Farewell, fair Galant

When Mom & Dad got married, they had a car, a dark green Mitsubishi Galant that Grandma & Grandpa had given Dad since they would not be needing it while away on their mission in Russia. We had that car for seven days of our married life. It took us down to Los Angeles where we got on the boat for our honeymoon cruise and then waited patiently in the garage until we got back. It got us through the LA freeways and out of California. And then, just as we were entering Las Vegas, it crashed, with Mom driving. Everyone was able to walk away (although the driver in front of us was rather upset about her damaged car and sued us almost three years later, something the insurance took care of thankfully), and our insurance gave us a decent check for the value of the car, but that was the end of cars for us for a little over three years. Honestly, it turned out to all be a bit of a blessing in disguise, since we didn't really need a car as students with free bus passes living close to campus. Even when we moved to Seattle a couple of years later, we still didn't need a car, since Dad's job gave him a bus pass. At the time of the crash, the money we got was perfect for keeping the rent paid. Over the next few years, the lack of car saved who knows how many dollars in gas, maintenance, and insurance. Of course, things wouldn't have worked out as well without kind friends and good public transit. And, of course, when we did finally get a car again some three years (and two kids) later in Ohio, we were quite glad to have one. The new car? Another Galant, only white this time. Mom had to smile when Dad brought it home, thinking it was as if the previous car had returned to us "resurrected." This post is written several years after the fact in the wake of another car crisis. But, guess what? That "resurrected" Galant we got is still going strong and getting us through it, as of March 2010.