THREE. HUNDRED. THOUSAND.

I'm more than willing to admit that when I purchased my car ten years ago, the main reason I bought the grey 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix is because it was pretty.

My mom went with me and we just like the car.

BUT...there were other, more practical reasons I chose this particular vehicle. I wanted a mid-sized car, one that would provide even a little protection should I be in a crash.

I liked the wide wheel-base of the Grand Prix. I liked the lower center of gravity.

I wanted a four-door car.

Though I was still a year away from meeting Tom and three years away from having Alyssa, I knew that eventually, I'd find him and have her. And I wanted a car that would be family-friendly.

I couldn't imagine having to get a baby in to and out of a car that only had two doors.

Also, the car only had 39,000 miles on it. The dealership wanted $10,000.

I'm not one to bargain so I secured a loan and paid them for that car.

When I met Tom he thought I'd been taken on that deal.

He was sure the car had been in an accident and considered 'totaled.' He insisted it was a rebuild and that the dealership took advantage of me. Even though the carfax says otherwise, he's still sure of this.

This past weekend, that car drove it's 300,000th mile.

The car has been hit by a deer, side-swiped by my mom's van, driven out of a ditch after sliding into it one traitorous winter morning.

It has safely toted me and my daughters to and from our home 65 miles away from my work (85 miles from my mom's/our new home) for the past eight years.

Yes, it's probaby time to be looking for a newish vehicle.

But...it's still starts every single morning without a hiccup. It still idles without me having to constantly give it gas (I had a car that had to have the gas pedal pressed constantly in order to stay running.)

All in all, I think I made a pretty good choice ten years ago when I paid those $10,000 for that car. That's only a thousand dollars a year.

Sure, we've replaced the battery twice and Tom's replaced the brakes a few times. And the driver's side front window acts up. I call all those things typical maintance on a non-new car.

And, dudes, three hundred thousand miles! I might have to treat the poor old thing to the premium gasoline the next time I fill up.

Then again, maybe not. Wouldn't want to shock its system.