Reeling in the miles

Hitting 36,000 miles on my car (which, by the photo, you can see will probably happen on my drive home) isn't that big a deal, except that the basic factory warranty will expire. I'm not big on warranties, though, instead pinning my hope on having bought a solid car that will be reliable and free from strange problems for a reasonable amount of time.

In my history of automobile ownership, this has been true (knock on simulated wood trim). So I won't be shelling out a few hundred bucks to protect me against problems that will hopefully never surface. You rolls the dice, you takes your chance. Below is a timeline of cars I have owned. Since just before I turned 16, I have always owned a car – a testimony to my part of Texas being near impossible to navigate without some form of motorized, personal transport.

1. 1980 Mercury Monarch, owned 1989-1993
Ran cold, had an 8-track player, interior was ALL red, had a gigantic hood ornament

2. 1985 BMW 318i, owned 1993-1997
Fun to drive, bright red, expensive to fix, got hailed on

3. 1995 Isuzu Rodeo, owned 1997-2005
Great truck, owned for 8 years, backed into a light pole, took on wedding trip and honeymoon, towed grandfather's old boat from Virginia, drove Cutlet home from the hospital, still see it around town driven by new owner

4. 2005 Subaru Outback
Fun, zippy and safe; as useful as an SUV but with good mileage; never thought I'd drive a station wagon

This list does not include the 1988 Acura Legend the Petite Filet had when we got married, the 2001 Ford Mustang GT we replaced it with, the 1998 Dodge Ram pickup we replaced the Mustang with, or the 2007 Mazda 5 the PF drives now.

My dream vehicle is either this or this.