the next stage...

[solipsistnation]

...and now I've cleaned out my old car and taken the plates off and made sure I haven't left anything in it. No lost CDs under the seats, no papers in the glovebox, nothing. The big silver knob on the stereo (where the old one broke off) is still there. There are still cracks where the crappy bodyshop fixed it after the wreck, and the climate controls still look much newer than the rest of the dash since I replaced them after the breakin. There was a time I could have told you where every scratch on the body came from, but that was years ago, and now mostly I'm just glad when I come out to a parking lot and don't find anything new. (First scratch: sideswiped a trash can in Alewife station. Just about cried. Next scheduled service, they chuckled and buffed it out.)

So, yeah. It's like an old friend. I've travelled more than 135,000 miles in that car. Moved house multiple times, raced to catch planes, had long talks, listened to music, all kinds of stuff.

I suppose it's sort of dorky and American to say, "Man, I'll miss that car," but I will.

Comments

[gambl0r.livejournal.com]

Awww, I fell for ya'. I was sad when I got rid of my old car as well. It was like how you are describing yours - many things broken or wrong with it, but full of history and many stories. There was a story behind every broken gauge or big crack in the dashboard. There were certain things you needed to know before driving it... like, as soon as the gas gague gets to 50% you better be near a gas station. Or, try not to roll it because the roof had no structural integrity for so many years of leaking!

Take a lot of pictures of it before you donate it - I took close up photos of all the features that reminded me of different things.

Also, its cool that you are getting a Matrix, and I got a Vibe... they are like sister cars! (Same car, slight styling differences). Is yours brand new? Did you check out the Vibe as well? I perfered the Vibe's exterior over the Matrix because I disliked how the back windows are connected to the rear window in that big black area. And I like the gray liner thing that wraps around the bottom of my car, which I don't think was an option on the Matrix. But I have read that a lot of people like the Matrix specifically because of those things!

One last thought I just had - you now have a lot more room to bring things to the MIT flea! :D

[gambl0r.livejournal.com]

Sorry about my horrible spelling mistakes, I didn't read it through after typing it. Also, I forgot to say that mine is not brand new, I ended up getting a 2003 because it was cheaper. Also! Did you get the Moon+Tunes package? (Sunroof+Better speakers)

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

I did, in fact, get the sunroof and better speakers... The better speakers, however, are _too_ bassy. I ended up turning the bass WAY DOWN and the treble WAY UP in order to make what I was listening to sound like something other than muffled bass frenzy.

I have to admit that I didn't actually peer into your car very much. I don't have a thing around the bottom of the car, though, if you mean, like... I guess something like undercarriage armor?

[gambl0r.livejournal.com]

Not undercarraige, but like a bumper that goes all the way around. Here's a photo of mine to show you:

http://www.no3rdw.com/ww/crap/carpost/sideshot.jpg

The Vibe has the option of removing the gray bumper-things around the bottom, but I like them with the dark red color. I'm pretty sure that they aren't on the matrix.

This image shows exactly what I don't like about the Matrix... That black area around the rear window that sraps around to the back windows. It looks like its saggy. :D But, the mechanics of the two cars are identical, as far as I know. And the interiors are very very similar.

It sounds like you got a brand new car. The newer Vibes with the Moon+Tunes package (and probably the Matrixes), come with a seperate subwoofer behind the back seat. The 2003 did not come with that extra subwoofer so I might not be effected by overpowering bass as much as you.

I found that the midrange is too loud and it makes it sound muffled... so right now I've got my stereo set at +3 bass, 0 midrange, +5 treble.

Oh man, have you tried plugging your laptop into the outlet and folding down the passenger seat into a table yet? Its the ultimate navigation system! You can even push the seat way back and the laptop is usable by someone in the back seat!

So congrats again on the new car! The Matrix/Vibe were the only cars I have seen that I immediately liked and wanted. Before seeing it, I didn't really have any urge to get rid of my old car.

[gambl0r.livejournal.com]

Dammit, forgot the Matrix image:
http://www.allautoreviews.com/auto_reviews/toyota/photos/toyota-matrix2.jpg

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Okay, that sort of side-bumper thing. Yeah, that's a neat feature... Makes it look kind of like a big sneaker, too.

I have the bass on -3 or -4 now, and the treble on +4. You're right about the midrange-- it's seriously Bose levels of ridiculous midrangeyness. There's a little sub in the trunk (not the BASS TUBE or whatever the bigger option is), so that's certainly part of it.

I haven't done the laptop power thing yet, but I'm sure I will soon enough. 8)

[solipsistnation.livejournal.com]

Oh, huh. I just looked around, and I hadn't realized that the Vibe and the Matrix shared so many of their innards. That's very neat.

I hadn't looked at the Vibe, but only because of a bias against American cars... Perhaps I should have. Oh well. 8)

Glad you like yours, though. Next time you visit we can race! Yeah!

The lament of the old car...

[quaintance.livejournal.com]

I still greatly miss the first car I own, and lament it's demise 5 years ago. I was the perfect size for me- big enough to schelp all kinds of stuff and people, small enough to feel like it fit me. I called her "Bessy", and later "bessy the Road Marlin" after she did some unplanned ofroading and had to be reeled back onto the mountain road like a large game fish. We went to MD and back, between LA and SF countless times, from the west coast to the Rockies 4 times... Sniff.

My current car is the same make and model, but a more current year, and thus feels very different. We just have never bonded the same way.