Meet Cecil!

 

About a week ago or so I mentioned that I’d done something completely unplanned and unexpected.  Well, I bought a car.  During a vehicle swap among family members (grandma can no longer drive and passed down her car to her granddaughter) my friend ended up with the granddaughter’s car (her niece) along with the task of finding it a good home.  Her niece had named the car Cecil and she was emotionally attached to it, but grandma’s car is newer and shinier with very low miles and she was thrilled to receive it.

 

Right side

The niece’s car has been well loved and well used.  Each of the front fenders has a little “whiskey dent” in them from bumping into a pole in a parking lot.  They are recent enough that there is no rust.  The front passenger side had a “mechanical issue” that I quickly addressed.  The interior is absolutely filthy dirty and needs to be detailed, but overall underneath all of that dirt the upholstery, carpet and the surfaces all appear to be in great shape.  Everything works including the heated seats, sunroof and remote start plus it drives very nicely.  It’s stinks a little bit too, but thankfully it has never been smoked in.

 

Left side

It doesn’t burn oil and it has no leaks.  It’s past due for an oil change however and it probably needs a newer battery, which I will easily take care of.  The “mechanical issue” was resolved by having all of the tires rebalanced.  An inspection by my mechanic did not reveal any other issues.  It will take me a good long while to get it clean and freshened up, but I’m up for the challenge.  I’ve already started working on it but still have a way to go.  Once the weather is warm again I’ll be shampooing the seats and carpets.

 

Lots of car glitter!
No additional charge for this - Yummy! 😀

Cecil is a 2011 Subaru Outback with 144,000 miles on it.  Low miles for that age of car (driven approximately 10,000 miles per year) and for a Subaru I know it is not quite halfway used up so it still has a lot of good miles ahead.  According to the maintenance and repair records it has been kept up very well.  The timing belt was recently changed so I don’t have that big bill to look forward to which is always a question I have on a used car at this stage in its life.  The tires are newer too, less than two years old with plenty of tread left.  I don’t put a lot of miles on my vehicles and with the way I drive and take care of my vehicles this car could last me a good long time.  How cool is that?

 

Two hours later and this section looks amazing!

When I told my sweet friend I was interested in the car she made me an offer I couldn’t refuse.  She would only take $1000.  She explained to me that she, and her family, have been very fortunate in their lives and they wanted to bless me with this car at a very affordable price.  No argument.  And because she knows I’m a bit of a gear head there is no doubt in her mind that Cecil will be very well cared for and that I would fix all of his little issues.  He will be good as new soon enough and knowing that makes her family very happy.

 

A lot of elbow grease required to get this cargo mat clean
It is still a work in progress, but I got the first layer off

In the past, after my kids learned to drive, I have donated two cars (I referred to them as the “driver ed” cars) to people in need.  Never in a million years did I ever expect or wish it would come back to me, but I think it just did.  That very morning of the day all of this happened I was waiting to get on the bus to go to work and I was mulling it over in my head how I would like to purchase a new car in a couple of years, what kind it would be (I’d been struggling with this part), how much it might cost and how I would pay for it.  I figured it would likely be the last car I would ever need to purchase, etc., etc., etc., lots of thoughts whirling around in my head.  In previous weeks I had even started researching online so I could start making plans for that eventual purchase with my biggest problem being trying to figure out exactly what I car wanted.  I didn’t have a clue and that just isn’t like me.  Apparently, at this time, I wasn’t meant to decide, it was being decided for me.  I just didn’t know it yet.

 

I've found lots of surprises hidden inside various compartments

You can’t even imagine how surprised I was by the way that day turned out.  The next day I was still pinching myself in disbelief.  My circle of friends have been telling me no one deserves this blessing more than I do and it has nearly brought me to tears at times.  A Subaru was not even a consideration, not at all on my radar.  For me, it wasn’t really an affordable option, until now.  I do feel so incredibly blessed and grateful.  Which begs the question, do I need this car?  No, not really.  So why did I buy it?  I guess because I wanted to.  I could’ve said “No thank you”, but I didn’t want to, simple as that.  I am in that stage of life where I can do what I want.  Apparently I want a Subaru.

 

Foggy headlights will be refurbished once the weather warms up
It needs some TLC, but it is still a pretty nice car!

Once I am done fixing up and cleaning up Cecil I think he’ll be just exactly what I need.  And I love his name.  Oh the adventures we will go on and the fun we will have.  And two years earlier than planned!  Whoo hoooo!  I can hardly wait!