It's probably no surprise that I went looking for a new ride after my kvetching over several Saab repairs this spring and summer. Yet ironically, it's our VAN that we're retiring... though the Saab has been a money pit in the worst way, it's still the more reliable and safe vehicle at this point. Our '95 Ford conversion van, which has been an absolute soldier and family member for us since we bought it used in early '98, has earned a peaceful retirement though after seven years and over 100,000 miles with us (and 10 years and 155,000 miles overall). So we've turned in the plates on it, and this month we'll be cleaning it out and donating it to a worthy charity. It still runs strong, but the brakes and suspension are weakening, and the oil pan and the radiator is starting to corrode through (both of which will be big ticket repairs on an old engine).
So behold the Bismobile, a '91 Ford LTD Crown Victoria police special. She's got 66,000 original miles, and has been owned solely by the Santa Cruz, CA Fire Department these past 15 years. Once (eventually) a little black paint is added she'll instantly be a replica Bluesmobile Mark II - the Bluesmobile from "Blues Brothers 2000", the second BB film from 1998.
She drives great, has a new stereo CD/mp3 player installed (hopefully next year I'll upgrade the factory speakers but it'll do for now), and cruises beautifully.
Many readers of this blog are aware that some years ago... okay, quite a few years ago - alright, a long time ago on an interstate far, far away! - my Blues Brother Jake & I ran a '74 Dodge Monaco (original generation) Bluesmobile and achieved some serious notoriety with her. Those freewheeling days may be largely behind me now, but this car does parallel the Blues Brothers in the movie as in the 1998 film Elwood also dealt with growing up and accepting responsibility for family. C loves the car and we put together a great "Buster Blues" outfit for him for Halloween, which we'll probably find other occasional uses for as well!
I had fun keeping this quiet from many of those who know me for several weeks (a few others I let in on it early though!), so I could surprise them with this updated "blast from our past". Certainly the most fun was pulling up to The Hey's house last weekend and surprising him... I also presented him with a new Blues Brothers hat for himself as a birthday present. It was fun to spend an afternoon cruising again and hopefully from time to time we'll manage a few road trips!
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