An Epitaph

I realise an epitaph normally consists of words rather than pictures, but sometimes nothing more needs to be said ...

(or perhaps you might say that I've written enough drivel here already that I shouldn't write anymore!)

Here are some snapshots of the car's last days:

[thanks to my mother for the last two pictures as I was not around!]

Scrapheap/Scrapbook

On Friday 25^th March the Cavalier was towed away by the local ‘end of life vehicle centre’ to be turned into a metal cube. When it reached their depot it was set to be ‘de-polluted’: which involves removing the battery, wheels, all glass and plastic components, fuel, oil, coolant and brake fluid; before the metal is separated from any remaining other materials to be shredded. Suffice to say that it is no more.

Deciding how to part company with a car whose upkeep had become too pricey was a tough call. I had thought about selling or part-exchanging the car, but from my research found that I'd have done well to get £50 for it - even before the MOT ran out! Besides, it was hard to imagine the car being driven by anyone else after having been in my family's possession for the entirety of it's existence. I could also have sent it direct to a scrapyard for little or no return. Then I heard about an organisation called Give a Car, through whom you can donate a car to charity. Allegedly they get something for even the worst of old bangers - paid out to them for the parts and scrap metal by an end of life vehicle centre. It’s a surreal thought that my ageing motor is no more and that it has been converted into a few pennies to help improve the lives of African street kids (still waiting for the receipt to prove this though!).

I had originally planned to be there when it was towed away and even took a day off work to allow for this. This idea was scuppered, however, when the recovery truck broke down and my car could no longer be collected that day! I decided that this meant that it wasn't meant to be and rearranged the collection for another day whilst I was out at work. Part of me would have liked to have gone along to see the full de-polluting/scrapping process to the very end, but part of me was glad to have nothing to do with the process at all. Would I have coped with seeing it towed in person? The car may not have been the only thing that could have been described as 'a wreck' in such a scenario! Having sat on my drive for 3 full weeks without an MOT, it was sadly something of a relief when the car was finally taken away. And now all I have of the Cavalier are a couple of souvenirs: one of the keys and some bits of the paintwork.

The Stats:

275,012 miles

March 1994 - March 2011

3 owners, 1 family

The End of the Road

Mileage: 275,012

I start by apologising for the terrible pun in the title. It, and the return of this blog after a 2 year hiatus, signify the sad news that my high-mileage Vauxhall Cavalier has finally reached the end of its life-span.

Since I last posted here I have spent many times the car’s value on attempting to keep the rust at bay, but it has now reached the time to admit that the rust is endemic and cannot be defeated without continuing to spend at the same rate, which would be silly at best. When the car failed it’s MOT on 21^st February with 274,147 miles on the clock and a whole 11 days left of the previous year’s MOT, there was only one thing to do.

275,000 was the goal – the (somewhat unnecessary?) mileage top-up operation had begun. For the next week and a half I constantly sought to add extra distance to journeys wherever possible: volunteering for errands, taking the scenic route, even going for a drive in my spare time (generally all by myself... but it was ok, I took an audiobook!). I even renewed the road tax to allow for 4 extra days motoring in the vehicle that had been in the family since new. Finally on 4^th March 2011, with my MOT expiring at 23:59, the milestone was reached, allowing me to retire the car in a much happier state of mind.

*A Postscript:

If you think that the above account is beyond comprehension, perhaps you missed the original 2009 blog posts. If so, read on below, you’ve a hold lot of catching up to catch up on. Oh boy. If you still think that I’m a little crazy after reading that, well, you’re probably right.

Thanks for the Memories

Mileage: 250,743

And so the time has come to wrap this weblog up. It's been fun, but the quarter of a million mile mark has now been both reached and, I feel, suitably reflected upon.

Over the last 6 weeks I've documented the journey here and have brought some of the stories surrounding the Cavalier - old and new - into the light of day.

Thanks to you - the readers - for being a part of the journey too. I've been surprised by how many people have said that they've read this thing in the past month or so. It's been an enjoyable experience for me - the milestone, the blog, and subsequent conversations - but this is the final curtain, at least for now ...

Only 249,257 miles to go til the next big landmark. :)

The Aftermath

Mileage: 250,743

Prior to the below story it had been 16 whole days since my last post.

The reason for that of course is that since that time car-wise my life has returned to ordinary. The Cavalier has travelled another 700 or so miles, but these have hardly been significant or in any way noteworthy. This is a sad reflection of the fact that the 250k point has been and gone - any future milestones are a long way off!

Whilst the quarter of a million mark is now becoming an ever increasingly distant memory it's still a matter of pride to me to know that I'm the owner of a car with such a mileage - a car that has been in the family since it was built. And that will be more than enough to help me to move on as I bring to a close this overly-obsessive account of its approach to this milestone.

Celebratory Outing

Mileage: 250,743

Last Friday I went on a little outing with a few friends, which was organised partly to celebrate my car passing 250,000 miles. We went to McDonalds in Uxbridge (for old times' sake you'll understand) - classy! Various kinds of fast food products were purchased and consumed. Admittedly it probably wasn't quite as much of a carnival celebratory atmosphere as it could have been - it was the end of the working week and I was tired and not quite in party mood - but still it was good to do something that was a hark back to old times to celebrate this milestone.

Special mention must go to Matt, SJ, Jono and Andy who were in the car at the time and to those in the second car (you know who you are!).

250,000!

Mileage:250,016

This morning was simply horrendous: 2 whole hours to get to work. And it's less than 20 miles from my own front door. So that was 2 hours of clutching and braking and moving at an average of less than 10 miles per hour. My legs are still killing me now (almost literally).

But today wasn't about this morning. Today was about the glorious journey home from work this evening! Having made it through the day knowing that my car was just 6 miles from a quarter of a million it was with a certain sense of pride that I made my way to the car at the end of the day. And on my way home the milestone I did reach - down the road on motorway number 4. So I went home happy to have my dinner.

More reflections on what this milestone means coming up in the next few days (you didn't think that was it quite yet, did you?!)

[By the way if you're thinking the tone in which this post and the last few have been written is too serious, you're probably right!]



The location where I reached 250k: approaching junction 3 westbound on the M4 - magical!



And there's your evidence: please note I do not generally endorse taking photos whilst driving, especially not at 70mph - this was a one-off (or a two-off - see above pic!)

Tomorrow is the Day

Mileage: 249,972

All being well, tomorrow I should pass 250,000 miles. This is thanks to the fact that I've been able to amass in excess of 200 miles today with a trip to Birmingham to see my brother and uncle and go to a football match (those of you who are football fans will know the match to which I allude, but I won't make further mention of it here as the outcome was something of a disappointment to me).

The excitement is getting a bit much for me - I've a feeling I may not sleep tonight! Ok, maybe not quite that excited. But I think I might wake up eagerly with a spring in my step (a rare thing for me, except for when I've had cramp in the middle of the night ...). I'll make my way to work and then on the way home from work, boy could I be in for a treat! Hehe.


Above: The mileometer a little earlier today, whilst I was in Birmingham.

Defects

Mileage:249,755

As my car has aged it has acquired several defects that have added to its 'character'. The most obvious of these is the rust that is eating away at numerous bits of it, most notably the back door. Then there's the windows - most of them are manual, but one is electric (a long story!) and gets stuck part way down. The radio doesn't work on medium-wave and the clock and radio displays don't work fully. I've also recently found moss growing on the roof! Most importantly though the engine seems to be in good shape so the vehicle keeps on rolling on.

Only 4 miles covered today as I didn't have any significant journeys.

Historically Speaking

Mileage: 249,751

I think that a large part of the excitement about the impending milestone comes from the fact that my L-reg Cavalier has been in the family since it was built - there is a known history to it ...

It was 8th March 1994 when my Dad collected his new car from Northolt with just 14 miles on the clock, before filling up at Tesco in Amersham later on the same day. The car went on our family holiday to Italy that summer and on holidays to France and Guernsey in subsequent years, before being handed over to my mum on it's 4th birthday in March 1998.

In the years following, the Cavalier was driven up and down the country by my mum (primarily to visit her parents in Yorkshire), without ever leaving these shores again. Both my brothers and I learnt to drive in this car - practicing driving at weekends and in the evenings. I have fond memories of practicing my driving as a learner when I went to visit potential universities with my Mum. (not places with the potential to be universities you'll understand, but rather universities that I could potentially have attended!) Then once we'd passed our tests it was something of a pool car, with my brothers and I bidding for (and sometimes arguing over) who, if anyone, was going to borrow the car from my mum.

Then, in June 2007, it was passing-on time again. My mum inherited my dad's car and I inherited the L-reg Cavalier. Since then the car has been as far afield as Durham and Somerset, passed two more MOTs and has become my daily bubble as my commuting vehicle. And now 250,000 miles is beckoning me.

3 days of commuting mileage have been added since the last post. I have a long trip planned for Sunday, so 250k could be here very soon now.

Records

Mileage: 249,618

As of September 1998, the highest recorded mileage for a car was 1,615,000 miles for a 1966 Volvo P-1800. Of course there may have been an even higher total set since this date, but this is the highest I found from my research.

So the Cavalier is not on course to break any records anytime soon then, but 250,000 will be a start! I used to think that this amount was a lot before hearing about the mileages that taxis amass (typically 500k plus) and then records like this. I guess the value of my car's pending achievement lies in the mileage combined with the fact that it's been in the family since it was new and the 'character' that it has.

Since Saturday I've had 2 days of commuting and a trip to football training. 100 miles, kerching!

Milestone: Half-way

Mileage: 249,503

Good news: whilst I was making my way to work and back by train on Thursday my car was passing its MOT - a massive relief. Fortunately this was relatively cheap too - just some oil and some bulbs to pay for on top of the MOT - although I'd already had the major expense of the replacement exhaust earlier on in the week. The Cavalier has also now been taxed. The show can go on!

In terms of mileage accrued since my last post I've had my Friday commute and a few smaller trips today, all of which has taken me past the 249,500 mark - something of a milestone and effectively the mid-way point for this blog.

Coming up later this week as I work my way through the second set of 500 miles, I plan to write about the Cavalier's history, some of its special features and mileages of other cars, amongst other things.

Brum

Mileage: 249,455

The above is not a mistake; I really did manage to accumulate an extra 250 miles in one working day today. That's because I went to Birmingham in the evening to see a pretty decent football match: Villa playing out a 1-1 draw with a talented CSKA Moscow side. I returned home reasonably happy but shattered.

I've just worked out that I spent more time in the car than in the office today (although that wouldn't have been the case if I hadn't left work early and subsequently hit traffic) - what a sad thought! I definitely don't think I'm cut out to ever have a driving job, although maybe that comment is somewhat influenced right now by all of the middle lane drivers that seemed to be out in force today. I think I'll be happy to take the train to work tomorrow (MOT day!).

An Unscheduled Visit

Mileage: 249,205

My car had an unscheduled visit to the garage today after it was pointed out to me yesterday that the exhaust was coming loose. Although it was already booked in for its MOT and service just two days later, the fact that I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow meant that this was unavoidable.

The result was a new 'centre section', 'rear box' and fittings for the exhaust - meaning that without doubt the exhaust is now the shiniest bit of my car by a mile!

No driving for me today then - I had to take the train instead. I did manage to add the regular 40 miles to and from work yesterday though.

MOT = Moment Of Truth

Mileage: 249,157

Later on this week my car is booked in for its MOT and service, both of which are required before the end of the month. Key to me being able to reach the milestone figure of 250,000 miles is the passing of the MOT, so I'm keeping my fingers firmly crossed on that front. Of course the service should allow any MOT-failing attributes that the car has to be fixed, but I still need to these to be not too extensive and expensive to be justifiable.

You'll notice that I've added an extra 20 miles to the clock since Friday. Yesterday I had a few short trips - to a football training match and to a poker night - which meant that I've been able to keep the milometer ticking over even though its been the weekend.

Friday the 13th

Mileage: 249,137

I do hope the above figure is enough to satisfy anyone who is craving for an update for now. Fear not - I'll write a tad more tomorrow. :)

Travel Blog

Mileage: 249,053

So this blog is a bit like a travel blog, except that instead of me travelling round the world and visiting new places, I'll be travelling to places as far afield as work and football training, before returning home to report on the subtle differences in my daily routine.

Perhaps today that subtle difference was the ice - this morning there was ice on the inside of my windscreen when I left home with the temperature at -3°C - cold!

Aside from that my day car-wise involved driving to work and driving home. And that was that, 40 miles in the bag, thank you very much.

249,000

Mileage: 249,009

I passed 249,000 miles on the milometer today, so I thought it was about time to get this thing up and running ...

250,000 (i.e. a quarter of a million!) miles is now just a thousand away for my Vauxhall Cavalier. Due to my own excitement at the proximity of this milestone, and the interest of several others when I shared this news with them, I thought I might record the countdown to this point. Being part of what some people are starting to refer to as "the facebook generation", of course its important to me that I share this news via the internet with everyone I've ever met as well as with some complete strangers (hope the sarcasm in this sentence comes across!). But seriously, I thought this might be an interesting thing to chart - for a select few people at least. Hence this blog came to be.

I hope the old Cavalier is going to get there - and assuming it does it should do so within the next few weeks. Journey with me here ... the excitement is palpable!