Some would call Eddie an SUV although I wouldn't be surprised if his birth preceded that name being invented. Plus, while he offers exceptional utility, even the most generous would not give Eddie high marks for sportiness. I guess Eddie is actually a UV.

When I acquired Eddie, there were less than 10000 miles on the odometer. This is a 5 digit odometer and other evidence indicated that one or more digits had certainly escaped from it. At the time, I was getting around in a decidedly unsnowworthy Camaro and Eddie's 4 wheel drive along with his "relaxed" appearance made him an ideal foul weather alternative.

I told myself that I would like to get a couple years service from the car but would be more than content with one. That was over five years ago and it's still ticking. Of course, some of the more noticeable ticking is coming from the crack in the exhaust manifold and, until the oil gets to flowing, the valve train.

Eddie is a 1986 Eddie (Aha!!) Bauer edition Bronco II. The Bauer label means that Eddie is equipped with some pretty fancy stuff. However, little of that fancy stuff is currently operational. During our first few months together, I could unlock the passenger door and the rear hatch with a button but that was soon gone. The lock side of that option had already ceased working as had the AC, the tape player, the rear hatch struts, and several other "luxuries". Eddie's feature content can be described as everything you absolutely need and absolutely nothing you don't. I suppose that, technically, the still functioning power windows might be called a luxury but I see the ability to open them in July and close them in January as fairly basic functions. Even with the windows tightly closed and aided by some strategically placed duct tape, there is no danger of asphyxiation.

Eddie's behavior over the years has not been perfect. He has left me stranded a few times but his absolutely worst stunt was when he tried to jettison his starter while on loan to my girl friend, Chris. Just spitting out a bolt and stalling would have been bad enough but the pull off point was the snow covered shoulder of an expressway exit ramp. Chris has shown an understandable lack of trust ever since.

But each problem has been repaired at a cost that history has shown to be justified. But I know that this cannot go on forever. Eddie has long been in that category where each expense is considered in light of the odds of recouping it. This was clearly a large consideration before a full set of (cheap) tires was purchased a couple of years back. Now a days, it's a consideration whenever I fill the tank.

20-Oct-2002: Near the end of June, Eddie again misbehaved. Turning the ignition key after dinner at a nearby restaurant resulted in nothing more than a click. After much unrewarding poking and wiggling of electrical attachments under the hood and under the car, I was resigned to a walk home in the light rain. Then, just before setting off, the volume of the "key in ignition" warning buzzer increased suddenly. I don't know what caused it but it prompted me to turn the key one more time and Eddie's engine instantly came to life.

I drove straight home to the dry garage and once there, Eddie's lack of cooperation returned and he remained stationary until now. He had given me a warning and a brief reprieve and I was both grateful and wary. The summer weather gave me little incentive or opportunity to mount a serious attack but I did attempt the occasional diagnosis. I checked wires and such and replaced one cable and a relay. I took first the battery and then the starter off to AutoZone for testing. The battery test was inconclusive. It showed no problem but was not fully charged. I blamed my ancient trickle charger and bought a new one. The battery seemed to charge up OK and I went under the car for the starter. On the test jig, it grunted but refused to spin. With high hopes I headed home with a new (rebuilt) free (life time warranty) replacement.

No joy. Eventually, after more poking and wiggling, I again removed the starter. The new one had not actually been tested before being installed and my theory was that it was defective on the shelf or a bumbling installer (me) had rendered it useless. My hopes rose when direct connects to the almost new charger and what seemed a fully charged battery produced not a single rotation of the starter shaft. Those hopes faded quickly when it spun without hesitation on the test stand.

Eventually, the battery was discovered to have an intermittent short and replacing it seems to have restored Eddie to his normal level of health. It was the local Ford dealer who came up with firm evidence of the battery's guilt but they also implicated the alternator. That alternator easily passed an in vehicle test by the friendly & helpful folks at AutoZone and all seems well. Eddie is back in service but he'll only be allowed short outings for the present.

18-Nov-2002: Eddie has been behaving quite well but I was starting to get nervous. I have been visiting my Dad every two or three weeks and the changing seasons meant that undertaking the 200 mile (round trip) journey in the Corvette might one day qualify as "Really Stupid". My choice seemed to be between chancing getting stuck between inhabited areas in a go anywhere vehicle whose electrics hiccupped or in a fair weather roadster meeting foul weather conditions.

Add to that an auto industry desperate to move merchandise and the stage was set for replacing Eddie. I decided that a Pontiac Vibe was the right car and General Motors gave me one this weekend. After an attractive price was negotiated, GM gave me the car with no money down, gave me the money to buy it with no interest, and gave me 90 days before the first payment. Besides it being free, reasons that I selected the Vibe included a flexible and practical interior that was personally tested for sleepability, good economy (advertised 29-36 MPG, experienced 26-33), and foul weather drivability. Although the FWD Vibe will not plow through mud and snow as well as Eddie, I expect it will be just fine for my real needs. In all the time I drove Eddie, the only situations his 4WD got me out of were situations that having 4WD got me into.

But Eddie didn't go far. His new home is with my daughter who, like many others, has make use of him in the past. I think there's a pretty good chance Eddie will be humming/ticking for many years to come even though I also think he will falter now and then throughout those years. It was only the idea that one of those falterings might occur with the temperature ten degrees below and the nearest farmer ten miles away that prompted my fear. My daughter works and lives in town so will not be at great risk if Eddie fails to get her all the way home some day. So, even though he is no longer in my stable, Eddie still has a home and is feeling useful.