The Sad, Sudden Demise of My Car, Part 02 …

Click here to read Part 01 of this tale of woe.

---

I have an update on the loss of my beloved car of 17 and 1/2 years, which I lost to flooding on Jan. 22, 2024 here in San Diego.

I must say that my insurance company acted very quickly on this. I contacted them on Wednesday, Jan. 24, when I first discovered the damage to my car when it was flooded in the semi-underground garage in my building complex. The following Friday, my car had moved up to a loss specialist and she called to tell me she had arranged to have a towing company come and pick up the car. She didn’t quite have a timeframe for that pick-up, though; the San Diego area was hit hard by last week’s torrential rains and many cars were lost, some literally floating away in flash floods. But later on that Friday, I got a call from a towing company and they told me they’d be at my apartment complex to pick up my car sometime between 5:30 and 10:30 that evening. And lo and behold, they showed up at 8:00 PM and took it away. It was one of the saddest moments for me in recent memory, like losing a faithful, reliable friend who always took good care of me in the 17+ years I knew her (yes, I now think my car was a she).

I’ve had little pangs of regret ever since, but they’re subsiding. I would think, “Well, tomorrow I’ll go …” and then remember, “Oh … yeah. No.” I still cry a little (I’m doing so as I write this, to be honest. That photo above, which I captioned “Goodbye, old friend,” on Instagram last Friday, gets me every time). I sometimes think that if I hadn’t moved it back into the garage, I’d still have it, but to be totally honest, dear reader, this is kind of what I wanted. I wanted to give up my car and all the inherent hassles that a lot of drivers everywhere are dealing with, but seem to be especially difficult in California. The cost of owning and maintaining a car in this state has become astronomical. And even though I dearly loved that car, it was time to let go. I hated driving just about every time I went somewhere.

There is a silver lining to my own little cloud. My car made it quickly through what I anticipated to be an insurance system morass, and I’ve already gotten my settlement. While I won’t be crass and tell you the exact amount, I am very happy—and somewhat astounded—by it; it’s more than double what I had hoped for and the speed in which it moved through the system, especially when I’m sure there are many, many other drivers and cars in the same boat (no pun intended), was amazing. So I’m thankful for that.

I am not a religious person, but I do believe in fate. There was a song by Natalie Merchant called “Wonder,” and in it is a line that says, “I believe … fate smiled at destiny.” I believe that here. I was continually talking about getting rid of my car, but also continually kicking that can (car) down the road, paying for my 2024 insurance all at once (like I usually do), getting maintenance on it, while still never giving up on giving it all up. I kept giving myself new deadlines … “Well, I’ll keep it until August when my registration is due, but I’ll have to get a smog test this year, too …” I never would have pulled the plug on my own. So, fate smiled at destiny for me. And thankfully, destiny smiled back.

I had a little ritual each time I drove: I would say hello to the car when I got in and ask her how she was. When I returned home, just before I turned the key, I would thank her for getting me there and for taking such good care of me. I look at this final act on her part, getting me such a great financial settlement, as her parting gift, proof of what great care she gave me.

As for the future … well, I’m looking at some possibilities for new rides. Which would you pick? I think that motorcycle sidecar is kinda calling my name …

(Don’t worry … it’ll be none of these. I never want to own another vehicle.)

The End.

---

Instagram: @gg92118 • @TalesFromMySpinnerRack

YouTube@TalesFromMySpinnerRack

---