...ode to an oldsmobile...
So, today is both a bittersweet and exciting day for Craig, for today he says goodbye to an old friend and hello to a new one. Not only that, but for all of those touched in some way by the mighty Holy Roller, it is a sad day for the masses. Today, I bid farewell to my dearly beloved car.
I first met her in December of my junior year of high school. I was in need of transportation, having just started working as a phone operator at this little placed called LaRosa’s, and so it was time to find a new ride. My mom’s coworker’s husband worked at a car shop on Glenway and they had this car that was in great condition, only had a few thousand miles on it, reliable and safe and suggested I check it out. So, I did. She was in good condition, that’s for sure. She was a ’92 Oldsmobile Cutlass, International edition: four doors, six cylinders, ashtray, power everything. To be honest, I didn’t really look at any other cars. I was strapped to some limited funds, felt safe with the owners, and needed a car quickly. So, a couple thousand dollars later it was mine.
We got along great, too. The Holy Roller, as she later came to be called due to her senior-citizen-Sunday-morning-church-going look and Oldsmobile crest in the back window, was capable of some real power from time to time. As soon as she hit 30 and the gears switched to crank up to the next level…well, let’s just say it was a sight to see. Now, when she hits 30 she starts to shake and you’re lucky if you can make it up to 40 without part of the interior vibrating off.
Alas, we had our fair share of fun. Driving to and from Oak Hills Senior Year, dates and proms with Annie, hitting up the movies with the gang, will all be fond remembrances. After coming back home from OU to UC, the Holy Roller was my chariot for return trips to visit old friends, as well as get out for a nice road trip. Sometimes we’d take off for the farm north of Oxford and she’d roll her windows down and feel complete freedom in the open spaces of the country.
Over the years she’s updated herself as well. From various bumper stickers that have come and gone to the removal of the stock radio and insertion of the Kenwood CD player, the old car’s done her best to keep up with the times. Yet, even the Holy Roller cannot outrun life. During one bad winter a few years back, as I was attempting to fix her left door that was frozen shut, she had a minor stroke and lost control of her glove compartment. The screwdriver currently used to hold it in place has served its purpose, but it’s a flaw I came to love over the years. As I loved the small crack on the front right bumper where, my senior year, a Metro bus hit it as I was driving downtown. Even though I was cited for the accident, we still showed that stupid bus didn’t we? All you had wrong was a cracked bumper, but you caused them $600 worth of damage. That’s my girl.
And, let’s see…we’ve replaced all four of your tires, the rear shocks, the muffler, the battery (thrice), the engine belt, the radiator and the fuel filter. Your engine has been overhauled, your tires rotated, your balance aligned. Yet, even after that, you’ve still deteriorated. You know I would love nothing more than to repair your cracked exhaust pipe, and weld the muffler correctly onto the end, and realign and balance your tires, and fix your broken gas gauge, and fix the wiring so that it didn’t constantly flash “check engine soon”, and fix the glove compartment, and tune your engine, etc. etc. But would it really make any difference? I certainly wouldn’t love you any less, but I wouldn’t love you any more either.
The time has come to invest in a new car, a new “Holy Roller”…but we both know there will never be another. The new car will have its own nickname at some point, and develop its own flaws, but that is what all cars are built to do. You, my dear, sweet Oldsmobile, have served me well lo these past seven years, but now I need a new car that will take me on the road of the next seven years. But you will never be forgotten. 107,956 miles later, your journey has finally come to an end. So I bid you adieu, fair Oldsmobile. May your faded maroon interior find peace and happiness in the scrap yard of heaven.
--So, to end on a good note: I bought an ’04 Jeep Wrangler today! I can’t believe I actually did it, but the sales guy was convincing, we got $750 knocked off the total because one of the people who works there used to work at our old car repair place and said we were related, and, most importantly, it was what I wanted. Complete craziness though. It’s a manual transmission, so it’s definitely going to take some training and time to get used to it, but in the long run the benefits will pay off. This basically means, however, that I’ll never leave work except for school and a shower. Bummer. Oh well, I guess you have to grow up sometime! Plus, as Annie’s mom always said, “You only live once, so if you think you have the money you may as well spend it.” Now, if only it would get warmer out so I can take the top off and really test it out. Ah, who am I kidding, I’ll probably do it anyway.
I first met her in December of my junior year of high school. I was in need of transportation, having just started working as a phone operator at this little placed called LaRosa’s, and so it was time to find a new ride. My mom’s coworker’s husband worked at a car shop on Glenway and they had this car that was in great condition, only had a few thousand miles on it, reliable and safe and suggested I check it out. So, I did. She was in good condition, that’s for sure. She was a ’92 Oldsmobile Cutlass, International edition: four doors, six cylinders, ashtray, power everything. To be honest, I didn’t really look at any other cars. I was strapped to some limited funds, felt safe with the owners, and needed a car quickly. So, a couple thousand dollars later it was mine.
We got along great, too. The Holy Roller, as she later came to be called due to her senior-citizen-Sunday-morning-church-going look and Oldsmobile crest in the back window, was capable of some real power from time to time. As soon as she hit 30 and the gears switched to crank up to the next level…well, let’s just say it was a sight to see. Now, when she hits 30 she starts to shake and you’re lucky if you can make it up to 40 without part of the interior vibrating off.
Alas, we had our fair share of fun. Driving to and from Oak Hills Senior Year, dates and proms with Annie, hitting up the movies with the gang, will all be fond remembrances. After coming back home from OU to UC, the Holy Roller was my chariot for return trips to visit old friends, as well as get out for a nice road trip. Sometimes we’d take off for the farm north of Oxford and she’d roll her windows down and feel complete freedom in the open spaces of the country.
Over the years she’s updated herself as well. From various bumper stickers that have come and gone to the removal of the stock radio and insertion of the Kenwood CD player, the old car’s done her best to keep up with the times. Yet, even the Holy Roller cannot outrun life. During one bad winter a few years back, as I was attempting to fix her left door that was frozen shut, she had a minor stroke and lost control of her glove compartment. The screwdriver currently used to hold it in place has served its purpose, but it’s a flaw I came to love over the years. As I loved the small crack on the front right bumper where, my senior year, a Metro bus hit it as I was driving downtown. Even though I was cited for the accident, we still showed that stupid bus didn’t we? All you had wrong was a cracked bumper, but you caused them $600 worth of damage. That’s my girl.
And, let’s see…we’ve replaced all four of your tires, the rear shocks, the muffler, the battery (thrice), the engine belt, the radiator and the fuel filter. Your engine has been overhauled, your tires rotated, your balance aligned. Yet, even after that, you’ve still deteriorated. You know I would love nothing more than to repair your cracked exhaust pipe, and weld the muffler correctly onto the end, and realign and balance your tires, and fix your broken gas gauge, and fix the wiring so that it didn’t constantly flash “check engine soon”, and fix the glove compartment, and tune your engine, etc. etc. But would it really make any difference? I certainly wouldn’t love you any less, but I wouldn’t love you any more either.
The time has come to invest in a new car, a new “Holy Roller”…but we both know there will never be another. The new car will have its own nickname at some point, and develop its own flaws, but that is what all cars are built to do. You, my dear, sweet Oldsmobile, have served me well lo these past seven years, but now I need a new car that will take me on the road of the next seven years. But you will never be forgotten. 107,956 miles later, your journey has finally come to an end. So I bid you adieu, fair Oldsmobile. May your faded maroon interior find peace and happiness in the scrap yard of heaven.
--So, to end on a good note: I bought an ’04 Jeep Wrangler today! I can’t believe I actually did it, but the sales guy was convincing, we got $750 knocked off the total because one of the people who works there used to work at our old car repair place and said we were related, and, most importantly, it was what I wanted. Complete craziness though. It’s a manual transmission, so it’s definitely going to take some training and time to get used to it, but in the long run the benefits will pay off. This basically means, however, that I’ll never leave work except for school and a shower. Bummer. Oh well, I guess you have to grow up sometime! Plus, as Annie’s mom always said, “You only live once, so if you think you have the money you may as well spend it.” Now, if only it would get warmer out so I can take the top off and really test it out. Ah, who am I kidding, I’ll probably do it anyway.