I sent this to the Editor of the Eugene Weekly (a local news publication). I don't know if they will publish it or not but it gave me an opportunity to rant:
A friend mentioned to me that they saw a letter in the Eugene Weekly about my car being an eyesore. I haven't been able to find the letter, and I'll admit that there is a large possibility that the letter doesn't exist and that my friend was slyly dissing my car. However, the discussion has prompted me to write a letter to you about said vehicle. I call her the little blue pill. She is a 1993 Ford Festiva. There are several Festivas in Eugene but mine is probably the most noticeable. She is blue, with a grey fender on the passenger side and there is no drivers side fender. You can hear her coming from a few blocks away and she doesn't sound like a $h!tty four banger. A lot of people in Eugene like to stare at the pill disapprovingly, especially downtown. I think if people knew why I kept her around, maybe they wouldn't be so upset that I drive "a loud eyesore". First of all, she gets 45 miles per gallon of gas in town and around 48 on the highway. After a tune up and an oil change she will likely get over 50 on the highway. Second, she is cheap to insure. I pay $280 for an entire year of insurance. Third, because of good engine maintenance I hardly have to put money into her for repairs. Yeah, she looks worn down but she is economical. Plus I own her outright, so if excrement hits the cooling device at least I've got a mobile shelter.
If you see her and she offends you, I'm sorry you feel that way. She has served me well for many years and yeah she isn't pretty but she is a testament to endurance and fortitude in the face of a crappy economy...at least I like to think so. Too often people throw out things because they are no longer aesthetically pleasing even though there is a lot of use left. I think now is the time people should think about keeping things around a bit longer.
