Its got a GPS, too... that's the ultimate accessory for an outdoors wanderer, believe me. Most of the time you use it to keep you informed as to you where you are; in an emergency, you use it to tell others where you are. Everyone should have a GPS in their car as far as I'm concerned.

This is my 2nd Sidekick (well, the first one was a Geo Tracker, essentially the same thing, though.) It's just a great car. I bought it used, it's a 1997. In Montana, that means I can put a "permanent" plate on it; no more registration fees, taxes, etc. Very economical to own — just fuel and maintenance costs.

See the two electrical cords coming out from under the hood? One is for a battery heater, the other is connected to a pair of engine block heaters. It gets very cold here, -40°f is not unheard of and -30°f is common; these add-ons make starting in those temperatures no problem at all.

Future project: When the engine dies, I'd like to convert it to an electric vehicle. Hopefully, by the time that little 4-banger expires, they'll have nailed down the whole ultra-cap thing; I'm no fan of batteries... too much maintenance, too slow to charge, too heavy, not enough power, too short a lifetime. So I'm prepared to replace drivetrain components, U joints, etc. It'd be a gas (actually not) to have an electric car in this form factor.

This picture was shot with my 40D, using the 18-55 mm zoom at ISO 100. Handheld, late afternoon sunlight.

#car #tracker

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