Yesterday we rode to work in Somara’s 1995 S-10 pickup for the last time. I felt we owed it to the ol’ vehicle before we took it to the Honda dealership which is probably its final resting place. My guess is that the truck is worth more as spare parts for all the people in Mexico driving them. Seriously. Somara used to get offers left on the windshield constantly because it’s a common practice in Texas and I know a guy at work who received a couple grand on his used VW the same way. Some days you’ll see a bunch of used cars going south on I-35 headed to Mexico for parts.
It was a relatively sad final day. This truck had many great memories. Somara made numerous trips across the US in it; primarily between Austin and Phoenix. We used it to get my crap in North Carolina in 1999 when we were still cementing our relationship. Obviously I shanghai’d it a couple times to move from one apartment to another also. (Her assistance was voluntary, I only wanted to borrow the vehicle for the record.) As for trading it in over my VW which is more well known as a problematic car, the truck ended up being the more logical choice: the heater stopped working, same for the AC, its fuel efficiency is much worse and it became formidable to drive without a tachometer (for me, Bryant witnessed it during our lunch hour).
I think I will miss it more because when I first saw it in 1999, it told me that Somara was really from Texas since where I’m from, most women drive something more practical and inconspicuous.
The (more or less) final mileage for Somara's main vehicle since 1995