Before we get started with today’s post, I want to let you know that Ozarks Maven will be moving to another hosting site in the next few days. You’ll be able to find Ozarks Maven on the shiny and new margaritestever.com effective June 1, 2023. My new website is still under development, so I don’t recommend visiting until then.
I’ve been with the same hosting company for the past six years, but I need to move on now. It has become cost prohibitive to continue on my current hosting site, which wants to charge me over $600.00 next month for the pleasure of storing my blog with another chunk of money due in July. That’s on top of the $9.99 per month I pay for beefed up security.
I may have a few hiccups, and I humbly request your patience during the transition. If all goes well, you won’t even notice a difference. However, if you know me, you know I am not technologically savvy at all, so there will probably be a few bumps in the road. I may even miss a post or two, but I will do my utmost to keep everything on schedule.
If you are an email subscriber, you will probably need to resubscribe. I don’t know how that’s going to work yet, but I don’t see a way around it at this point.
Thank you in advance for your understanding. Now, let’s get to today’s post.
I hope you are all enjoying some wonderful spring weather. We’ve had tons of rain here, but the last three days have been sunny and beautiful. Not too hot, just the perfect temperature in the seventies and eighties.
My garden is doing well. My onions look better than any I’ve ever grown. My tomatoes are blooming, and my potatoes look great. The only thing I need to replant is my basil. That poor plant is completely dead. I grow basil to keep the hornworms at bay. They’re such nasty little buggers and destroyed my entire garden a couple years ago.
Sunday was a gorgeous day. After my hubby finished mowing, he repaired my car. The driver’s side exterior door handle broke on my Dodge Charger. Again. My Charger, which I affectionately call Black Pearl, has broken in the same place twice now. The handle would lift but not open the door.
While it doesn’t affect the vehicle operation, it is a pain to open the driver’s door from the passenger side of the car for someone of average height like me. I’ve been using a grabber to open the door for the past few weeks. It hasn’t been ideal, especially in the rain. That’s why I was extremely thankful my husband found the time and patience to fix it for me.
I have a few more minor repairs I need to take care of, but I’m thrilled to be able to open my driver’s door from the outside again. I can deal with the rest of them later. New water pump installed. New thermostat installed. Repaired door handle. Next, I’m going to try to fix the phone system. It’s all about priorities.
My car is ten years old now, and my husband thinks it’s time to replace it. I love my car, and I love the fact I have no car payment even more. The price of new cars is outrageous. The price of newer used cars is even worse. I saw a listing for a 2021 Charger similar to what I own for $38,000. It has a little over 22,000 miles on it, which isn’t bad. However, I think $38,000 is too much for a brand-new car and horrendous for a used one.
Even if the cost wasn’t a concern, I simply have not seen a single car that would tempt me to part with Black Pearl. Some call me stubborn. My husband calls me that often. I prefer to think of myself as someone who knows what she likes. I’ve never been one to yearn for the latest and greatest thing when what I already have is just fine.
On that topic, have you noticed that vehicle manufacturers are making fewer cars and more SUVs, crossover SUVs that look like bulked up station wagons, and trucks these days? I visited a few car lots with my hubby when he was really pushing me to buy a new vehicle. (I’m happy I finally got that pressure stopped.) I found very few sedans and coupes available. There have been so many great sedans and coupes in my past, and it saddens me to see today’s selection.
Chevy doesn’t make Impala anymore. I loved the 2003 Chevy Impala I had before I bought my Charger. Ford stopped making Thunderbird several years ago. The first car I ever bought was a 1982 Ford Thunderbird that I wish I still had. Of course, Oldsmobile went the way of the dodo bird a long time ago, which is heartbreaking. My Olds Cutlass Ciera was a darned good car. I had over 250,000 miles on it when I traded it in. It was an eighties model, but I don’t remember what year.
I don’t think Buick makes cars at all anymore. Mom had a Buick Electra when I was a kid that was the epitome of luxury. She has been a Buick fan for years and is also disillusioned with the current offerings. I have heard that they plan to resurrect the Electra name, but it will be on an electric SUV that won’t even resemble the amazing cars from the past. It will debut in 2025 if you’re interested.
If anyone from Chevy or Ford is reading this, please bring back Impala and Thunderbird or something similar. I think the public would love you for it. I know I would.
While I love my Charger, I don’t know that I want another one when I do decide to trade mine in, which won’t be anytime soon. It’s had a lot of mechanical and technical issues. Don’t get me wrong, I love to drive it. The Hemi motor gives me all the power I could ever want, and the ride is pretty smooth. My car handles well, and my remote start is a game changer in the winter.
My original plan was to keep my car for ten years and then buy a new one. Now, I’m thinking I may keep it for another few years. Of course, if things keep breaking on it, I may give in to my hubby and go shopping in earnest. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen.
Do you trade cars every few years, or do you hold on to them for a long time?
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