We had to retire our old 2004 Acura TSX six speed manual last week. The car had about 220,000 miles on it. We put all of them on there. We never got around to naming this car, partly because it was Travis’ car first and he doesn’t name cars, and partly because its name was The Acura. This car represented something to Travis that is hard to quantify. After four years of college, four years of medical school, four years of residency, and four more years post residency, he finally, FINALLY got to order a car that he really wanted. The Acura was tan interior, black exterior, zippy and fun to drive. Since we were still paying off student loans, he researched the cheapest place to get his car, probably one of the first online ordered cars around. The dealer in Elmhurst gave him the best price. We had to wait four months to get it. In the meantime, he continued to drive the Blue Bomber to work, even though it had died on the highway once on the way to work, and the nurses at the hospital gave the car its name since it was the worst ride in the doctors’ parking lot. And on that day that it died, Travis called his folks instead of a tow truck. Merle and Peg came out with their trusty Lincoln Town Car and some rope. At some point, the police were involved, and a proper tow bar had to be obtained, as if there is anything proper about a Lincoln Town Car towing an old Honda Civic off the highway. That may just be a story for another day. 

The Acura was some measure of success for Travis, long after his peers had better rides and more disposable income. We had four kids and just started feeling like we would eventually get out from under the student loans. And the Blue Bomber couldn’t pass emissions, despite numerous attempts, and was losing reliability. It was the med school car, back when we only had one car and no kids. Hard to remember those days now. We donated the Blue Bomber out of state, where it wouldn’t have to pass emissions. Never did figure out what the problem was. 

Travis drove that Acura as his primary car until nearly 2014, when it became the kid car, and he bought the most unfortunate Volkswagen CC. As much as I loved that Acura, I hated the CC (Crappy Car). The Acura was the type of car that lives through the family lore. It taught four kids how to drive a manual transmission. Well, I taught the kids, but The Acura took the brunt of the learning process. That process always involved my frustration after several lessons, at which point Travis would get into The Acura with whichever kid was learning, take them around, and declare that HE taught them how to drive stick. Seriously? I had the whiplash! I sometimes contemplate how many first kisses that car saw, as it was each kids’ first car. As one went to college, the car handed down. Summer jobs and schedules were juggled around that car. 

I remember when the first clutch finally went out at 160,000 miles. Pretty amazing for one clutch. Of course, Trent was out with friends, it was 11pm on a Thursday, and he called saying the car just wouldn’t go, even though it was running. Trav and I had to haul ourselves out of bed and drive to Diehl Road in Naperville. Some kind people had stopped and helped Trent push the car into a parking lot. We pushed it the rest of the way into an actual parking spot. I was convinced that it would get towed overnight, and there seemed to be people in the office building, so I went in to ask permission to leave the car there overnight. Apparently, it was a rowdy office party. The weary door man told me that it was unlikely to be the only car left overnight, so he didn’t see any problem. We got it towed to the repair shop the next day and paid a hefty price for a new clutch. That is one thing Travis wouldn’t repair on a car. He did it once with his dad and they had parts all up and down the driveway, labeled with chalk. There were some spare parts at the end. Travis swore he would never change a clutch again. 

The first scratch on that car came when one of the kids slid his bike all the way down the passenger side, getting the bike out of the back of the garage. Travis wanted to be mad, but it was a tiny scratch, although it ran bumper to bumper. It was never fixed. It became part of The Acura’s character. When the air conditioner died in 2016, the repair guy told us it would cost $1500 to repair. So, then there was no air. Trent complained once. I told him that there was still air conditioning. Just drive fast (as if he needed any encouragement there) and open the windows. Trav said that he had heard that bicycles didn’t have any issues with air conditioning. Trent never complained again. 

Taryn claimed that she hated driving stick shift, and refused to learn. After one school year of switching The Acura with my minivan, I made her drive The Acura all summer. She was good enough with the car to drive alone, so she wasn’t allowed to use any electronics on summer mornings until she drove the car across the hilly Shorewood neighborhood and back… every… day… all… summer. The next school year, she declared her love of manual transmission, and still drives a manual today. 

Tessa was my quickest to learn to drive stick shift. She loved it immediately, because she hated driving Bert, which was the only other option, since the minivan had been exchanged for the beloved Bert at that point. Taryn taught Tayden to drive, mostly. So, maybe Tayden was the quickest to learn for me, since I was minimally involved. With no backup camera, Tayden did manage to back  into a Shorewood mailbox. Another mark of character on the poor car. We repaired the mailbox, but not the car. 

The Acura started making some bad noises in December when the clutch was engaged, but it still drove okay. The noises were like a banging sound. We brought it to the shop, where they told us that it needed a new transmission. Despite many calls, the owner of the shop could not locate a new transmission for a 2004 six speed manual transmission Acura TSX. He thought that there were maybe 20 of those cars made, and 15 of them resided in Europe or Asia, as Acura owners usually liked automatic. It was time to say goodbye. We donated The Acura to the Porter County Career Center, where high school kids in the automotive program will learn how to work on a manual transmission. It may be the only manual they ever work on, but maybe not. Travis handed down his oldish Subaru Impreza 5 speed manual transmission as a kid car, and ordered another Subaru Impreza 5 speed manual transmission. It’s probably the last year they will make a manual in this car. We need all wheel drive on our ski-hill of a driveway, so Subaru (or Jeep, but Travis won’t get a Jeep) is our only option in stick shift. And this is the last time I will accommodate his stick shift fascination. They are just too hard to find. And impossible to repair. Since there were probably only 20 of those Subarus made, and 15 of them reside in Europe. 

Goodbye Acura! It was a great run! You will always remain my favorite car ever!