2000 GMC Sonoma Troutmobile
The 2001 Subaru Forester Troutmobile (see earlier post) turned out to be a temporary solution which developed a head gasket problem that even a part-time weekend mechanic like myself was afraid to tackle. Too bad because I liked the car but it did have a major drawback in that it was too wimpy to pull my 17′ fiberglass bass boat – so that was an issue I could never resolve. I sold the forester to a mechanic that understood the engine problem and likely replaced the gaskets in a day – so happy trails to him and I mean that sincerely.
After much anxiety and a couple test drives of vehicles found on craigslist I went with the GMC Sonoma pictured above. It has 98K on the odometer, auto trans, 2.2 L 4 cylinder for better mileage (but still tough enough for towing the boat), a third door with the extended cab, heated side view mirrors, broken radio, and darn it, no trailer hitch. So I have that ahead of me but know I can install a hitch myself and save a couple bucks. Coinciding with purchasing the truck I pulled a muscle or disk in my back so the vehicle has been parked in front of my house for a week with the sad face you can also see in the above photo. That might be my imagination.
The searing back pain spasms are subsiding and my wife left a grocery list on the counter so I must be doing something wrong. I’ll make that tortuous trip to Meijers but you know I’ll be tempted to buy a twelve pack of Labatts and make a detour north to visit Feral because wading a trout stream is doctor recommended medicine for a sore back. OK, the doctor recommended yoga but anyone that has ever waded a trout stream can appreciate the similarity.
It remains to be seen whether the Sonoma can live up to the reputation of my earlier troutmobiles because it has some giant shoes to fill. Like the Pathfinder (see The Incident at Tin Bridge – try the search tool) which may have been disintegrating below my feet but it sure got the job done. Or the Xterra which saved me from extinction in spite of the concrete wall, but that’s another story.
Fichigan 