Goodbye, Mildred

When we found her, her previous owners had just put her out, and there she was when Dug came around the corner, looking just like this:

She was someone else's bridge to a new life once upon a time--she still had the parking sticker on her windshield, from when the wife went back to teaching after her kids had grown. Now they'd decided, all these years later, that it was time to free up the garage again. Time to release her back into the universe. I'd always wanted a powder-blue vintage Mustang. Serendipity.

We are car-naming people and we named her Mildred, because Dug's grandmother is named Mildred but has always been known as Sally. Kind of a no-brainer. She was totally stock, totally original, numbers matching, all the things that make vintage car nuts get a little sweaty. She had the smaller "straight six" engine, not the bigger 289--making her less of a racecar, more of a sexy girl car. My sexy girl car.

She was our family car for a while, until we bought the Jetta and she became our weekend fantasy car.

It seems that everyone has a Mustang story to tell, and whenever I rolled in Mildred, people were eager to share: "My dad drove one of those" "I had a '65 in high school" "I've got a red one, up on blocks at home" "You wanna sell it?". A vintage Mustang is a symbol of the 20th century, it is so many memories for so many people, it's instant nostalgia for a time that for a lot of the people who commented on it, never even existed. It's everything wonderful about America.

Like any forty year old woman, she started to get a tad rough. A little bit under the hood, a little bit cosmetically. She still looked damn good, but she needs nips here, tucks there, a little facelift all around.

We have these kids. We have a house and a yard that need maintaining. We have things we need to do on the weekends, obligations that require money spent. We have a list of things that Mildred needs that deserve to be done, that we just can't prioritize at the expense of our family. She's a car for a different lifestyle, one that we don't have anymore and won't get back around to having for a decade or more. She's a car for no kids, or grown kids.

Mildred was..."I'm going to grow up, and I'm going to have a classic car and I'm going to be soooo cool". She was that. She was "hey, look at me!"  She was AM radio, cruising around on a warm day with the windows down, listening to baseball. When I was feeling particularly foul, I thought of her as my getaway car.

She was in the driveway under a carcover, trying to avoid more rust. She was needing a tranny rebuild that nobody had time to do. She was lonely. She needed more than we could give her. More than I could. She's just a car. A thing. My thing. My car. I can't stop crying. Now I am a person who drives a station wagon. I'm a person who drives an SUV. I'm just a mom. I am not the person I always was, inside my head (TSYOWLIMH is heartbroken).

We parked her out on El Camino, next to the Stanford campus where everyone parks their cars for sale. And just like when Dug found her, we got a call moments after we left her.

A British couple. Here indefinitely. Looking for a project. Driving along El Camino, thought to himself, "maybe I'll see a powder blue Mustang", and what do you know. He's a car nut, already has a fully restored Triumph. Has his English car, now he's about to have the ultimate American dream car. Teenaged son ("I could get my permit now. I could be driving this to school next year!"). An adorable couple, a perfect family. Might even ship her back to England to live with them when they eventually go home ("If you don't...CALL ME"). They're coming by to pick her up tonight. They're going to love her.

They're going to love her.

Comments

[Kateri]

Oh Patti! Lots of cyber hugs for you!

[CityMama]

Sniff! Isn't it so sad to watch someone else drive away your beloved car? We're car namers too (Mochi, Stella, Sven, Heinrich, Zippy, and Olive...).

[Beth/SW]

Patti - Now that post made me tear up enough to comment. My encounters with Mustangs have been limited to being a passenger. My mom had a red '64 that I remember riding in when I was 3-4 years old. And my best friend in high school had a '64 1/2 (is that right?) white convertible. She was crushed when she sold it many years later, so I feel ya on Mildred's new journey. Sounds like it'll be an interesting new life for her.

[Susan]

Made me cry too. I know how you feel exactly. Hugs.

[patti]

Thanks, Beth. I'm going to miss hearing people's Mustang stories, it's nice to have a last hurrah.

[nonlineargirl]

That is incredibly sweet. I teared up when we got rid of my little old toyota, and that's no one's dream car. I'm glad your gal is going to a good home.

[auntienancy]

I know just how you feel. My car is on it's last leg of it's journey. Almost 200,000 mi. I got her new. Can't find a car that comfortable to ride in.( and easy to get in and out of for us old people) My heart bleeds for you. Love bunches,
Auntie Nancy

[Green]

Oh Patti! You're not just a mom or just someone who drives an SUV. You're someone who owned a Mustang, and will again, someday. Hugs and love headed your way.

[daionara]

Patti that's so sad!!! I cried when I had to walk away from my first car "Lizzie". She too had work that needed to be done. I just couldn't afford her maintenance anymore. My sweet 1986 Oldsmobile Delta 88 land yacht.

[Grammy]

Wow! that was awesome! I never had a car like mildred but I hate giving up my cars. Miss Bianca is 11 this fall. I am at 150,000 and climbing and I am going to start looking at Pilots (I need something to carry grandkids around in). However, I keep telling myself that I should keep Bianca too. She has been with me for 9 years of her life and she has done right by me. If I trade her in or sell her, someone will just trash her for parts. She is better than that. She isn't a classic but she is reliable. You helped me pick her out. Remember? Two doors because my kids were grown up. I am again looking for 4 doors for my g-kids. Life seems to go around in circles. I have a feeling you will have a classic mustang again. I can't imagine your life without one forever. Love, Kisses and hugs. Mommy Lady

[Jennifer]

Shit! If I didn't feel like enough of a hoser when I welled up reading about the flippin' car, Grammy's comments sealed the deal.

My mustang story is this~

My best girlfriend in the whole world, since Kindergarten, came to my HS graduation. I took her to Mexico because she never, ever cut loose. She drank waaaaaay too much and we ended up in my friend Charmaine's vintage mustang. She was green. I don't know her name, but I know she had one. We stopped for my best friend to vomit three times on the way home. She didn't spoil the interior, which was our biggest dilemna of the evening, from what I recall.

The end :)

[J's Mommy]

I don't have much experience with Mustangs, other than my hubby LOVES 'em, but this was a great post. I'm sure Mildred will be very happy with her new mama!

[desertbitch]

*sob*

I swear I am going to hunt down the guy that bought the Mr.s '57.

What is so so sad , is that they are better off without us.

cheers Mildred.

[kids furniture crazy]

Sorry to read that you're loosing your "mildred". I am one that never gives up my cars also - had a "casper" for a long time - then decided to move on to another car due to insurance rates.

I'm sure you'll have another mildred again.