I have been driving hand-me-down cars/trucks, and sometimes company vehicles, nearly all of my life. It's worked out fairly well for me. I always had a fairly reliable ride, and my car expense has always been minimal. Obviously, my personal preferences were sacrificed, and I mostly drove big vehicles with poor gas mileage, but that never bothered me too much. The advantages greatly outweighed the few disadvantages. And in fact, the only time in my life that I have ever picked a vehicle for myself was when I was sixteen years old. I bought a 1985 Chevy K5 Blazer, and when that died, so too did my first, last, and only car chosen by me, for me, and from a whole world of car options.
I've been driving the same company vehicle for the last couple of years, and as usual, what it saves me in insurance is worth not having a car of my own choosing. However, I am a homeowner now! And by combining a car with my home, my insurance would actually be cheaper than if I kept the company car and shopped for home insurance on my own. Knowing this, I've started taking steps to take the car off of the company's hands.
Now this has me thinking: I'm about to own a car for the first time in years! I could actually make decisions about whether to keep it or possibly get something else if I wanted. And then that got me thinking: Wow, if I could have anything (within reason) that I wanted, what would I want?! I haven't asked myself that question since I was sixteen! I haven't thought about it. What would I want? So, I thought about it, and realized that my answer is the same as it was when I was sixteen. I want my old Blazer back. That was the most fun driving I have ever had in my entire life. Maybe it's a mini mid-life crisis, maybe I'm just being nostalgic, but I think it's real. I feel like an old man for saying this, but they don't make 'em like that anymore! My Blazer was full size and was just as wide and powerful as any big truck or suburban of its day. It even had a nickname: my high school friends called it "The Beast." When we walked into a parking lot, we didn't have to try to remember where I parked, our eyes found it instantly. "The Beast." Come on, when was the last time you had a car with enough personality to name it? I just did a quick google search, and here's the closest thing I can find to what The Beast looked like:
I've been driving the same company vehicle for the last couple of years, and as usual, what it saves me in insurance is worth not having a car of my own choosing. However, I am a homeowner now! And by combining a car with my home, my insurance would actually be cheaper than if I kept the company car and shopped for home insurance on my own. Knowing this, I've started taking steps to take the car off of the company's hands.
Now this has me thinking: I'm about to own a car for the first time in years! I could actually make decisions about whether to keep it or possibly get something else if I wanted. And then that got me thinking: Wow, if I could have anything (within reason) that I wanted, what would I want?! I haven't asked myself that question since I was sixteen! I haven't thought about it. What would I want? So, I thought about it, and realized that my answer is the same as it was when I was sixteen. I want my old Blazer back. That was the most fun driving I have ever had in my entire life. Maybe it's a mini mid-life crisis, maybe I'm just being nostalgic, but I think it's real. I feel like an old man for saying this, but they don't make 'em like that anymore! My Blazer was full size and was just as wide and powerful as any big truck or suburban of its day. It even had a nickname: my high school friends called it "The Beast." When we walked into a parking lot, we didn't have to try to remember where I parked, our eyes found it instantly. "The Beast." Come on, when was the last time you had a car with enough personality to name it? I just did a quick google search, and here's the closest thing I can find to what The Beast looked like:
I never would have thought it at the time, but my old Blazer is becoming a classic. They stopped making that model in 1991, and they stopped making a two door, full size anything in 1999. So, that's it. If you want a big two door Blazer, you gotta look to the 70's, 80's, and 90's. The 70's and 80's models even had a removeable hard top for a jeep-like summer time quality. When was the last time you saw that on a car?
So, anyway, yeah... I'm going to get to work on looking for an old K5. Let me know if you see one! They are actually even more rare in Missouri, where our snow and salt wreaked havoc on the historically rust-prone Chevy's. I may have to take a mini-vacation and drive one back from California. Anyone up for a road trip?
So, anyway, yeah... I'm going to get to work on looking for an old K5. Let me know if you see one! They are actually even more rare in Missouri, where our snow and salt wreaked havoc on the historically rust-prone Chevy's. I may have to take a mini-vacation and drive one back from California. Anyone up for a road trip?
