Farewell to My First Car

This past week I said good bye to my first car. I had it for more than nine years. I bought it from my uncle in Indiana the summer after my Freshman year at Southern. Less than a month later I wrecked it heading to Nosoca for my first summer working at camp. I was going less than 5 miles an hour and I ran into the back of my friend as he was getting off the interstate. It is a long story. (Picture below) Then I drove the car through college. I went to Arizona with my friend Albert. You can see us getting stuck in the back roads of Lake Powell, UT. Then Heather and I made it up to New England for her cousins wedding. We drove around Maine, and also to Low Hampton, NY to the home of William Miller. Finally, after we got married we moved to Michigan. This car survived the snow of two winters. It did have an alternator die in the dead of winter, but besides that it made it quite well. Heather usually drove it down to South Bend while she worked at the schools. I do remember getting my alternator fixed late one evening in February with snow falling down outside. I left the mechanics shop and my CV joints broke loose. My gas pedal went limp in the snow and I coasted into the local BP station. I didn't have a cell phone at the time. And Heather had already headed home. So, I stood out in the snow and called Heather on a payphone to come pick me up again. I then called the mechanic and he took care of it the next day.

We moved back to TN when I began working at Spalding. It worked great for all those years. And we took it down to Dallas, GA where we currently live now. This summer the AC started to die out. I took several church members down to the SDA General Conference session during July. We had to ride with the windows down. However, one of them said he was from Africa so he didn't mind the heat. However, I did. They don't call it hotlanta for nothing. Then I had to start checking the oil on a regular basis because I found out it was burning oil. I basically concluded the car was dying.

I gave it a good wash and put it up for sale on the side of the street. And in less than 1 hour I had the car sold, even though it took a week to complete the deal. I guess people are still looking for 94 Civics.

I have to say this was a great car. I loved it. I had many good memories. It never gave me any serious problems. I guess when you say good bye to a car like that, it seems like some memories drive away with it. However, it is time to move on. Thank you Civic for the good ride.


Wrecked on the way to camp.

Welcome to Maine

William Miller's Home, NY

Lake PowellStuck in the sand