Tag Archives: cars

A Saturn of a Different Aura

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After our safe arrival back home last Wednesday, my little bride and I went to the State Farm office to pick up the check for her totalled ’98 Saturn hulk the next day. State Farm did an excellent job in promptly and fairly processing our claim. After that, it was out to Saturn of Sterling1 to get her some new wheels.

We’d previously driven a Saturn Astra, as documented a few posts back. MLB couldn’t get comfortable in the Astra; the lumbar support option helped, but she just couldn’t deal with the fit of the seats. So, after 3 or 4 hours of driving Chevy Malibus2, Saturn Auras, comparing the seat comforts afforded by each, and making careful note of the number and positioning of cupholders in each3, we arrived home at long last with a 2008 Aura, much like the one pictured here. Ours is a beautiful red metallic, and there are no sailboats or any such around ours.

A nice factory incentive brought the price down to the point where we got a lot more car for the same amount of money. A year’s free On-Star, and 3 months of free XM radio were icing on the cake.

We got the six cylinder model; it’s rated EPA 29 mpg highway, versus the 4 cylinder’s 30 mpg. The added pickup and maneuverability of the 6-banger was worth the negligible gas mileage sacrifice.

MLB had Friday off, and got the new one insured, and dropped coverage on the wrecked one.

So, all’s well on the car front; much to my joy, I’ve observed our cat sleeping under the new rig on a couple of occasions. We’re all comfortable, then: MLB, me, the cat, and GMAC. May this car have as long a life as its predecessor.
-k-

1 I know I’ve written here previously that SoS had seen the last of us. But, for bang for the car buying dollar, Saturn is just a step ahead.

2 Saturn of Sterling is a sibling dealership to Sterling Chevrolet.

3 I’d never have dreamed that cupholders were a big deal to my wife; they are.

Like a Good Neighbor

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Hats off to State Farm Claim Team #47 for their expeditious processing of our claim on the Wreck of the Old ’98. To no one’s surprise, but to our chagrin, the ’98 was a total loss.

We have an appointment to pick up our check when we get back from California; after that, a new car will be sitting in our parking spot. A car that will be proudly insured by State Farm.

Like a Good Neighbor. It’s more than a slogan. Claim Team #47 did us a fine job.

Thanks, folks.
-k-
[stags]Life, cars, State Farm[/stags]

The New ’08, in for the Old ’98

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This looks like the likely replacement for the old ’98; an ’08 Saturn Astra. We just got back from a test drive, and we both liked the car. It’s quiet, economical, and sporty enough for two grandparents. We left a list of specifications on one we’d like with the dealer. My little bride’s back requires seats with decent lumbar support; the one we drove didn’t have that option, but we’re sufficiently OK with it that we soldier on. The color of ours might not be the same as the picture; our choices, in descending order were blue, white, black, silver. Color isn’t as important as the lumber support, so we may go with our last color choice, sandstone. Whatever the dealer can troll up.

A totally strange thing about this car; its final assembly point is Antwerp, Belgium; the engine is from Japan, and the transmission was made in Hungary. They are building them there, while Saturn’s Spring Hill TN plant retools to build them here.

Nothing like that international flair, eh?

-k-
[stags]Life,cars,Saturn[/stags]

The Wreck of the Old ’98

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My little bride’s ’98 Saturn SL2, after 106,000 miles of acceptably reliable service, was in an accident last Thursday. MLB was turning left, and got clipped in the right rear by a Nissan who was barrelling down the right turn only lane. Technically, it was MLB’s fault for turning into oncoming traffic. There’s little doubt the Nissan was speeding, but in the absence of any radar guns, it’s our word against theirs. In the Nissan’s defense, its driver made a valiant attempt to stop, but came up just short. MLB is a good and careful driver, as her 30 year accident-free streak attests. She said she never saw the Nissan. That’s why incidents such as this are called accidents.

No one was hurt, save for jangled nerves. The old ’98 was not so fortunate. The impact was just at the rear of the right rear door, which is a shattered mess of Forest Green Saturn plastic. The right rear wheel is at an angle that no right wheel should be; it rendered the car undrivable. I’m no body man, but there’s doubtless countless other suspension-related parts and supporting doo-dads needing replacement. And being 10 years old, with 106K miles, there’s little doubt in by mind that the car is totalled.

So, not by choice, we’re in the car market. We’d hoped to go another year or two, more if everything was still reliable. But that was not our choice to make. We went on a test drive today, liked the car. We’re waiting on State Farm to pronounce the old ’98 dead; after that, we’ll have a new rig gracing our parking spot.

That old ’98 has a sweet spot in our hearts; it had the best engine of all our Saturns, MLB thought the seats were comfortable, and we found our current cat sleeping under it 8 years ago.

The real tragedy is that when being so suddenly and irrevocably dispatched into salvage-yard heaven, it had a full tank of gas.

-k-
[stags]Life[/stags]

Memorializing

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Happy Memorial Day! A day off. Always a good thing. We’ve seen yesterday’s race cars, many in military service livery, roar around the track. President Bush has made the visit to Arlington, to adorn the Tomb of the Unknowns. All this is right and proper.

I don’t know anyone who has given up their life in service to the country. I don’t know a family who has suffered the loss of a loved one who died in service to their country.

So, I always take time out to remember my own friends and buddies who have passed on; my life is not as rich without them, and I note them here:

  • Terry Collins.
  • Van Plankey.
  • Dale Sunnquist.
  • Ryan Carver. 1
  • Dale Slusher.
  • Rob Smiley.

These guys, one and all, have enriched my stay here on earth, and I’ll never forget any of them.

-k-

1 He’d be 39 tomorrow.

Egg Rolls the Size of Saturns

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We’re in that phase of springtime where the various flora are putting forth their pollen. The stuff settles everywhere, except for the amount breathed in by humans, setting off all manner of miserable allergic reactions.

It seems that pollen has a particular affinity for cars; on a dry morning, our Saturns are covered with a yellowish patina. With the addition of a little morning dew, a paste the color and consistency of Chinese mustard forms. I’m expecting this latter state to be what will greet me as I leave for work this morning.

Some thunderstorms and rain are on the way later today and tomorrow, so my Saturn egg rolls will be gone for a few days. But they’ll be back.

-k-

No Fake Balls in Maryland

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The Maryland state legislature continues to distinguish itself with inane legislative proposals. This time, the law in question would ban display of fake male genitalia from the bumper hitches of SUVs, pickups, and cars. Yep, says so right here:

Maryland Del. LeRoy E. Myers Jr. to truckers: If you’ve got ‘em, you don’t need to flaunt ‘em.

As the General Assembly debates global warming and the death penalty, Myers (R-Washington) has something else on his mind: the outsized plastic testicles that truckers dangle from the trailer hitches of their pickups.

Of all the problems facing Maryland, LeRoy wants to clean up displays on personally-owned vehicles he finds offensive:

His bill would prohibit motorists from displaying anything resembling or depicting “anatomically correct” or “less than completely and opaquely covered” human or animal genitals, human buttocks or female breasts. The offense would carry a penalty.

A picture of the Venus deMilo would probably qualify. But LeRoy’s heart is in the right place, and his motives are pure:

“So let’s clean up what our children are seeing on our roads.”

For the children. Yep, that justifies any excess, any trampling of property rights, free speech, and numerous other liberties.

I wouldn’t display such things from my vehicle; I find them tacky. But I’d chuckle if I saw ‘em on the road. To see the plastic stindeens that frosted LeRoy’s presumably real ones, check here.

-k-

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‘Citin

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It’s butt-scratching exciting time, as 43 cars roll off at Daytona. HotPass starts live at about 3:29PM EST. This week’s HotPass guys are:
Tony Stewart, Jimmie Johnson, Kevin Harvick, Dale Eardhardt Jr, and Michael Waltrip.

Boogity-boogity-boogity!

-k-

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Waiting for Mr. Plow

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Well, we didn’t make it through the winter without a blast of wintry precipitation. Two or 3 inches of snow yesterday, topped with 3 or 4 more inches of sleet overnight. That made a hard, heavy, nearly impossible to shovel mess this morning. I’m no lightweight(literally physically, that is), and I was able to walk over the snow and sleet without making as much as a footprint. I got our walk shovelled, and chipped out both cars. A neighbor and I pushed out a Ford Explorer that got stuck in front of our place this morning; so far, that’s one of 2 or 3 sets of tracks on the street.

And now we wait on Mr. Plow to make an appearance. I’m sure Mr. Plow and crew are having difficulties with this mess as well; they’re usually here by now. If he were here right now, with my commute distance, it just isn’t worth making the trip in today. I’ve got a thumb drive full of work related stuff that I may work on. Or not. I’m obviously blogging now.

-k-