Forrest Nissan

So despite the fact that this is such earth-shattering news that ABC, CBS, NBC, TNT, and all the rest of the world's news agencies haven't even caught a whiff of it yet, I decided to go ahead and post this. Well, that and someone else I know via LJ has similar problems just now.

Right about eight-ten years ago (I've lost track. Who counts once the thing is paid off?) we purchased a used Nissan pick-up truck. Used is a relative term, of course. So is the concept that purchasing a used vehicle is purchasing Somebody Else's Troubles. (Hmm, and that's the title of one of my favorite songs, written by a chap name of Steve Goodman, who also wrote the Lincoln Park Pirates. But I digress). In this case, the truck had about 13K miles on it, and the trouble we were buying is they wanted a car, not a truck, and we took over payments.

Because of the color, and because her name came first on the title and the loan, SWMBO promply dubbed the vehicle, Forrest Nissan.

We wanted a truck for several reasons:

• Own and operate a small ranch, need a truck.
• Wanted a pickup truck. I already owned a van, and moving feed/hay in and out of a van was getting old.
• Wanted a truck that got better gasoline milage than said van, since at the time both of us were commuting into Hoggetowne for gainful employment.

Nissan (and the other Japanese motor vehicle manufacturers) now offer "full size" pickup trucks, by which I mean 3/4 and 1 ton trucks. Forrest is a half-ton truck. It's a very, very honest half ton load carrying capacity. We've frequently exceeded this capacity, and no dire consequences befell us.

Forrest now has 157(plus)K miles. Yesterday, we replaced &/or had done:

• the original manufacturers shocks
• the original manufacturers struts
• the original manufacturers front brake calipers
• the original manufacturers rear brake shoes
• rear brake drum turning
• front-end alignment
• AC recharge
• tune-up (which did not require replacing the spark plugs or wiring harness)

Forrest is very happy now.

Oh, and this conversation with the guy at the shop when we picked up the pickup:

 

Guy: what caused the bowl-shaped hole in the upholstery and padding on the passenger-side of the bench seat?

Me: our border collie, Mama Munch.

Guy: digging at the seat?

Me: no, she's got some hellacious farts. That's why the AC didn't work, too.