Our van died in January. It was a sad, sad thing as we quite liked that van.
It was a 1999 Plymouth Grand Voyager which we purchased used in 2002 just after I got hired at Lockheed Martin. We now needed a second car and decided to go with the mini-Van. We were anticipating the potential need for expansion, although our family never did expand to completely fit the car. It was still useful for when family came to visit and giving rides to others. As well as for carrying large loads such as desks, couches, and luggage for cross country trips.
The van took us to Utah and back at least 5 times, plus trips all around Texas from Houston to San Antonio to Austin and elsewhere. It always provided for a comfortable trip.
In the end it had been bumped and dented from running into poles, severe hail storms, and a few parking dividers underneath. The power windows had ceased to worked and were jimmied into their closed position. An early mishap involving children and coins and random holes in the vehicle meant we were never able to turn off the back air conditioning completely. The interior was covered in crumbs and wrappers and other items from years of snacks during car rides. We attempted to clean the car ever so often, but those seat grooves and corners never did quite all the dirt out. Due to the large tree in our front yard, the van was often covered in bird droppings. Cleaning it just meant a nice shiny target for the birds.
Late last year the brake light came on. We delayed replacing the fluid and it required a professional to come out and fix our brakes. At the same time the transmission failed which would require another several thousand dollars to fix. As we debated about fixing it, the battery died. It seemed like the vehicle was failing from multiple unconnected sources. So, we had to say goodbye and gave away our old van to the Mazda dealership.
Farewell old friend. We were sorry to see you go. You were part of our family for seven years. big, comfortable, and paid for. We will miss you.
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