The Burb

There are so many things I love and a few things that I don't like about the Burb (what we call our '95 Chevy Suburban).

One of the things that I love most is SPACE!!! Our kids aren't huge yet but I know that even when they are full grown they will be able to sit in it and we'll be able to carry everything we'd need for a vacation etc. Caleb is already 4'8"  at 8 years old. He is not going to be short! Hannah and Lydia at 6 and almost 5 are pushing 4'. I guess knowing that they are our children we should automatically assume that they would be tall. (Unless they happen to get extra Hansen genes). 

It is also nice, being transient like we are, that it is able to hold A LOT when we take the seats out when we move.  It is amazing to me how few trips we had to make with it when we moved twice last year! 

I also like that it seats 8 people so we can take 2 people along with us if we want to or have the need. When Glenn's parents visited and when his sister and our nephew visited last year we were able to do whatever because we all fit in there together.

There are a few things that I don't like about it... the known problems and the unknown. Last week I drove it out to AWANA with the kids and I don't remember it giving me problems on the way to church but I was praying hard all the way home not sure if it was going to make it because it was acting funny and felt like it was going to fall apart and I didn't have my cell phone to call anyone and we have to drive through some sketchy parts of Rochester to get home. Thankfully we made it home and I swore I would never drive it again. Glenn had to work the next couple of days so couldn't look at it until Saturday morning when we were supposed to be going to the home of some friends. They graciously came and got me and the kids then let us borrow their van for the night so we could get to church in the morning. Glenn had no answers on the Burb but he thought that it might be the transmission. Yesterday we took it somewhere and were told it was not the transmission but it might be the motor. The guy who checked it out said that the Burb was great and that we should get it fixed. So today it is at another shop getting worked on. I guess that the intake manifold gasket is shot. It will cost us, but a lot less than a junker that we don't know what is wrong with it on Craigslist. Getting this fixed should also help out gas mileage (which was about 9mpg last time I checked - ouch! another thing I don't like about our Burb) because it is spitting out too much gas. There is still the problem with the gas line and the loose front end that we have to replace a tie rod every year to get it to pass inspection but... we'll be on the road again and not HAVE to buy a vehicle right now.

So that is our most recent Burb saga. I really love our Burb. It has been a great vehicle for us. I don't know if I would be content with a mini-van and Glenn's dream vehicle is a LandRover Defender 110 so I am glad that the Burb is fixable for now.