The minivan achieves classic car status

Our blue Plymouth Voyager turns 20 this year... it's a 1987 model. It now qualifies for a classic car license plate - in some circles at least.

The machine has served us well over the past decade or so and with 231,000 miles on it and counting, we've put it to good use. We only paid $1 for the vehicle, friends of ours in Princeton who were upgrading or something, essentially gave it to us. We were a one-car family at the time and with me having a 30-minute commute scheduling was kinda tricky. The blessings of a two-car family for the past 10 years have been plentiful, but it's also created it's own share of memories...


There was the time we were headed with family to take in the HersheyPark Christmas Candylane, heading over to my in-laws in Akron, we headed east on Newport Road and as we climbed the small knoll just beyond Sheetz and the Warwick Center, the transmission dropped out of gear and the engine had nothing to power.


There was the time I ran it out of gas - that was my fault.

It's had a problem starting for the past few winters. It was uncommon to see me in the church parking lot leaning under the front bumper swinging a hammer at the starter in an attempt to trigger the starter bristles - at least that's what my mechanic father-in-law said it would do.

It was without a review-view mirror since last winter, something I didn't view as a big deal, but other drivers who know me commented about it; apparently it was noticeable.

The passenger window hasn't functioned in several years. At first it was stuck about 1/8 of the way down - you definitely wanted to keep your coat on during the winter and having to scrape the frost off the outside and inside of the windshield got kind of old after a while. After repairing it a year ago, or so we thought, I had the door in pieces last week and finally resorting to wedging a 1x4 in the door to hold the window all the way up; I'm betting that winter is going to arrive eventually and it will be severe when it does.


Most recently, it's chosen to strike on cold and or damp mornings. After much coaxing it comes to life and off we go. That was until Thursday morning. Oh, it eventually went, but as I returned from Lititz having dropped Dad off at his day program, it just stopped and wouldn't resuscitate. We'll see how much more life is left in that thing.


I'd love to see a cost comparison analysis of a vehicle against a horse and buggy. My hypothesis is that when all factors are considered, they both cost about the same. I'd love to test that hypothesis. Should you see a road apple trail from my house to Grace Church, you'll know what went down.