Monday, August 10, 2009

Goodbye LC





If someone would have asked me two years ago (well, maybe even last week) if Nathan would ever sell his Landcruiser, I would have responded with a resounding "No!" Nathan purchased this 1991 Toyota Landcruiser in February 2007 to pull the camp trailer we had just acquired. He set right to work spending long hours in the garage (and more money than I wanted to part with) fixing it up. I used to complain that he loved the Landcruiser more than me and that he should just go ahead and marry it. The Landcruiser (lovingly nicknamed LC by Nathan), did end up taking us on some fun camping trips with the trailer, including Yellowstone and my favorite, Yosemite National Park in California. However, this 18 year old, 10 mpg gas guzzler with 221,000 miles on the odometer was never intended to be a work commuter car. But the Landcruiser has been just that during the 18 months that we've lived in Utah. All the gas that LC has been guzzling got to be quite ridiculous, so when the government approved another $2 billion for the "Cash for Clunkers" rebate program, we decided it was time to trade her in for something more efficient. It's sad to let LC go with the good times (and stickers on the back windshield) that will go with her, especially since she's going to be torn apart for scrap metal. Every time the car salesman called the Landcruiser the "clunker", I said, "Don't call it that!" The good thing about the new car, a light green 2009 Hyundai Accent, is that the money we'll save in gas just about pays the car payment. It's a no-brainer. The only downside is that all camping trips are suspended until we can replace my minivan with a car that can pull a trailer. Bummer. The kids love the new car (mostly because it's lime green), and it is nice to own a new car - something that Nathan and I have never done in our lives.





Here's some photos of some of the places we went with the Landcruiser:

Yosemite

Yellowstone
Grand Tetons
Various camping trips

Not to mention that it was Landcruiser we were driving when we drove down Lombard Street and across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
So long, LC. Thanks for the fun memories!
P.S. My favorite memory with the Landcruiser, the one that still makes me laugh when I think about it, cannot be written down. The story is so good that it has to be told - as all good stories should be. For those who haven't heard about the "Camp Verde Incident", just ask, and I'll gladly tell it again.

6 comments:

Hailee said...

So sad to picture old LC's fate at the dealership. They have to dump a solution that's like liquid glass into the engine and run it until it seizes up. It's sad to picture a beloved family friend put to rest in that way. :( That being said...Congrats on the new car!

nanapeggy said...

So sad. What a guy though. He is always giving up things he loves for those he loves.

thesvancaras said...

RIP LC. Nathan looks huge next to the new car. Are you sure he fits? hehe I love the color

Allison and Nathan said...

The whole thing is making me sad. It's not like we traded the car in and it will be sold to another family who can enjoy it. Alot of the "clunkers" we saw on the looked like cars that people were happy to get rid of. Not the case for us - we still want the car we traded in. The LC is basically going to be killed - kind of like having to put a family pet down. It hurts. But it is just a car and we'll get over it. I would feel much worse if this was something I talked Nathan into. This was actually his idea - I was the one that needed convincing. On a good note, Nathan says the Hyundai is really fun to drive. LC had absolutely NO umpf!

love_suz said...

Welcome to the Hyundai family! We owned an accent once upon a time...it was a bright green. Now we own 2....Sante Fe and Sonata. They are great cars. I saw that new accentat the dealers the other day. Love the color.

Allison and Nathan said...

I'm really sad to see the LC going to its death. All our memories being crushed up into little bits of scrap metal!!!! so sad