On Wednesday night, after more than seven years of driving, and less than seven months of listing online and showing, a very nice young man named Mike from Salt Lake City and his friends drove off with my old Beemer, leaving me with an unexpectedly sizeable wad of cash in my hand and an equally unexpected amount of mist around my eyes. This car has given me its share of problems, but it always had its charms (the convertible roof definitely a high point, and the stereo was pretty nice, and the seeming luxury of a "vintage" BMW), but when it needed a little fairly substantial work done before it could get registered again, we decided it may have seen its day under our ownership.
I had listed it for an estimated price (OBO) I found online for its age and condition, which may still have been a little high, but I figured it's a great car for a fun renovation project, or a first car for a kid who doesn't need or require much, so I thought I would throw out the line and see if anyone bites. We had quite a few calls and visits about it, but in the end, they decided it wasn't exactly what they were looking for, or what they were willing to pay. I listed it again with a slightly decreased asking price, and eventually this young man came to look at it. He even looked it up online and was prepared to pay pretty close to what I was asking based on his research. He is a self-proclaimed amateur when it comes to cars, but it's a hobby he likes and would like to develop, and he has connections for parts and labor and has helped with other projects, so he knew what he would be getting into. He and his friends drove it around and tried it with the top down, and before the hour was up, the negotiating was settled, the papers were signed, the cash was handed over, the glove box and trunk were emptied, the pictures were taken and the car was gone, leaving only the dark puddles on the pavement where it had leaked who-knows-what fluids over the long winter.
Sure, there were times I wanted to drive it right off the road for the problems it gave me, but it also has been with us for a lot of good times. How many times did Elise and I take it to Jordan Landing for Harry Potter nights? How many times did Melody, Emily and I take it for a ride while blasting and singing along to "Crusin' "? It even had a good run while I was on the mission by Mom and Dad. And it was the first car Julie and I ever rode in together when I picked her up at the airport, and the first car I missed her in when I drove it home three days later and looked longingly at the empty seat next to me. When the guys were getting ready to drive it away asked if it had a name, I told them I had originally called it Rameses (since the beloved Trooper I drove prior was called Moses, a reference to the brotherhood in
The Prince of Egypt), and they loved it and waved as they drove away. I was a little more sad than I expected, but it didn't last long, and I'm glad to know it's in good hands. I couldn't be too sad when the money received meant a little edge on bills, student loans, rent, etc.
(and um, maybe a little bit toward Disneyland...), and in the end, it's pretty much an out of sight, of of mind kind of deal, though of course we'll always have fond (and not so fond) memories.
Goodbye, Rameses...
