Haulin' Ass

Roxy (my eleven year old Nissan Sentra EX Saloon) hauled major ass yesterday and today.  I took her to Baguio (240kms one way) and met up with my brother and his wife.  No, contrary to the title of my blog, I was not drunk.  I wasn't even hungover.  I just decided that I was going up to Baguio whether I had company or not.

Monday night, my friend Gina confirmed that she would come with me.  Sadly, something came up and she had to take a rain check.  No worries, I forged on!  Haha!  Tuesday morning, I got up at 8am and had breakfast.  Roxy's plate number ends in 4, so I was supposedly banned from using public roads for that day.  Bah!  I left the house at around 10:15 (there's a window of time when you can still use your car even if it's your supposed "coding" day - 10am-3pm), and stopped by at Shell Mindanao Avenue to get a tune up and change oil.  By around 11:15, I was on my to the City of Pines.

Joining the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX), I stepped on it and easily reached a cruising speed of around 100kph (the speed limit for the highway).  Over the course of the next four and a half hours, Roxy did not miss a beat.  Accelerating, braking, swerving, maneuvering through traffic, she did it all.  Then we reached the base of Marcos Highway, one of the five roads that lead up to Baguio (the other four being Kennon Road, Halsema Road, Naguilian Road, and the Baguio-Nueva Vizcaya Road).  From the base, Roxy was pumped.  She took the whole of Marcos Highway in less time than she has ever taken it.  Not once on the way up did first gear become necessary.  On some stretches, we even reached fourth gear.  Talk about brute strength!  It was like Roxy was out to prove something!  And to think that her engine's only 1400cc!  I was very very impressed.  I've driven up to Baguio so many times, I don't even remember most of them.  I've used different cars, and they all got me to the top (eventually).  But this trip... It's definitely a trip I will remember.

I put Roxy up for sale a few months ago, and there have been inquiries.  Maybe she doesn't want me to sell her.  Maybe she's saying "hey!  I still got it!"  It's a mixed feeling of being proud of how well she performs, and a kind of sadness knowing that our time together is limited.  Maybe I'm being overly dramatic, but Roxy has been with me for 11 years, and has seen me through thick and thin.  I've literally laughed, cried, shouted, slept, ate, changed clothes, lounged, had serious conversations, and have done so many other things with Roxy.  She's really a friend more than a car.  So why am I selling her?  Because it's time for me to move on.  Roxy is real spunky and is really an awesome car.  But I'm not getting any younger, and my priorities have shifted a bit.  I'm looking for more comfort, more sophistication.  I've got my eye on a 5 series BMW that's been fully restored (it's a 1990 model), and I can really see myself driving that car for a long time.  Don't get me wrong.  Roxy's very very reliable, but I'm just looking for a more "mature" car.  I'm the kid who never wants to grow up, but it doesn't mean that my car has to stay young too.  :)