Ten Years With A Friend

By Simon

I’m celebrating an anniversary this week.  My Hyundai Tiburon and I have been together ten years.  Yes, thank you.  Yes, it’s quite a milestone.  We are very happy together.

 

This is the longest I’ve owned a car, so that’s a great testament to the Tiburon. 

When I was looking for a car (ten years ago), it was because I didn’t actually own one.  Julie had a car for work and I biked everywhere.  After being knocked down for the 3^rd time in eighteen months commuting to work, I said bollocks to the environment, I’m buying a car.  I test drove a bunch of cars, but the Tiburon stood out for me.  It was a good looking car (even if the styling cribbed from Ferrari), it had a nice torquy V6 and it was a coupe and not a hot hatch.  The biggest selling point for me was that it was a driver’s car.  In that it was a car that didn’t have ABS, traction control, fancy computers adjusting its every move or any clever suspension and came with a tape deck. Now admittedly, this is because the Tiburon was a budget sports car and not part of any great back to basics campaign.  Nevertheless, I liked having a car which relied on me and not technology.

I have to say the Tib has impressed me over the years.  It’s been reliable, having never broke down.  The mechanical failures have been the air conditioning hose and the power window motors.  The only major overhaul has been a clutch replacement last month. The car is remarkably well mannered.  I once had the car sideways on I-80 at 80mph (don’t ask why) and I expected it to end up in median, but it was immensely controllable and predictable.  My only improvements I would have asked Hyundai for would have been an extra 50bhp, power to the back wheels and some weight reduction.  Then they would have had very exciting car.

Now I’ve reached the ten year marker, I know that my days with my faithful friend are numbered.  I can feel the age in the car.  I hear creaks that didn’t used to be there.  I know that as we add more miles there's the likelihood that the Tib will let me down and tarnish our good relationship.  I know that in the next year or so, my buddy and I will have to part ways.  It’ll be a sad day, but one filled with good memories.

Thanks for all the good miles, matey.