Why I Went To Merida

One of the saddest days of my life here in Mexico was the day I realized I had to take my Jeep Wrangler back to the USA and sell it. The sea air here was killing it quickly. I would rather sell it to a good home than watch it turn into an undriveable rust bucket down here.

And I did find a good home for it. Sold it to a guy with two young boys who were going to use it for "boys only" camping trips into the wilderness of Wisconsin and Minnesota. I was happy that it went to such an adventurous home.

But I miss it. Top down, fresh air, sun blazing in on me. Just the feeling of freedom it gave me. So now that the Pointer is severly suffering from cancer of the sea air, it was time to look around for something different. Of course, the first thing that entered my head was to get a Jeep or some similar type vehicle.

We are done driving those long trips and distances in Mexico. I just can't do it anymore. The four hour drive to Merida is about all I can handle. So, not needing a locking trunk anymore or the security of a regular car with glass windows, off we went to Merida.

Like Cancun, Merida has an auto tiangus, or auto swap. The one in Merida is held in front of the old penetentiary and is huge. Huge. Lots of choices. On the really plus side, most of these cars have spent their entire lives in the Yucatan, well away from the damaging and corrosive effects of the sea air.

So......look what we found!




It's a 1998 Chevy Tracker. I'm not saying that it is perfect, but it sure is making me happy! Plus it is an automatic and has power steering! Both lacking in the Pointer. I must say though, I do prefer a stick shift. Just seems more like I am driving when I have to shift. It is nice not to have to keep pushing the clutch in though.




I very rarely name my cars. Only twice in my life have I done that. I had a 1975 Chevy Vega that I named Victor Vega and that car just ran and ran. It had to since I totally ignored all maintenance on it. Young and foolish and other priorities. The next one was my little 1995 Ford Fiesta that I used for commuting from the farm to Minneapolis to work. I simply called it the Zipmobile because it truly zipped me around everywhere with ease.

So, any suggestions for names? I think it is a boy.