Good "Old" Car

As one of our little S.O.S service projects for the summer the kids and I wanted to "serve" our Daddy by cleaning out, detailing, and washing his car. We did this in conjunction with Father's Day on Monday when he was sleeping after his night shift. As I was in the car helping the kids wipe it down, I started thinking about what a great car it had been. It is a 1999 Honda Civic with only 80,000 miles on it that was given to me by my Uncle Raymond when I graduated Nursing school. It was my first new car and he let me go and pick it out and bought it with cash! He didn't let me go crazy, there were limits. I remember him telling me that I couldn't have a sun roof or a 6 disk CD changer/player. Those were luxuries! Funny! Anyways, this was not the first car he had given to me. I got his old red Honda civic when I was 16. He gave me his car free of charge and boy did I think I was cool...one of the first in my class to have a car! Come to think of it, all the cars John or I have owned (except John's truck) were because of my uncle. First was the used Honda civic, then the brand new 1999 Honda civic that we still have. When my uncle died in the year 2000, my parents so graciously used some of the money that was left to them from his estate to buy John and I a Toyota 4 runner (brand new, no car payment) when I was pregnant with Emily. I think we did pay them money every month as a car payment but not very much and not for very long. We sold John's truck at that point because it was the "oldest" vehicle we had. Then right after we had J.D., John found a really good deal on a barely used 2004 Honda Odyssey so we traded in the 4 Runner because it was paid in full and could get us a REALLY low van payment considering it was worth a lot. It was hard getting rid of it. I think that was mine and John's favorite vehicle we have ever had! But it did make us have a really low van payment (our first ever vehicle payment at that thanks to my uncle and parents). So back to the Honda Civic.....it has been a great car. We took it on our honeymoon and now it is mainly used for to and from work drives and errands without the kids. Whoever has the kids gets the van. The civic has never needed major work. It gets awesome gas mileage and does the job it needs to do. John says we are going to run it in the ground or give it to Emily when she turns 16 :) Thanks to my uncle who loved me like his own and always was so generous...we have never have had a huge car payment and have not really had to worry about vehicles. I know he would have been proud that we still have that little car. Or knowing him....he would have figured out someway to buy us a new one...he was always like that...he wouldn't outright give you money or things..he would make up some story about how it benefited him to give it to you or that he had some extra cash he needed to get rid of, etc. etc. Even though John aches for a truck sometimes, he knows and I know we have a lot to be thankful for in that little car and you can't beat the price! I know our little 10 year old car loved its bath, vacuuming, and wipe down! It made me feel good to treat it to a "spa" day!