Mourning my car

[JamMakingWannaBe]

I just want to share the loss of my beloved car. It was a Hyundai ix20 in light blue and it just suited me perfectly.
I'd had it 8 years but it developed an oil leak that knackered the engine (don't attempt to drive with a red oil light warning folks!) and I've had to say goodbye. It had all the technical features I wanted, a generous boot size and fantastic driving position.
I'm really really going to miss it. 😢

It took me about a year to really like my new car because I missed my old one so much.

I feel your pain. I had a mini for about 15 years, I adored it, it gave me independence and freedom and so much joy. It was easy to drive, it took me and my friends on so many adventures throughout the whole of my 20's and saw me thought to becoming a mum. But it started to become more expensive to repair than it was worth. I couldn't bear to sell it to a local person who offered as I knew they trash it. Eventually we sold it for scrap, and when it was taken away I was given a death certificate (aka certificate of destruction). I was heartbroken! I still am and it was about 6 years ago!

Probably not helpful but I remember Dad had an orange MK 2 Escort and my brother and I cried all morning when he took it to the garage to trade it in for…….

…..a blue MK 2 Escort

Cried when I part exchanged my first car in for something newer. It was the right time, but it hurt :(

Only one week left to drive my beautiful black Mercedes C180 coupe 😥
Driving through the wicklow hills in the sunshine, with the music blaring
was pure joy.

It's like a trusted pair of jeans or a favourite handbag. It's just the fact you know they're there, and they suit your life.

I changed my car on Saturday. My dear little Panda 4x4 just wasn't big enough for large dog, grandchild + stroller.
I picked my new (to me) car, ..a practical large load lugger. It is much comfier, has better safety and equipment. But I MISS my little Panda!

Plus I can't park the tank, as I am mentally calling it

Many years ago,I changed my little fiat for a vw as needed more room for my children as more than two, that trusty steed lasted me 22 years, drove all over Europe many times, finally gave up the ghost and I've gone back to a little fiat which is great, nippy, easy to park........but after 18months mourning I realise I need a Vdub back in my life and determined to get one by next year and go off camping on my own.

I too mourn the loss of my Mini. She was a spiced orange convertible. Ridiculously small and totally impractical but SO MUCH FUN! Been over a year since I had to trade it in but my current car is only okay..

I sympathise, OP. I am not looking forward to the day I have to replace my old Corolla. Only my second car, and so much better than my first (a Honda).

Commiserations. My previous car (which is just an earlier model of my current car) was so much better in many ways, in particular because it had a cd player!

Still miss my Toyota Verso which I had for 7 years. It too developed an Oil leak and Engine died. It was just not worth repairing as had done about 180000 miles.
Just 6 Months prior to the Oil leak I had spend about £1000 on repairs etc because I didn't want to sell/scrap it.
The day the Scrap Man came to take it from the garage I sat in my Car and cried. Actually talked to the Car like it was a person and how sorry I was for letting it go to Scrap and Thanking it for all the wonder places, fun times and memories me and my family had in it!!
When the scrap Man came he asked me to sign a form which said if the Scrapyard can fix the problem then they would and do you give permission for it to go back on the road. I was so happy to sign it hoping that it's not scrapped. Until this day I can't bring myself to check online what happened with the Car i.e was it scrapped or saved.

I felt this way when some arsehole totalled my C-Max on a roundabout. I got out, he ran off, car towed and never saw it again.
All in the space of 20 minutes on a normal Wednesday evening.
I loved that car, it had loads of leg room, heated front seats and sliding back doors. New car is nice but not the same.

I was heartbroken to hand over my beloved Clio (which I'd had for 12 years) and, worse, it was on a scrappage scheme 😬 - I felt so guilty. Ridiculous.

However, its replacement (Kia Picanto) bizarrely drives exactly the same so took no getting used to and I love it.

When my 22 year old VW, that had always passed its MOT and had cost very little, failed its last MOT and was going to cost a couple of thousand to put right. ( I blame lockdown and the inability to drive far) I just walked away and left it at the Garage.😭

My mum had a lovely ford fiesta. She loved it. Would never get rid of it had it for years. She was still driving very well at 85. Sadly in may 22 she had to stop driving due to problems with her legs and arms. (We later discovered this was terminal cancer)

Just after she was admitted to hospital the car failed to start. The garage came and looked at it and the mechanic, that my dad had known for years, came to the house in person to tell dad that the car was not cost effective to fix. (He knew my mum was in hospital and said he couldn't tell dad over the phone as he knew how difficult things were)

It was one of the saddest moments of mum's illness. We never told her. She loved that car. She died a few days later. The mechanic gave dad £ for the car as scrap which my dad donated to the hospice.

The happier ending is that one of the mechanics fixed the car in his own time and it is still driving around in her memory.

Oh, this thread has made me weep! Someone drove into my beloved Golf and it couldn’t be repaired. A few days later I walked past the garage that had taken it away and there it was, being lifted onto a breaker’s yard lorry…
The driver thought I was a loon when I stopped to watch and say goodbye.
I must also add this was ten years ago😂

I like to think that my old cars have gone to live on a farm in the countryside.

Same here! I had a VW Touran, 2011 plate. It was amazing. Not too big but masses of boot space, nice high driving position but by no means a wankpanzer SUV. (Had the turning circle of the USS Nimitz, but I forgave it.) It finally died a thousand deaths late last year with 250k miles on the clock, after caning up and down to work, on holiday etc. Replaced with a Focus (as new and indeed second hand Tourans are silly money) but it's nothing like as good.

I loved my first car. Was really sad to sell it. Love the toys on the current one. But it's not as fun to drive. (Both Hyundai i10's)

He was called Hamish.

I'm totally with you on this. My beloved old Skoda got written off by some bloody idiot careless person pulling out of a side road without looking. I was fine but the car was totalled!! It was carted off to wherever they take damaged cars and I replaced it, but I do so miss it. It was the right size, lovely to drive, did everything I wanted it to do, really economical ..... the newline, whilst very nice in its own way, just isn't the same.

It's grief isn't it - a loss of something inanimate but so important in our lives, especially when the decision to sell/scrap is taken out of our hands. I'm trying to enjoy my new car but it's just not the same. As PP - maybe in time...

JamMakingWannaBe it is. For me it was symbolic too. I have ADHD and driving with the roof down was a massive dopamine rush! My current car has a sunroof but it’s not the same.

I can relate. I sold my first car and I absolutely loved it. I was pregnant and it was too small but it was my pride and joy. I cried when the man came to pick it up. I was still crying half an hour later when he realized he'd forgotten to pick the separate key for the petrol cap and came back for it 😭😂 I had to hand it over still a blubbering mess