Well, it is the end of era. At least that is the case at our hacienda.

After almost a decade of loyal service and countless adventures the tried and true 1988 Ford Crown Victoria LX Country Squire station wagon is being out to pasture. In other words it is time to pass it to someone who needs dependable local transportation or that wants to get a head start on restoring a future classic.

The old wagon has served us well. There were trips through the Colorado Rockies and to Mexico, the deserts of New Mexico and the coast of California.

On one of my sons first “all men” camp outs the wagon proved to be e better shelter from cold mountain rains than our friends high dollar tent. It also proved a valuable asset for transporting musical equipment for a church service in Peach Springs and getting us home from Supai after an early fall snow.

The memories are many. This is the car my son used for his driving test. It is also the one my son and I used for the last father/son camp out before he stepped out into the world, started a family, and began building a life of his own.

It may be hard to believe from these pictures but when we purchased this wagon it looked as shiny as its replacement, a 1988 Jeep Cherokee. I will dig up some old photos for a comparison study.

I suppose the changing of the guard can be seen as rather fitting as my wife and I are starting a new chapter in life. So, its out with the old, in with the new.

Our newest version of the Hinckley “family truckster” is a 1998 Jeep Cherokee Sport with automatic transmission and the 4.0 inline six with a refined version of the Nash manifold. I can explain the bit about the manifold reference a bit more on the Memory Lane Garage page of the Route 66 Info Center (www.route66infocenter.com). A link is provided at the bottom of this post.

As is always the case in our home the purchase of the Cherokee was preceded by a bit of research. We are not really much for impulse buying.

This generation of Jeep has received high marks for durability, reliability, and overall owner satisfaction. Time will tell but we are eager to see what adventures await us with the new set of wheels, a worthy stable mate for Barney the wonder truck.

I will keep you updated on those adventures as well as what repairs are needed and details of how they are resolved on the Memory Lane Garage page as well with brief summaries here.