Finally!!

Well, folks, we walked into the showroom and there it was. Our search for a replacement for the van was over as soon as we laid eyes on it. In the background, you can see John heading over to do some serious talking with the sales manager.









Just look at that 8.4 litre, V 10 engine.



Be still my heart.




The interior.



I was delighted to find that it is a perfect fit for me--everything within easy reach, including the stick for the 6-speed manual transmission and all the pedals. I don't even have to stretch out full length to push the clutch to the floor.


John is looking pretty good in it, too. Sorry I blurred the photo, but I was so excited that I just couldn't hold the phone steady.






One last showroom photo before going out for a drive.


With a base sticker price of $89,000 and outfitted to the tune of $120,000, it was a little more than we were looking for, but it was love at first sight. How could we pass that up?





Well, one last look at my little disabled Orca. We used to joke about the van being the great white whale and I had called it Moby for a while, but began calling it Orca and the name just sort of stuck. This Dodge Grand Caravan has been a really good vehicle and I'm sorry to lose the use of it.


July 22, 2010




A better look at the crunch at home before being towed away.




Well, back to reality and the business of getting that awesome replacement. . . .





Just about to head out for the test drive. Take a look at how good she looked once we got her around in front of the showroom.






Sorry, no Viper, but a pretty nice Chrysler Town and Country. Could it be that John is wiping his fevered brow in relief back there behind the van?


I really like this van. It is used, but in great condition, about as close as you can get to literally being owned by a little old lady who only drove to church on Sundays. I don't know if I'll get 8 years and 223,000 miles out of it like I did my Orca, but I'll certainly make an earnest effort to do so.