Bye bye, Blueberry

After eight years and nine months of loyalty and comfort, I have finally parted ways with the car I have affectionately called Blueberry. For that time, my first adult car, which I bought in part to replace a stolen car and in part to mark my entry into the professional world, Blueberry was so much more than a 1996 Mercury Mystique. The car was my comfort, my reliable transport, part of my identity.

We've been through so much. Blueberry survived many a prank when I used to park on the street in a questionable neighborhood. There have been pranks with toilet paper, of course, but also hot dogs, marshmallows, maple syrup and even a pumpkin that smashed the trunk lid and caused several hundred dollars of damage and body repairs. I've backed into many obstacles, had a few dings from shopping carts and doors and a scraped bumpers of nearby cars. Someone once backed into my rear fender with a trailer. And, astonishingly, we survived hitting a deer. We've swerved, spun out, skidded and slid. We've hydroplaned and overheated. We've spent 90,000 miles together -- not so many when all things are considered -- and the car has just 110,000 total.

So Blueberry joined the inventory of Cascade Auto Center this evening, rushed away to be part of a weekend used car blowout at the Kmart parking lot. So someone else might be driving Blueberry soon. I hope that person's experience is as good as mine and that the car survives another 100,000 miles.

But as of today, I have a new vehicle in my life. I'm celebrating my newly minted master's degree and the accomplishment I made. This is a sweet little rig -- a 2006 Subaru Forester. I don't feel like I am cheating on Blueberry, just that I moved on when it became time for a change. And if you want to buy a full set of mounted snow tires, let me know.

Nominations for the new car's nickname are being accepted now.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.