The New Wheels

First there was the "Banana Van," though that wasn't really mine. I had to share that with my step-sister. And she didn't really share.

Then there was Tweety, the 1976 Datsun pickup, painted solid yellow. The chicks loved Tweety. Lots of "personality," or something.

When Tweety started to let me down, I upgraded to my first Chevy S-10 - a 1983 model. It was a decent little truck. A little rusted and full of eccentricities. For example, sometimes when it was really cold it would start to drive slower. That turned out to be a vacuum hose leak. And the ignition switch in the steering column wouldn't engage if it was too cold. A hair dryer blowing on the steering column fixed this a few times.

Then, late in my college career, I upgraded to a 1998 Chevy S-10 pickup. This one was a little underpowered. But it ran perfectly and had no problems. That was a first for me. I considered this one a gift from dad. After all, the insurance money I got when he passed away paid for it. As he used to wrench away on my old, failing pickups he would always say "If I could I'd buy you a brand new one." Close enough, Dad. And at the time, I really needed a different vehicle. Crossing the state to come home from college during the winter was a real risk in that '83 S10.

And that's why I was a little sad to see the S10 go. I traded it off on Monday, and I got decent money for it. There was nothing wrong with the S10. I didn't need a new vehicle, really. But I can afford one, and I've been shopping around for quite some time.

It happened like this. Knowing full well the snow and ice is overdue, I drove the little S10 up to the dealership to have my snow tires put on. While waiting, I wandered the lot and looked at what they had. One in particular caught my eye, and just like that I'm driving a 2005 Chevy Colorado.

A while ago, I test drove a full size Dodge pickup. I loved it, but it's probably bigger than I need. And the mileage is worse than the small-to-mid sized pickups I'm used to.

And I didn't compromise. I ended up with a fully-loaded, four wheel drive vehicle. I never thought I'd own a new vehicle. Too expensive when compared to a slightly used one, I told myself. But here I am. The deal is done, and I really like my new wheels.

Sorry for the poor picture, but it's always dark when I get home and it's tough to get a good snapshot from inside the garage.