I got a CB. I really hope none of my Volvo friends see me with it on.

Trip east
(67k+ miles)

Only just a week after being run around back and forth to Lowes for Christmas decorations, I was being packed full of Christmas gifts, suitcases, lighter-doublers to run the CB, XM, GPS, and charge the phone. I knew it was going to be a long trip.

So off we went, with a short opening tour to Columbus on the docket. It was raining, so when I started to stutter on the highway, I think my owner thought it was just the tires slipping on the expansion joints. But then he kept pressing me harder, and I couldn’t help but stutter and shake whenever he’d try to accelerate. Once, I did it so hard that it completely knocked the car out of gear.

We pulled off and he filled me up with some high-octane fuel and some fuel-injector cleaner. We did some test runs up and down a side street, but I was still having a hard time accelerating.

But I don’t think my owner is that bright, and he set back off on the highway towards Columbus despite me telling him something was wrong with my “check engine” light.

It didn’t help that we had to go five miles an hour for almost four miles at the 70 and 75 intersection, with me still barely able to accelerate…but eventually, we got back up to 73 miles an hour and got on the way to Columbus.

The next day, we went over to the Saab store. I met a couple new friends, who hooked me up to the diagnostics, and yep, my main ignition was on the fritz, making me misfire on two of my four cylinders.

(they also fixed my brake light that was out, which I suspect would have never happened otherwise with this owner…)

Unfortunately, they didn’t have the part, but the guys over at One Stop Saab did, and I met Ilkke, a Fin who used to work in the Saab factory in Finland, making the old 900’s….they got me going again, and then sorted out my oxygen sensor…so from there, a seemless trip to just south of Wilkes-Barre, PA after a late (I got to see Columbus rush-hour traffic!) start after the repairs. The next day, it was on to boston, where I got my first-ever parking ticket.

And then, I got stuffed with another passenger and his luggage, and we stopped for even more stuff as noone was quite done with their Christmas shopping. We made good time up to Vermont and even though there were lots of hills, I still got 30 miles a gallon…

A few days later, coming back from Island Pond, I turned 68,000 miles…nearly 2,000 miles in just a month…

I hear we are heading back to boston, and then I’m going to see NYC…

It sounded to me like my life was about to change

I was kind of enjoying my life; as a seven year old, I’d had a pretty easy go of things with only 66,000 miles under my Michelins. But, I’d have to admit, seven years of going nearly the exact same place every day was getting kind of boring. I wasn’t even sure that I’d been out of Virginia or the District before.

I began to get suspicious that things were going to change for me when the new owner’s dad went over me with a fine tooth comb, and plenty of Armor All and Turtle Wax. After paying some attention, I discovered that I was going to a new home, somewhere way West. I didn’t know who the new driver was going to be, only that he had a(n ill-begotten) reputation for driving like a madman. A lot.

I just hoped he wasn’t going to be too hard on me, and I was pretty excited to see some new places.

So shortly after thanksgiving, I noticed that the new guy showed up, sitting in me without going anywhere, seeming to relish the idea of hitting the road. Which we did the very next day. Maryland, West Virginia, Ohio, and I think a bit of Pennsylvania—all firsts for me. We made good time and i got some great mileage along the way.

He did a couple of high-speed squirts, but seemed to keep the speeds to a reasonable pace. I suspected it was because I was still sporting my VA tags. So when we got home, I got the best spot-staying for the first time in my life in a garage! Although, looking around the garage, I have to wonder how messy my new owner is…

….I got to meet his old car, a Maxima. He sounded pretty tired, and complained that his shocks needed repair. But boy, did he have some stories to tell! He’d been everywhere! Vermont at 40 below zero! Hundred miles an hour! It got me a little excited just to imagine where we’d go next…although I did feel a little bad for him, since I was now in the garage and he had to sit out in the rain…

…I’d only been there a couple days when the new owner stuffed me full of Christmas tree. I had no problem, once he figured out how to get the seats down, taking the whole seven foot tree in without even needing a bunjee cord for my hatchback.

I lost count of how many times we went to Lowes to get the lights and all the trimmings for the tree and the new house, but I was glad it’s a short trip!

I lost my friend the Maxima the other day. I think my owner lent it to someone or something, maybe he was sold? Who knows…all I know is that ive heard we are going up north to Vermont. I hope I get some new snow tires!