After 16 years of ownership, the time has come for me to say goodbye to my 2000 Chrysler Cirrus. My then-wife and I purchased this car in 2003 from Bedford Ford Lincoln Mercury in Bedford, Pennsylvania, my employer at the time. We had been looking to replace her 1996 Chrysler Concorde and had started the search process a few weeks earlier. I would keep an eye on the used car inventory and bring something home that seemed interesting for her to take a closer look.

Some prospects looked good on paper, but didn't translate too well into the real world. Me being a car nut, I did my best to try and talk her into something along the lines of a Mustang GT or Camaro Z28, to which she would just roll her eyes. Mint condition examples of those cars broke the budget, and affordable examples were too beat up.

I fell in love with a 1996 Ford Thunderbird that had two doors, a V8, and a mere 26k original miles on the odometer. Unfortunately, a two-door car can present outward visibility issues for a shorter person. My excitement quickly evaporated when my 5'2" wife couldn't make the manual driver's seat compensate for the giant blind spot created by the large c-pillar.

I was leaving work one afternoon and spotted something new on the front line. This Chrysler Cirrus was a fresh trade, having arrived a day or two prior. The four-door nondescript outward appearance didn't excite my senses. But the 12k original miles on the odometer got my attention.

The car was also a local trade, bought new from and regularly serviced across the parking lot at Bedford Chrysler. The original owner used it as a "second car," and kept it in a garage most of the time.

I brought it home for the customary evaluation. In my wife's plus column, four doors had always been her preference. The seating position, which was aided by 6-way power adjustment, worked perfectly and provided a full range of outward visibility in all directions. She also liked the large trunk and pass-through rear seat design.

My plus column consisted of all the technical aspects. The car has the optional 2.4L inline 4-cylinder that has earned a reputation for being trouble free. The lack of any high performance features meant parts like tires and brakes would be less expensive. And even though it would only be for a few more months, this car was still under the factory warranty.

Sales manager Brian made us a great deal, and we brought it home on January 23, 2003.

In the sixteen years that have passed, this car has been nothing short of a wonderful experience. Shortly after purchase, my wife and I moved from Pennsylvania to Columbia, Missouri. The Cirrus would occasionally make the 800-mile trip back home for a visit. Six years later, we moved again to Athens, Georgia. But most of the time, the Cirrus spent its days and miles around town, wherever that town may be.

After our divorce, the car settled into various roles such as "people hauler," "foul weather" car, and "it's-not-a-truck-but-it'll-do" vehicle for hauling stuff. It's never left me stranded. And the worst issue I've experienced was an a/c evaporator replacement where the dash has to be removed.

The car had 12k miles on the odometer when we bought it in 2003. I've managed to keep the miles low over the last 16 years. And now it's time for me to pass the car along to the next owner, my friend Danita. I still refer to this car as, "my best sensible car purchase," (if you've read any of my other Ride stories, you know I don't do "sensible" very well).