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Oh, how I loved my ’82 Volvo. It was a beautiful cream color and had only 500 miles on it when I bought it in 1982. Friends teased me about driving the aerodynamic equivalent of a shoebox, but it served me well and I thought it was gorgeous.
In recent years, I confess to harboring a sort of reverse snobbery about driving an aging, but instantly recognizable classic. I even came to accept the increasing number of orange rosettes sprouting on its once clear complexion. After all, I’d had it for 26 years and it was a friend.
The knocks and pings I heard were merely signs that it was not about to “go gentle into that good night.” When naysayers told me not to love something that couldn’t love me back, I felt like striking them with a rusty strut.
I tried to hide all the various interior knobs and pieces that kept breaking off. And I vigorously defended it to my husband who claimed, even before gas reached $4 per gallon, that each fill-up doubled its value.
Nevertheless, as maintenance costs increased and the latest mechanic’s estimate to keep it drivable closed in on a $1,000, it was time to consider the heretofore unthinkable — parting with my faithful and beloved Volvo.
Once that decision was made, I had to consider just how to accomplish this. I wanted it to go to a good home or, absent that possibility, to at least have a tasteful, dignified demise worthy of its former stature. You just won’t believe its ultimate fate.
Q. Aren’t you supposed to be writing about libraries?
A. Yes. I was just getting to that.
The library has oodles of resources to help you if you are a DIY (do it yourself) mechanic. We have, or can get for you, a “Chilton’s Auto Repair Manual” for practically every make, year and model.
Additionally, we can show you how to access an online auto repair reference center so you can find and print out wiring diagrams, ignition system diagnoses, cooling systems, etc. any time day or night, as long as you have a library card, access to a computer and the internet.
If you’re in the market for a new or pre-owned vehicle, we can direct you to Consumer Reports as well as other print and online resources for reviews, price comparisons, and general information.
With gas now so expensive, it may be time to consider a “greener” method of transportation. Why not bicycle on over to the library and check out the many books and magazine articles on buying locally, recycling, ride sharing, hybrid vehicles, and energy conservation?
And if, like me, you have what some people unkindly refer to as an unhealthy attachment to inanimate objects, you might want to check out some of these titles:
“The High Price of Materialism” by Tim Kasser, “Living on Less and Liking It More” by Maxine Hancock, “Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions” by Jane Hammerslough, and “How To Dispose Of Your Stuff: Heavenly Uses For Earthly Goods” By Bette Filley.
Q. So what WAS the Volvo’s ultimate fate?
A. The mighty Volvo is going out in a blaze of glory. To the Negative Nellies who predicted that I would have to pay someone to haul it away, I say “Pppffffft.” I sold it a few weeks ago (for a tidy little sum) to a sensitive, respectful, caring man — who is entering it in the Aug. 23 La Crescent Applefest demolition derby. I’m sure it will win. See you there?
Carol Petrowski is a La Crosse County Library System staff member at the Onalaska Public Library.
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