RIP Velma - The Best First Car Ever

The last two weeks have been a trip, which I will go into more detail on later, but right now I'd like to memorialize Velma, my 1994 Buick Century, who today officially passed out of my life and on to that big car lot in the sky.

Velma's last ride

Velma and I met in July 2002, when she was a mere 8 years old.  I had just gotten back from Europe and she was waiting for me in the driveway.  I'll be the first to admit that as a 17 year old I'd had something more grand in mind for my first car, but not one to complain (much) and since it was too late to do anything about it anyway I went with it and, I hesitate to say this, my dad was right -- Velma was exactly right for me.  She took me to school, to work, to practices, and then back home again every day without fail.  And her little old lady exterior perfectly matched my little old lady interior.

Velma and I coexisted peacefully for several more years before I even named her, then one day I met a little old lady at the church I was attending at the time, and suddenly Velma had a name.  And a new sassy personality.  Yes, she was an old lady car, but she had spunk and was a hardy survivor.  Sure, she had to have new tires and breaks occasionally, and I never could get the anti-lock breaks to work for more than a month or two at a time, but all things considered she never gave me any trouble. 

She was a rolling suitcase, and more often than not, a rolling pit of transient, disposable items one might find in any college age person's possession -- wrappers, CDs, water bottles, Lord of the Rings Monopoly, half a broken crock pot, mismatched shoes, a bowling ball, WD-40, and, most importantly, the Les Brown and His Band of Renown tape that came with her (yes, it was a matched set). 

Sadly, the Les Brown tape has since gone missing, but I did manage to recover the after market dashboard mounted compass, which I will happily ensconce in my next vehicle. 

No other car will ever be Velma, and quite frankly, I wouldn't want any other car to try.  She can't be replaced.  Through thick and thin she had my back.  She was, and will always be, the best first car ever.