Uncle Roger's Notebooks of Daily Life |
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Friday, December 26, 2014 Those who know me well know that owning a Land Rover is an integral part of who I am. Quite a few of you, I only know because of Land Rovers. That sense of adventure, of exploration, of independence and self-reliance is the embodiment of the sort of person I strive to be. I may not be the world adventurer, the inventor/entrepreneur, the character I'd so like to be, but being a Land Rover Owner lets me, at least somewhat, play the part. It makes me walk a little taller, smile a little wider, dream a little further. For 25 years, I have owned a working (usually) Land Rover. Rachel and I have travelled all over the western US and Canada in Indy, my '59 Series II 109, and we have taken the kids on many an adventure with our '99 Disco Series II -- with plans for many more. Since 1990, I've owned at least one Land Rover -- often more than one -- and never even considered the possibility of not having one to drive. Until now. The short version is this: after putting nearly $3,000 into repairing various leaks and other issues, I got the vehicle back and it started overheating. It's either a $2600 fix or a $10k+ fix -- it'll cost $800 just to figure out which. So this weekend we're off to buy a new car. Which car? I don't know and, frankly, don't really care. If it's not a Land Rover (or maybe a Tesla), it's just a car. They're all the same. But, I need to be able to get the kids to school and myself to work, so we need another car. And given the current state of our finances, (remember that $3k? And the $2k Racoons? And the washer and dryer?), this will be the last vehicle we buy at least until Ezra is in college (12 years from now). Practically speaking, this means that my time as a Land Rover owner has come to an end. I am no longer me. |
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