Farewell, Alero.
Last Tuesday we said goodbye to the Alero. After moving to Virginia in October, and getting another car in December, it hadn't even been driven 100 miles. Plus, dealing with the worsening coolant leak was problematic. So rather than see what we could get for it, we decided to donate it to a charity called Vehicles for Change, which provides transportation to low-income families who need a car to get to work or to carry children and family around town. (In most areas of the USA public transportation is either substandard or nonexistent, which makes bettering one's life very difficult when one does not have a car.)
Due to the high mileage the Alero didn't qualify to be rehabilitated as a program vehicle, but it will be sold and the proceeds go to benefit the program. I'm satisfied with that arrangement--it still does good for the program. And hopefully it may have some life left yet, as someone who is mechanically inclined and could fix the coolant and oil leaks on their own could end up with a serviceable vehicle for not a lot of money.
Still, we were kind of sad to see the car go. Dawn owned this car for almost 10 years, and I drove it most of the time for the last year or 2. As much as the constant repairs annoyed me for a long while, in the end, I grew to like the car. It was reliable for me last summer when it was my only transporation, and it got me from Raleigh to Richmond without any trouble. And for that I'll always be grateful.
Farewell and good luck--hopefully there are more miles to travel yet!
Farewell, Alero.
Last Tuesday we said goodbye to the Alero. After moving to Virginia in October, and getting another car in December, it hadn't even been driven 100 miles. Plus, dealing with the worsening coolant leak was problematic. So rather than see what we could get for it, we decided to donate it to a charity called Vehicles for Change, which provides transportation to low-income families who need a car to get to work or to carry children and family around town. (In most areas of the USA public transportation is either substandard or nonexistent, which makes bettering one's life very difficult when one does not have a car.)
Due to the high mileage the Alero didn't qualify to be rehabilitated as a program vehicle, but it will be sold and the proceeds go to benefit the program. I'm satisfied with that arrangement--it still does good for the program. And hopefully it may have some life left yet, as someone who is mechanically inclined and could fix the coolant and oil leaks on their own could end up with a serviceable vehicle for not a lot of money.
Still, we were kind of sad to see the car go. Dawn owned this car for almost 10 years, and I drove it most of the time for the last year or 2. As much as the constant repairs annoyed me for a long while, in the end, I grew to like the car. It was reliable for me last summer when it was my only transporation, and it got me from Raleigh to Richmond without any trouble. And for that I'll always be grateful.
Farewell and good luck--hopefully there are more miles to travel yet!