RIP Nelson 1995-2009

Imagine a clear, sunny Friday morning. You are driving to work on the interstate, cruising along at a good clip in the lefthand lane. Suddenly, some jerk in the middle lane tries to get past you and into the HOV lane on your left. In the process he smacks the front corner of your car, sending you into a spin as you frantically steer to try to avoid smashing into the wall. While you are spinning out of control, two more cars hit you. You eventually come to a stop; the jerk has driven away, but you and the other two cars are blocking the entire interstate. How would you fare?

We are extremely grateful to report that Dave walked away, to the disbelief of the police and paramedics who arrived on site.

Sadly, Nelson, our car, did not fare as well.

Front passenger side, where the jerk who caused the accident hit.

Front driver's side, hit by a large SUV. However, Nelson lived up to his namesake and went down fighting, taking out the SUV's driver's side. (Luckily, that driver was okay too.)

Minimal damage to the back, though the car that hit the back sustained some considerable damage.

Admittedly, Nelson was a bit of a jalopy, but we loved him just the same. The real kick in the pants is that we just put $2K into him to keep him going for another year or two, and he was running better than he has in years. We will miss his quirks: his anti-theft device (a tape player); the passenger side window that would never quite close after you accidentally opened it; the broken key stuck in the trunk lock that would thereafter open with anything but the actual key; the radio antenna that wouldn't go all the way down, which led us to paying double at the automated carwash; and the fact that Dave's little brother always threw up whenever he rode in it...ALWAYS. Dave, who drove Nelson in high school, is especially sad to see him go, as it was his last link to the good ol' days.

So, can anyone recommend a good car that seats at least six? Preferably an SUV? I don't want to do a minivan yet...