene Marker]

I normally keep my vehicles for at least 6 or 7 years. The first vehicle that I drove was actually owned by my mom since I was only 16 when I started driving it. It lasted me through college when I bought my first car after graduation. It was a used car that was 8 years old when Mom got it but it served me well. I did have one vehicle 13 years, which was the only vehicle that I bought that wasn't new. I sold it to my neighbor for his son. It got the son through college and his first few years of working. When the son got a new car, my neighbor decided to let his wife's granddaughter that had just turned 16 drive it. Sadly, she only got to drive it a few months since she was in an accident and the vehicle had to be totaled. That Blazer had a good run of over 20 years! I really loved that vehicle. It had so much room in the back for all my stuff when I went to scrapbooking retreats! In fact, I did a layout of all my vehicles in 2021. A couple months later I ordered a new car that finally got here in March 2022! I hope to keep this one for many years.

Here is the layout. I used a retired template from Scrapping With Liz and the kit "License To Drive" by Kristin Aagard available at The Lily Pad.

 

 

[Ellen Griffin]

🙂 I sure understand the car thing.....we had a 2004 Hyundai XG350 for 17 years, towed it 90,000 miles (we live in our Motorhome full-time) and before that it had over 100,000 miles on it, when we went to trade we just hoped to make it to the dealership; it did and they said we should pay them to take it:-) They offered 300.00 US dollars toward it....not much but not a total insult:-) anyway we got a 2019 KIA that lasted 4 years:-( NOW we own a 2023 Hyundai Elantra, and it is so computerized I couldn't believe it when we looked at it!!! BUT we love it and hope it lasts and lasts too....not doing a page for the cars, I do have pictures but not much on scrapbooking anymore:-)

Ellen

[Annette]

I have an 8 year old Ford CMax hybrid.  It has less than 50,000 miles on it.  Since retiring I don't really go that much to put miles on it.  I love the fact I can run errands around town and it uses no gas just the electric miles.  It doesn't charge up too many miles...only 24 on a warm day and close to 20 on cold days.  Enough for me to do errands though.  We have taken it on 2 vacations since getting it.  Mostly we drive our truck to pull the camper.  What I love most is the fact I only have to get gas about every other month or more.  I can get over 1000 miles to a tank of gas.  I would not want a total electric car but in my opinion a hybrid is better.  

[Ann Seeber]

Cars have always resonated with me. As a teen, I was right there with the guys salivating over the hot cars tooling down Main St. Eventually, I worked enough to get my very own car and lucked out with a used 1967 Chevy Camaro in cream puff condition. I still miss that car!

[Ellen Griffin]

OH my!!! When cars were cars!!!!:-)

[Anne Lamp]

My Dad bought me my 1st car for my senior year in highschool. He bought it new because he didn't want me to have break down troubles, (also I think because I was his one and only little girl)  It was a 1966 Ford Fairlane  the color was Emberglow.  Mom did not drive and part of the deal was that I had to take her and Grandma anywhere they wanted to go.  I had that car well into my married life and remember crying my eyes out when I had to drive it to the junk yard because something major finally went wrong that was too expensive to have fixed.  My dad had passed away a few years before that and it broke my heart to get rid of that car.  For many years my cars were all bought used and kept until they were no longer safe to drive.  When I got my first new one, I had it for over 15 years and sold it to someone I knew for there son.  I do get really attached to my cars.  The pic is not my car but one I pulled up on Google, but that is what it looked like brand new.  I did a poor job of extracting that photo--oh well.

 

Edited May 9 by Anne Lamp

[Jamie Carey]

My Life in Cars

The cars I have had so far in my life.

1) 1974 Plymouth Cricket.  I got this car from my sister for my 16th birthday. Her husband was being transferred out of the country for work and shipping it would have cost more than the car was worth.   I had that car from 1986-1989 it had push button start because the ignition was damaged when someone tried stealing it. which later became screwdriver start because the started died and no one had a replacement at the time.   No, I was not smoking weed when I had this car it has been parked in a farm field for several years LOL!

2) 1974 Mercury Comet - My 2nd car was a Mercury Comet when I got it it had a vinyl top but it had been kept outside by the previous owner so it was faded and cracked. One day I was travelling from my place to my parents (a two-hour drive at the time) in a wind storm and the top started peeling off in big chunks I had to stop at a farmer's and borrow some duct tape to finish my trip I removed the vinyl and painted the roof and drove the car for several more years.

3) Car 3 was a 1986 Chevrolet Impala this car was instrumental in two marriages that are still going strong (and neither of them was my relationship LOL.)  My best friend was 4 years younger than me and when he started dating the girl he ended up marrying I was their Chaperon until he was old enough to drive they now have 3 adult children (none of which were created in the backseat of the Impala) and their relationship is as strong as the day they started dating.  The second long-lasting relationship it played a part in was one of my cousin's. As the best man for their wedding, I became their driver when their car broke down on the way to the church for the wedding. Unlike their car, their marriage is still going strong as well.

Vehicle 4) was a 1998 GMC Sierra. This one was my pride and joy I used my inheritance money to buy the truck after my dad passed away. Every time I drove that truck I felt like my dad was there with me.  When I finally gave it up it had over 350,000 kilometres or 218,000 miles on it.  

The vehicle we have now is a 2014 Jeep Compass it would not have been my first choice or probably my last LOL. Based on the history of it (Where I live the dealerships are supposed to provide a Carfax ) The dealer who brought the car for my wife & I to test drive conveniently forgot the carfax and even more conveniently went on a 2-week long holiday the day after he brought me the car.  After I got the carfax I was tempted to take the vehicle back there were 2 accidents and 3 incidents of vandalism reported on it and i also found out when I tried to license the jeep for the 2nd time that the company that did the repair work for the insurance company didn't report to them that the work was done so legally it wasn't even supposed to be sold. Luckily the insurance company was able to track down the company that did the work and verify the repairs were done before it was sold to the dealership I bought it from. So far it has been a good vehicle but there are 3 companies that were involved in the sale of the vehicle that I will never deal with again. 

Sorry this is such a long-winded post but I hope you enjoy the stories. I certainly enjoyed taking the trip down memory lane. 

[Ann Seeber]

1 hour ago, Jamie Carey said:

My Life in Cars

The cars I have had so far in my life.

1) 1974 Plymouth Cricket.  I got this car from my sister for my 16th birthday. Her husband was being transferred out of the country for work and shipping it would have cost more than the car was worth.   I had that car from 1986-1989 it had push button start because the ignition was damaged when someone tried stealing it. which later became screwdriver start because the started died and no one had a replacement at the time.   No, I was not smoking weed when I had this car it has been parked in a farm field for several years LOL!

2) 1974 Mercury Comet - My 2nd car was a Mercury Comet when I got it it had a vinyl top but it had been kept outside by the previous owner so it was faded and cracked. One day I was travelling from my place to my parents (a two-hour drive at the time) in a wind storm and the top started peeling off in big chunks I had to stop at a farmer's and borrow some duct tape to finish my trip I removed the vinyl and painted the roof and drove the car for several more years.

3) Car 3 was a 1986 Chevrolet Impala this car was instrumental in two marriages that are still going strong (and neither of them was my relationship LOL.)  My best friend was 4 years younger than me and when he started dating the girl he ended up marrying I was their Chaperon until he was old enough to drive they now have 3 adult children (none of which were created in the backseat of the Impala) and their relationship is as strong as the day they started dating.  The second long-lasting relationship it played a part in was one of my cousin's. As the best man for their wedding, I became their driver when their car broke down on the way to the church for the wedding. Unlike their car, their marriage is still going strong as well.

Vehicle 4) was a 1998 GMC Sierra. This one was my pride and joy I used my inheritance money to buy the truck after my dad passed away. Every time I drove that truck I felt like my dad was there with me.  When I finally gave it up it had over 350,000 kilometres or 218,000 miles on it.  

The vehicle we have now is a 2014 Jeep Compass it would not have been my first choice or probably my last LOL. Based on the history of it (Where I live the dealerships are supposed to provide a Carfax ) The dealer who brought the car for my wife & I to test drive conveniently forgot the carfax and even more conveniently went on a 2-week long holiday the day after he brought me the car.  After I got the carfax I was tempted to take the vehicle back there were 2 accidents and 3 incidents of vandalism reported on it and i also found out when I tried to license the jeep for the 2nd time that the company that did the repair work for the insurance company didn't report to them that the work was done so legally it wasn't even supposed to be sold. Luckily the insurance company was able to track down the company that did the work and verify the repairs were done before it was sold to the dealership I bought it from. So far it has been a good vehicle but there are 3 companies that were involved in the sale of the vehicle that I will never deal with again. 

Sorry this is such a long-winded post but I hope you enjoy the stories. I certainly enjoyed taking the trip down memory lane. 

Hey, Jamie. My proofreader gene just kicked in to report 2 typos on your layout. Impala only has one L and Compass needs another S. Interesting that they are correct in the story. Love the greenery around the Cricket! 😉

[Anne Lamp]

2 hours ago, Ann Seeber said:

Hey, Jamie. My proofreader gene just kicked in to report 2 typos on your layout. Impala only has one L and Compass needs another S. Interesting that they are correct in the story. Love the greenery around the Cricket! 😉

Your eyes would go crossed and your teeth would hurt from clenching them if you were assigned to proof read and correct all my typos and misspellings. Even GOOGLE can't always figure out what word I was trying to spell, even the simple ones LOL. 

[Cassel]

@Jamie Carey Each of those stories could be a scrapbook layout of their own!

[Sandy Christian-Mamie]

I have a 21 year old Saturn with its second engine in it. It has over 260,000 miles.  My hubby was so excited one Christmas morning to show me he got me new headlights (the plastic covering had become so yellowed, you could barely see), he didn't let me get dressed first. lol.

 

[Ellen Griffin]

OHHHH that's so sweet!!!! I have had screwdrivers, hammers and I don't know what else given as a gift , but I never got new headlights!!!! That's so sweet!! Thanks for the share!