Tiggy

A few days ago, we turned in "Tiggy."  Our beloved 2010 Volkswagen Tiguan, needing significant repair, was traded in for a new vehicle.  This post reflects on who she was, and what she meant to us.

Beginnings

We bought Tiggy in 2010, when we lived in Germany.  Our daughter was one month old, and I had just totaled my dear Gold 1.  We needed a new car, and Tiggy fit the bill.  A 2010 Tiguan, she was a smaller SUV with enough backseat space for tall adults to sit comfortably, with plenty of pep for autobahn travels.  We never gave her a 'proper' name, calling her Tiggy or (on occasion) Tiggy Pop.  Tiggy would stick with the children.

Adventures

Tiggy was with is from February 2010- August 2018.  During that time, we had many adventures.    The highlights:

2010-11: Our first real road trip as a family of three, we drove her to Prague in June 2010.  We'd subsequently take her on many European adventures; after Germany and Czech, we'd take trips through France, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, and Austria.

Tiggy in Prague, 2010.  After driving her in, she was lowered underground to dissuade theft.

Touring our local Rhein River region.

Amsterdam!

July 2011: Papa and I drove her from Germany to our new home in England.  We took a few days to explore the sights along the way, stopping at Verdun, Rheims, and Dunkirk on the continent before taking the ferry to Dover (enjoying the white cliffs!).  After arrival in England, we saw Canterbury and Cambridge on our way up to Harrogate.  It was quite the adventure driving her on the left-hand side of the road!

2011-14: Great Britain adventures!  Tiggy safely carried us on many road trips in England, Scotland, and Wales.  Most were day trips, taken with my daughter when my wife was pregnant.  And in July 2012, Tiggy takes our new arrival, a son, home from the hospital.  We loved English Heritage sites (castles and abbeys), Cornwall, and a personal favorite was driving her through the North York Moors.

Summer 2014: In America!  Tiggy for the first time in the USA.

2014-18: First home and commute!  Tiggy was there as we shopped for homes and became first-time home buyers in 2014.  She'd get me safely to work . . . she was in the shop a few times, but for minor things.  At this point, we used our other vehicle to transport our family of five (we had a third child in 2015), and so Tiggy was mostly mine (and she drove in only four states- PA, MD, DE, and VA).  I added some stickers, and the kids loved riding in her; they'd often request to do so on the weekends.

August 2018: The end; the 'check engine' light came on one Sunday afternoon, and a shop visit confirmed our worst fear: a new timing belt (and maybe more) was required.  Time to turn her in.

Tiggy in the shop lot

Reflections

After Gold 1, I didn't think I'd enjoy another car as much.  But Tiggy grew on me, and I'm genuinely sorry to see her go- the whole family is in mourning. 

She rarely gave me any problems; none in the 18 months we owned her in Germany. 
in England:
- broken radiator
- flat tire (I drove over a screw in Cornwall)
in America:
- dent in front quarter panel (I nicked a post at a Sonic)
- dents in door panels (from careless parking lot incidents by others)
- dead battery (not unexpected)
- electronic brake malfunction
- chips in windshield (some might big ones, but they were fixable)
- sticking gas tank panel (easily fixed)
- timing chain and probably more (thus causing her demise)

That's it- almost 9 years, 105,986 miles, 11 countries, 4 states, with just one major issue.  And even that would have been covered by a VW class action lawsuit just released, had she been under 100,000 miles.

It sounds so silly, but when I lose a car, I feel a part of me is lost. Why?  It was "just a car."  But Tiggy was with us through three kids, adventures in Germany and England, our first home, and our transition back to America.  She was a consistent part of our ever-changing world.  And so we mourn.  Tiggy, we miss you.  Long may you ride.