Mingus is dead, long live Mingus

My friends, the faithful Mingus is no more. One run-in with the back end of a Jeep Cherokee and its sturdy hitch proved too much for the poor fellow. He's gone to that big wagon parts clearinghouse in the sky.

Let's all take a moment to remember his year of devoted service to the wanderings of the BCB.

Ah, Mingus, we hardly knew ye . . .

Yes, it's a sad day. But on an up note, it's also a step forward in my search for elusive grownupdom—I actually get to pick out and buy a ride that's not being discarded by a member of my family. And thanks to a bizarre formula over at my insurance company that values cars way over blue book, I'll have a decent chunk of change to start with.

Turns out my Prius and Mini dreams were too lofty, unfortunately. Guess I'll save those for real adulthood. But a good sturdy Golf is the clear runner-up, and I'm pretty excited about the idea. My very first car was an old-school Golf with nonexistent shocks and a leaky moon roof that squealed like a banshee at 40 mph. Even so, they're fun to drive, they get reasonable gas mileage, they last forever, and they're a great size for city parking.

The new arrival will still be used, but in much better shape than anything I've owned before. Dover, Hogan, Mingus . . . you were all good pals. Now it's time for the next movement.