Farewell Piggy – Jess

As some of you may know, my car for the past 12 years has been a 2003 GMC Envoy named Piggy.  Isn’t she cute?  She even supports Bee’s drinking habit.  Kidding.

She and I have gone drilling (for work), hit the mountains for snowboarding and camping, off-roaded (in slightly too gnarly places for her), and been across the country more times than I can count.  She was dubbed “Piggy” when I was living in Tulsa.  She was constantly covered in red mud from the lovely tornado-ridden fields of Oklahoma, trustily carrying me all over the state for geotechnical field exploration.

This lady is just under 200,000 miles, and her transmission is on its way out.  When Tony and I were planning the trip we intended to sell her to a family or maybe high schooler in need a of four wheel drive vehicle that could get beat up a little, but was still reliable.  Now, obviously, that’s not the plan.  We can’t in good conscience sell her with a dying transmission, and the repair would cost us what she is worth.  We were talking about donating her to Colorado Public Radio, but while talking to a colleague, he recommended Good Neighbor Garage in Golden.  The local garage takes old vehicles and fixes them up (if they are worthy), or they scrap them for metal.  These fixed vehicles or the proceeds go to single mothers or widows in need of a vehicle.  I’m hopeful they will keep her, because besides the transmission (yeah, I know that’s a big deal), she’s really still in wonderful shape.

Piggy has some emotional ties for me.  She was my grandfather’s.  When he passed away, I was in need of a vehicle, and my uncle was kind enough to offer her to me.  She has only been owned by my grandpa and me, and it’s kind of hard to see her go.  However, knowing she is going to a good cause warms my heart.  Either some other family that is in great need will get her, or at the very least, her metal can go to a good cause.

Farewell Piggy, and thanks for all the safe rides!