Last week, I bid adieu to my best friend for the last 4 years. A friend I would never see again. A friend who fell to the perils of a 'drink and drive' accident. Navigating through flooded waters, my Mustang's engine decided to drink in the high waters and ride, only to end with a broken crankshaft and a severely damaged engine. As I stood at the Body shop examining the undercarriage of my car I stood in disbelief. I had just returned from a great week long trip to India and this ending was definitely shocking and totally unscripted.
I remember the first time I laid my eyes on the Mustang. I liked him instantly, but he was definitely out of my price range. Although he packed a regular V6, the dual gas exhausts and the modified air intake gave him the growl of a V8. The hard clutch and the noisy gear-box gave it a feel of a true muscle car. Some hard nosed bargaining later, I was able to strike a deal with the dealership. However, our friendship started on a very sour note. Still a novice stick shift driver, I jumped a red light on the very first day I owned this car. Despite my strong plea, the ruthless cop handed me a stiff ticket and ruined this memorable day. In the next few months the car did attract a lot of attention in the poor graduate student community. Most guys wanted to ride it and I would reluctantly agree to them toying with my clutch. However, I was more interested in offering girls a nice long ride, atleast the ones who seemed to be impressed by the bling factor!
Three months later, me and my mustang had the trip of our life as we drove 3,000 miles from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. However, the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry. While enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the rockies at 12,000+ ft altitude, my friend skid on ice on Interstate 70, only to be bruised badly. It took 7 days worth of labor in a small bodyshop in Boulder, CO to get my Mustang back on the road. With his health restored, the mustang was ready to hit the multi-laned highways of LA. The mountains surrounding Pasadena only gave further opportunity to put all the torque to test.
The 3,000 miles roadtrip only represented the start of a wanderlust life. Barring the expensive gasoline, the magnificient scenery of California fuelled my Mustang to various long roadtrips. In some ways, my car lived a very satisfying life as it visited some of the best scenery in the country. The 48,000 miles I lapped on the car was dominated by a lot of mountain and ocean views and best of all great weather of Southern California. In the absence of a claustrophobic garage, my car led most of its life breathing the fresh air and delivering great performance, However, despite the straight line horsepower and amazing torque to climb hills, the mustang did exhibit some shortcomings when it came to handling. On slippery roads and sharp curves, the rear wheel would not always cooperate. However, like we do with most of our friends, I learnt to live with this friend's shortcomings.
For a while, I was hoping the insurance company would resurrect him and give him a new lease of life on the road. However, economics normally rule emotions, and in the end they might have made the best decision for me. But I wonder where my friend is today. The last time I saw him, he seemed tranquil; parked under a tree at a nearby mechanic.'s shop. This week, I went back to the mechanic to have one last look, but I was too late. He was gone, towed away by my insurance company to a land unknown. I guess he is probably at a nearby scrapyard. At this juncture, I only pray that his parts Rust In Peace!
I remember the first time I laid my eyes on the Mustang. I liked him instantly, but he was definitely out of my price range. Although he packed a regular V6, the dual gas exhausts and the modified air intake gave him the growl of a V8. The hard clutch and the noisy gear-box gave it a feel of a true muscle car. Some hard nosed bargaining later, I was able to strike a deal with the dealership. However, our friendship started on a very sour note. Still a novice stick shift driver, I jumped a red light on the very first day I owned this car. Despite my strong plea, the ruthless cop handed me a stiff ticket and ruined this memorable day. In the next few months the car did attract a lot of attention in the poor graduate student community. Most guys wanted to ride it and I would reluctantly agree to them toying with my clutch. However, I was more interested in offering girls a nice long ride, atleast the ones who seemed to be impressed by the bling factor!
Three months later, me and my mustang had the trip of our life as we drove 3,000 miles from Pennsylvania to Los Angeles. However, the best laid plans of men and mice often go awry. While enjoying the breathtaking scenery of the rockies at 12,000+ ft altitude, my friend skid on ice on Interstate 70, only to be bruised badly. It took 7 days worth of labor in a small bodyshop in Boulder, CO to get my Mustang back on the road. With his health restored, the mustang was ready to hit the multi-laned highways of LA. The mountains surrounding Pasadena only gave further opportunity to put all the torque to test.
The 3,000 miles roadtrip only represented the start of a wanderlust life. Barring the expensive gasoline, the magnificient scenery of California fuelled my Mustang to various long roadtrips. In some ways, my car lived a very satisfying life as it visited some of the best scenery in the country. The 48,000 miles I lapped on the car was dominated by a lot of mountain and ocean views and best of all great weather of Southern California. In the absence of a claustrophobic garage, my car led most of its life breathing the fresh air and delivering great performance, However, despite the straight line horsepower and amazing torque to climb hills, the mustang did exhibit some shortcomings when it came to handling. On slippery roads and sharp curves, the rear wheel would not always cooperate. However, like we do with most of our friends, I learnt to live with this friend's shortcomings.
For a while, I was hoping the insurance company would resurrect him and give him a new lease of life on the road. However, economics normally rule emotions, and in the end they might have made the best decision for me. But I wonder where my friend is today. The last time I saw him, he seemed tranquil; parked under a tree at a nearby mechanic.'s shop. This week, I went back to the mechanic to have one last look, but I was too late. He was gone, towed away by my insurance company to a land unknown. I guess he is probably at a nearby scrapyard. At this juncture, I only pray that his parts Rust In Peace!
10 comments:
Nice!! You had a Mustang in grad school? Thats pretty awesome!
@Diva...I got it in my 4th semester when I had a job offer in hand. Here is a tip - Rear wheel drive cars don't sell in PA winter, you have the upper hand in bargaining :)
Hope you werent hurt in the accident, where did you wreck it at Houston?
I think you are the first guy I know who refers to his car as "him". A car referred to as 'him' seems a bit odd... perhaps its the influence of my mother tongue.
May your friend rust in peace, ultimately 'he' will rest in pieces I guess.
@Rohan...No dude...it was a simple flood damage...No wreck
@Transmogrifier...I thought of using "she", but that goes counter to the concept of a Muscle Car. I didn't want all the Mustang Enthusiasts sending me hate mails.
May i add to the benefit "of" humanity that you b*#$*d stole the drink and drive joke from shiva...plagiarist pig :p
@Totti...I know you guys are starving for some credit..but pls try to come up with something original..trying to label someone as plagiarist and stealing their idea for public consumption has always been your trait :)
awww car obituary my condolences
time for a new Camaro SS !
--R.S.
@SS..Thanx
@RS..I wish..but as you know now, there ain't going to be any car for next 2 yrs..Public Transportation, Here I Come!!
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