Bittersweet departure: One more car gone :(

[RareGMFan]

Welp.....my 2nd and only remaining AWD STE JUST left here just a bit ago, and I have quite the queasy feeling in the pit of my stomach right now, which actually comes as a surprise. I thought I was past this. These cars have been sitting there, completely useless for so long, that I thought I was completely detached from them at this point. They had me at wits end, constantly worrying about the tires being inflated, and registration stickers being up to date, always stepping outside in the morning, or coming around the corner from work at night with my heart in my throat, hoping they hadn't been towed away for one reason, or another. I love ALL my cars, but.....they also put me through an immense amount of stress (or I should say, the rules and regulations of apartment managements have).

I had dreamed of the moment I would finally be free of these things. The moment where I don't have to worry about these cars anymore, PERIOD. Every year, $78 per car for registration stickers. Every week or two, having to inflate the tires with a weak ass inflater that took 7-10 minutes per completely flat tire. Talk about raising stress and blood pressure. Imagine the feeling of not having to ever deal with, or worry about that anymore. With 3 cars down, one to go, this should have been a monumental moment.

But....something strange happened. I didn't feel anything, or think anything of what was going on while we were getting the car on the flat bed, or I was putting all the spare parts together. It didn't even hit me while we were signing the bill of sale, or I was giving him the title. It certainly didn't occur to me while he was counting out the money (other than I was a bit upset about how cheap I had to let this car go for). But when I went back outside, and the buyer got in the truck and started pulling away, it kicked in. A sudden melancholy feeling of loss. I looked at her, still sitting up there proud and resilient, despite how I had neglected her and left her dilapidated......and I couldn't help but think she's still plenty savable.....and those after market wheels look so good on there right now......and despite all the rust and paint peeling, that blue is fantastic.......and man, remember how people would be in awe of the dashboard and options on this car? And how about those ridiculously comfy seats? I was just hit with a flood of memories about how much I loved these cars. The 6000 STE sparked my interest in cars, and the '89 AWD is what sparked my obsession with rare edition FWD GMs. And there it was. The last of my sparks, being hauled away like some piece of scrap metal.

Right now, the voice in my head keeps trying to remind me that I'm GLAD it's gone, and I don't have to deal with all the headaches anymore, but......right now, that's not the way I feel. This actually feels like a sad day, not "the moment I've been waiting for".

Some pics of the car during its better days






This was at one of our meets a year or so ago. You could see the rust had already started to set in...








And the reason I fell in love with these cars (STEs in general)...

[pokey]

Oh man, if I had an AWD STE, I don't think I would be able to part with it. I am having a hard enough time convincing myself to put my Roadmaster and GP SE up for sale, and those aren't nearly as special as that STE. You're definetly a stronger man than I.

Sorry for your loss.

[Jrs3800]

Man I loved those cars... Thats part of where my love of SSE Bonnevilles comes from.. But like you sadly I have to let the 91 SSE go to the scrap pile... Found some issues that are not worth repairing... But the palns are to strip everything SSE wise out of the SSE and install it in the 91 LE Bonneville... This LE will end up a one off car... The Shell of the SSE will be junked :sad5:

I know how you feel..

[WhiteArrow3800]

Whoa I've never seen the dash in those. Wow, that's so much cooler looking than the '00+!

Wonderful looking car. I've never found one in person. Sorry to hear though.

[RareGMFan]

Thanks, guys. Just have to keep reminding myself that it's not over. When the time is right, and I have an actual house with a garage that I can keep such cars in, I'm sure I will come across another one. But right now, it just isn't practical/feasible to keep project cars around. It hasn't been for some time, but I kept putting off selling them for one excuse, or another. With this last towing warning I got, I decided enough was enough, and the buyer responded very quickly (same guy who bought my other AWD a couple years ago), so it all fell into place.

[Bonneville92V688]

Sad to see it go.... I remember seeing both of your 6K AWDs on A-Body.net back when I was a member there. I'd love to get ahold of a 6k AWD, but they are so scarce, I haven't found one within 300miles in nearly 3 years.

[Allmachtige]

I loved those 80's digital dashes.

[Euro]

Sucks to see it go, D :(

[Gumball]

go sit inside your 01 GTP, take a look around. check out the two toned leather. Looks good don't it?

see your forgetting about it already

[gonzo4191]

his gtp aint so nice anymore :(

fix her up D

[Gumball]

gasp see I was trying to bring him back up, and you shot him down

j/k, I had no idea

[RareGMFan]

Yeah, the GTP got totaled a couple months ago due to someone's moronic driving on the expressway (no, not mine). Luckily, I came out unscathed, but the car wasn't so lucky. I'm keeping it despite the "total loss", but she's going to need several body panels to look good again. Not to worry. I will take care of it before the end of this summer.

With the other 3 cars gone, I have a growing urge to keep the 2-door McLaren Turbo, and get her looking good, too. Every time I see a pic of one of those in mint condition, I find it harder to convince myself to sell it. We'll see what happens. First thing's first. The GTP needs to not look like it was used in a car bombing.

[2003blackbonniese]

i want that dash! lol

[Bvill_GXP]

wow... That was was advance for it's time.. and looked *dang* good too!!