Hey, all,
For the fourth year in a row, my applause is undiminished for the '03 Buick Park Avenue, now at 87,100 miles.
The front passenger window is still sticking under wet conditions, though it works fine in drier weather. The rear defogger is out, and I still haven't seen to the lights on the stereo, plus a couple of lights are out on the A/C control panel. There's an annoying thump from the right rear when I hit certain bumps, including speed bumps, which I don't hear when I go over the same bumps with the left wheels. And it still uses some oil over a 6-month, 4500-mile OCI.
That said, the big beast still starts every time, rolls beautifully, keeps me cool all summer, and returns astonishing fuel mileage on regular non-ethanol gas. I had occasion to run 60 miles up the Interstate both this weekend and the last, followed by my usual 20-mile mostly city commute for the remaining portion of the tank. The Driver's Information Center said I was getting 32 mpg on the open road, with A/C on, at 70 mph -- probably 10% too high, but ~29 is fantastic for a car this size. The overall mileage for the week: 24.5.
Yes, I've been driving it for four years, and now and then a sneaking admiration for something newer flashes across the screen of my brain. I think, "Life's too short to drive only one car all the time." At the same time I don't want to get rid of this one -- I merely want to add a different car, like an older BMW, for "fun" driving.
But this one is fun to drive too, giving a serene, economical kind of pleasure.