This past Friday, I watched the odometer on my 2001 Oldsmobile Silhouette roll past 180,000 miles. I've never had a vehicle reach this milestone... and she's still going strong. She's never been in an accident (well, nothing major; I did back over a bicycle once, but that doesn't count). I've always kept her oil changes on time and other maintenance up-to-date. (Yes, I said "her"... I think of my cars in the old-fashioned way, as females. And doesn't "Silhouette" sound more like a female name?)
To celebrate, I took her to the car wash on my lunch break and gave her some TLC. A good wash and wax, a little vacuuming and some Armor-All on the dashboard and tires did wonders. As I cleaned the back window, I looked down at the Olds logo and felt a little nostalgic.
Of course, they were discontinued after 2004... after a 107-year run, the longest in automotive history. Of course, General Motors has eliminated many other divisions recently... Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, and Saab are all history after this year.
I ended up asking myself: Do I keep driving the Silhouette because I've developed an attachment to it? Am I being nostalgic, or is there more to it than that? After all, I still wear Mobile Mysticks t-shirts sometimes, I wear a Swatch from the 90's, and run Virtual Machine on my Windows 7 PC so I can play old computer games on it. Do I just have a problem with letting go of old things? Am I nostalgic, or stubborn? Am I in denial?
It certainly doesn't hurt that she still looks drives great, and she's paid for... who wants a car payment? And it's the "Cadillac of Minivans" (remember the movie "Get Shorty"?) But my once-large at-home family had dwindled over the past few years, and I really don't need a 7 passenger minivan anymore. I calculate my gas mileage every time I fill her up, and it's always around 20. I could certainly get by with a smaller vehicle, but am I ready to let her go?
After watching this Oldsmobile Silhouette commercial (from 1991) online, I've decided to wait. I mean, come on... it's got Leonard Nimoy (and his daughter) in it, and Spock would never steer me wrong. It wouldn't be logical.
To celebrate, I took her to the car wash on my lunch break and gave her some TLC. A good wash and wax, a little vacuuming and some Armor-All on the dashboard and tires did wonders. As I cleaned the back window, I looked down at the Olds logo and felt a little nostalgic.
Of course, they were discontinued after 2004... after a 107-year run, the longest in automotive history. Of course, General Motors has eliminated many other divisions recently... Pontiac, Saturn, Hummer, and Saab are all history after this year.
I ended up asking myself: Do I keep driving the Silhouette because I've developed an attachment to it? Am I being nostalgic, or is there more to it than that? After all, I still wear Mobile Mysticks t-shirts sometimes, I wear a Swatch from the 90's, and run Virtual Machine on my Windows 7 PC so I can play old computer games on it. Do I just have a problem with letting go of old things? Am I nostalgic, or stubborn? Am I in denial?
It certainly doesn't hurt that she still looks drives great, and she's paid for... who wants a car payment? And it's the "Cadillac of Minivans" (remember the movie "Get Shorty"?) But my once-large at-home family had dwindled over the past few years, and I really don't need a 7 passenger minivan anymore. I calculate my gas mileage every time I fill her up, and it's always around 20. I could certainly get by with a smaller vehicle, but am I ready to let her go?
After watching this Oldsmobile Silhouette commercial (from 1991) online, I've decided to wait. I mean, come on... it's got Leonard Nimoy (and his daughter) in it, and Spock would never steer me wrong. It wouldn't be logical.
