RIP Streaker

Good Ol Steaker.

I bought Streaker in September 2005 after Hurricane Katrina drowned my cute Protege.  I have to admit that the last car I wanted to buy was a blue Ford.  Look what I ended up buying a blue Mercury (Ford product)...a lesson in never say never.   Even though this was not my dream car or even a car I remotely wanted, and really wasn't thrilled to purchase, it was the right price and a great deal for that time in my life.  A time when I lost my home, job and the life I had known.  Streaker became a car that I relied on and learned to love.   We have had some good times! 

I don't have too many pictures of Streaker, but here is a pretty good picture of him....right after his first snow!

 

 When I bought Streaker, he only had 24000 miles on him and no one had ever sat in the back seat and the trunk had never been used!  Not too bad for a car that was 8 years old!  Now he is 14 years old and has 124000 miles on him.  This past September, he got sick and broke down on the interstate.  The first (and hopefully last) time I have ever broke down in a car!  Luckily I had Leanne with me to keep me company while her husband Branson came to our rescue!   Since then he ran a constant fever and over Thanksgiving went to the shop again.  My mom kept him and when I came home for Christmas, he was still running fever and was severely dehydrated.  I would give him water and it would disappear.  So back to the shop he went.  Dr. Randy kept him for three weeks trying to figure out what was wrong.  Finally a diagnosis was made.  The fluid from the radiator was going straight into the engine.  As old as Streaker is it is not worth pumping money into to fix.  So I am going to donate Streaker to Bridgehouse (a charity in New Orleans) and will be purchasing a new car on Saturday....gulp.  I have been looking at cars for awhile now and went to some dealerships over the last two weeks.  I have narrowed it down to 5 vehicles and pretty much have it down to two of those.    By the way can I say I HATE car shopping and car salesmen....out of the 8 I have talked to only 1 has been FANTASTIC and unfortunately I will not be 

purchasing a car from him.  

So over the past 5 years, Streaker and I have been from one coast of this country to the other.  We have traveled from the north of this country to the south.  We have been though 20 states and seen many things.  It was the car I drove the first time I drove in snow.  It was the car I drove as I moved across the country.  Good times and bad this car has been great!  

Here are a few pictures of some of the great memories in Streaker and there are so many more that were not photographed!

Fun times with roommates dancing in the car

 lots of room to fit lots of friends!

 beautiful moments from Mother Nature on the windows

 miles of road and open spaces

 Streaker was a great tripod for road trip pictures

 a bed for road trips that begin at 2am on a whim

 driving road where the snow is taller than the car

So good bye Streaker, we have had some great times and some great memories.  Thanks for safely taking me from one end of this country to the other.  Thanks for letting me blare the radio with the windows down and singing at the top of my lungs when I needed to drive.  Thanks for being there so I could help others and make great memories with my friends.  

You were a great car!