No kidding! I thought I would never part with the car, but then again I never thought we'd be moving across the country so soon to a city where having a car is a humongous and expensive pain in the ass, so there you have it.The Pinto was the most awesome car I've ever owned. Nearly every time I drove it I would see people laughing at it (which if you're me is a good thing) and more often than not I'd get a honk and a thumbs up. Sadly it quickly began deteriorating the more it was used. The car was a '74 and Gramps used it primarily as his leisure cruiser so it was in pretty good shape when I got it. Thems old cars are fragile though, and 4 years was about all it could take before it started falling apart. It was starting to completely rust out on the bottom, needed new tie rods, brakes, seats, carpet, paint job... basically it needed a new 1974 Pinto.
The final curtain call was this last May when it was sideswiped by some dumbass hauling a massive trailer on a side street. He was changing lanes and had no idea he hit me - he just kept on going and disappeared into the sunset. I got out of the car thinking maybe he scuffed it, but it turned out that the entire drivers side quarter panel was pretty crunched in and there was a massive black scuff on the door where the faux wood paneling was erased. Even if we ever did find the driver and his insurance covered it, it wouldn't have been the same. May 15th will forever go down in my mental calendar as Death of My Pinto Day.
Even though I was pretty emotionally attached to the car, it was obvious that it was time to take Ol' Yeller out back to the shed and shoot 'er dead. I hadn't driven it but 5-6 miles for the past 8 months, not to mention we're moving at the end of the month. #1. It was not driveable, #2. I wasn't going to be able to afford to fix it anytime soon, #3. it would cost way too much to store, and #4. Why store it in the first place if I wasn't sure if I was ever going to fix it?
Craigslist to the rescue. Or so I thought. Several unsuccessful tire kicking/no show responses later I remembered a note I'd saved that someone stuck on the windshield of the car a few years ago which said If you need parts or want to sell, call me with a name and phone number. I wrote a blog about that but am too lazy to find it and link to it. Would be funny to read in hindsight now though.
So anywho, I called the guy and it turns out that he has 15 or so Pintos and was still interested in buying the car. We met yesterday afternoon, I gave him the key, the car, and he gave me cash money - and there you have it. No more Pinto. I wasn't able to get much for it due to the rust and severe disrepair the car was in, but I'm happy with what I got for it - and that I got anything at all. Not to mention the tabs were going to expire in a week so I saved $50 right there. It's nice to know it's not going to be used in a demolition derby like many Pintos are (oh for shame!) - it's going to live in its "retirement home" at this guy's place up in Rogers, MN happily ever after.
This is the first time in 19 years that I haven't been attached to a car and it's a pretty awesome feeling. No more paying for insurance that I've spent thousands of dollars on over the years and never really had to use (either that or it conveniently didn't cover what I needed it to when the need was there). No more worrying about where gas is going to be cheapest. No more tabs. No more harvesting garbage out from under the seats every 6 months. No more brake jobs, oil changes, breakdowns on the highway, worrying about a parking spot.. the list goes on. It's going to be an adjustment trying to lug heavier things around (i.e. an amp and guitar) via taxis and subways, but if a billion other people there seem to be able to do it there's no reason why I won't be able to.
Thanks for the memories, Pinto - you were an awesome car. The Wifey's Jeep gets picked up by the guy who bought it this Wednesday, and POOF. We'll have two large blank spots behind our place where our cars used to be. The only vehicle that will be in our possession is a 16' moving truck, and that will be out of our hands come next Sunday.
