Tribute: The Night Rider

This past Friday my Night Rider, (2005 Chevy Cobalt) punched in it's last ticket. She had served me gloriously for the past 7 years and 150,000 miles, most of which were driven here in Indianapolis. However over the past few months, she had begun to show significant signs of wear and tear. I had begun to anticipate her replacement,  yet was hoping it would not be until a few more months. However life never goes according to plan.

It was a Friday afternoon in Zionsville, and I had just finished a run when she completely shut down on me. After some time and many attempts I was unable to jump-start her. I had no other choice but to have her towed to Meinke. The trustworthy mechanic there told me the alternator was bad and the engine was quite questionable as well. It would have cost me over $500 to get it replaced. And so the decision was quite an easy one. It was time to trade her in, and buy a new car.

It all happened so quickly and unexpectedly yet I had no choice but to leave the car at Meinke and make plans to quickly purchase a new one. It was such a sad and sudden departure for such a reliable stead that she was. A car such as the Night Rider deserved some form of proper farewell, yet instead I had to leave her at the Meinke, and trade her in for all I could get on a newer model. Yet woe is life, and with one ending leaves a new beginning. However the Night Rider will never be forgotten, and here in this post I want to commemorate her for all her glorious years of servitude.



The Night Rider's History

It was back in the fall of 2009 when I first bought the Night Rider from a dealership. I remember it was a Friday, which is quite ironic that she would die on a Friday. At the time I was working three jobs in Fort Wayne, and loaning the Ford Taurus from my family to get around. However that car was in it's final days and once it broke down it was time for me to step up and buy my first official car. (Before that I had owned two other cars, a Ford Escort and a Toyota pickup truck, yet both were unofficial.)

I did my research that morning on the internet and had found the perfect car I was looking for; at the time I was looking for something sporty and batman-like. It was a 2005 black Chevy Cobalt, at 50,000 miles and a fair price. My dad would later join me at the dealership and the paperwork was signed. I remember driving it to work that evening feeling very proud to be a new car owner. The name Night Rider came quite naturally to me, as she blended with the night. Here's the post I made the day I bought, My Brand New Car!

The following day I was eager to show her off to my friends at a tailgate in IU, which was of course a terrible idea. I picked up Philip, Shawnna, and Stef early that morning in Indianapolis to make the drive to Bloomington. The fields were dirty and muddy yet I thought nothing of it. The worse came later that day when Stefanie passed out in the car and threw up on the floor. Later in the evening, the battery died on me, because I left the keys in the ignition playing loud music. Luckily some girl helped me find the battery which was located in the trunk and Rager helped me give it a jump start. The new car feeling was tarnished in only it's second day, yet I by no means lost my sanctification with her.

Days in Fishers, IN

I enjoyed her Mp3 capabilities and would often make mixed CDs with over 100 tracks on them to utilize the full stereo surround sound. I remember those first few months driving was my favorite part of the day, even when I had moved to Fishers, Indiana to begin work at the BACA. In those days I was going thru a cultural burst and was into a wide array of music from hip hop, to indie rock, to even Phantom of the Opera and Edith Piaf... and it was all provided thru the Night Rider's sound system.

Driving around Fishers in 2010 was perhaps it's golden luxurious years. Even tho it was only a compact car, it was everything I needed to get to and from work, run errands, visit friends, and drive to Fort Wayne on the weekends. That summer, I took her camping with friends,. And when a family road trip came up to Sara Shaw's wedding in Virginia, I gladly volunteered to drive the Night Rider. It was Dad, Philip, Shawnna, and myself that squeezed in for the 12 hour round trip. It was no doubt quite the experience and perhaps the first of many Night Rider adventures.

In the fall of 2010 she took on more responsibilities as my career began to shift gears. I was no longer at the stationary post of the Baca and had taken on multiple jobs that required more travel. From the fall to the winter I traveled around Indy working as a tutor and traveled outside the city to Big Ten college football stadiums. This was a tough financial time for me, however the Night Rider was always dependable during this time. She eventually became my utmost source of income when I became a courier with RCL.

Courier Days

It was on Valentines Day of 2011, when I began work with RCL, as a contract courier. At first it was meant to be a transitional job, something where I could easily make money to pay off my bills and realign my career paths. And the first few months were quite easy and I soon found myself enjoying the easy money that came out of courier work. I would listen to music, drive on  delivery routes, and navigate all around the city and beyond making money while enjoying the time in my Night Rider. That summer was a very inspiring one, as I felt quite satisfied with my new lifestyle as a courier.

However the more I began to work, the more money I began to make, and the more responsibilities I began to take on; both at work and in life. I soon found myself with new bills (phone, Netflix, car maintenance) yet also more work. Things got less enjoyable that fall as my workload began to intensify and the weather began to worsen. It was that winter that the Night Rider had its first major financial bomb wen I had to repair it's brakes. The Christmas Delivery rush was a very trying time for me, however I got thru it thanks to my Night Rider. When I did my taxes in Feb of 2012, I realized she had put nearly 40,000 miles that first year.

There were many times throughout that first year as a courier, that I had sought out new career avenues. Afterall I was a college grad and sometimes felt a bit embarrassed to be working as a mere courier. Yet I was still making very decent money, and after a year I had caught up with my debt, paid off the Night Rider, and had begun to amass a large savings account. There were many times that winter I considered quitting yet things got much easier after the winter was over. By the summertime I was enjoying the work again and even took on a new job at Victory Field. I remember it was a very hot and dry summer that year and although I went thru some medical issues (mostly dehydration) the Night Rider was always reliable.

By the fall of 2012 I had once again began to grow significantly bored with the courier job. Even tho I was making good money, I began to grow tired with the management yet also the lack of challenge. That winter was another difficult one, and I remember the weather was the worse it had been in years. I would often talk with friends on my phone while I worked to make the days more interesting. However my mood took a terrible dip that winter, especially after the Night Rider went thru some major repairs. I had to shell out nearly $1000 to once again fix the brakes as well as the transmission.

After the Christmas Rush and inspiration from Les Miserables I was able to pull out of this frustrating time. However the winter lasted clear into March of 2013. There was one instance where I actually got stuck in a snowy driveway in Lebanon. I was so furious at the company for not sending help, that I nearly quit on the spot that day. I knew at that point that I had to seriously find a better job and get out of that field as soon as possible. And finally the opportunity came in the spring of 2013 where I was offered a new full time position at Dow Agro Sciences. And so after 2 years and 80,000 miles of hard mobile work my Night Rider was no longer to be used as a business vehicle yet rather a personal vehicle.

Dow Agro Days

By the spring of 2013, the Night Rider took more of a back seat in my life, as should be for a car. It was only used to commute to work, run errands, and visit friends and family. In the fall of 2013 I used her to explore the northwest region of Indianapolis/Zionsville to find a house I could buy. When I finally bought my new place in the spring of 2014, I was only 10 minutes from my work, which made the commute all the easier.

In the fall of 2014 she went on yet another adventure, as I drove her on a 20 hour round trip to visit Marc and Laura in Kansas City. She caused me no problems whatsoever, minus a bad tail-light which was my fault and not hers. It was a very enjoyable trip and her last major road-trip. Not once of the many times I drove her outside the city (Fort Wayne, Michigan, Bloomington, Chicago) did she break down on me, and this was a very fortunate thing. In the past two years she only cost me a little extra on brakes and tires.

Her final and most recent months were quite uneventful. By the winter of 2014 I noticed the paint had begun to significantly wear off and the idle problems had worsened. There were times she would completely shut down at stop signs or lights, however this problem was always off and on. Luckily she made it thru the winter, which wasn't nearly as brutal as the previous two years.

However thru the spring and summer, there were certainly warning signs, mostly with the idle. By that point I had once again began to consider the possibility that these were her final days (as I had so often done in my courier days). On the weekend of Aug 28th she made her last long distance trip to Fort Wayne. The next few weeks in September the stalls began to increase. And on Friday the 25th of September she punched her last ticket in Zionsville. And so ends the glorious and very eventful lifespan of my Night Rider. She will never be forgotten!


The Night Wolf

I have been anticipating the demise of my Night Rider for quite some time, even back during my courier days. About a year ago I was very keen on purchasing a Jeep as her replacement. Yet the cost and efficiency of a Jeep didn't suit me, so I would later change that desire back to a sedan. I wanted a more mature vehicle, something luxurious and powerful. I was prepared to recommence on car payments, and ready to spend much more than on previous purchase. It was several factors that brought me back to Chevrolet and specifically the Malibu/Impala models.

1. First was brand loyalty, having owned a Cobalt for the past 7 years.
2. Second was that my brother Gabriel had owned an Impala and always spoke highly of it's performance and power
3. Third was that my favorite team, Manchester United was sponsored by Chevrolet
4. Fourth was an advertising campaign on the awarded luxurious cars provided by Chevrolet

The night of the breakdown I did my homework, with a keen interest towards Impalas or Malibus. (I wanted to stay with Chevrolet that had done me well the past 7 years). I wanted something new and slightly used, a luxurious sedan yet with a powerful engine. The next morning, my mom and I, drove to the Bill Estes Chevrolet, nearby on 96th and Chevrolet. Our salesman was a very friendly and young face and he showed us some of the inventory, however there was a clear front runner in my mind. It was a 2014 black Chevy Impala with only 27 thousand miles on it. After a little bit of negotiating and a lot of paperwork, the car was mine. It was exactly the one I wanted.

The car is unlike anything I've owned before. It's very modern, sleek, and extremely spacious. It has a sunroof and bluetooth capabilities where I can call and answer my phone from the speakers. It has a very fast acceleration with her 6 cylinder engine. She can pack a punch when needed, however she's also very classy. She's smooth as silk, graceful like a gazelle, and vicious like a wolf. She's my silk rider and my night wolf. I hope she'll bring me many years and great experiences to come.