BJ

BJ, (Brutus Junior) our less than 2 week old Mercury Mariner Hybrid was hit by a deer 40 miles North of Iron Mountain Michigan. Repair costs - $6700. Attached you will find a sad picture of our newest family member.

How did BJ get his name, you ask? Well, Brutus was our Mercury Mountaineer. Phil (Pappy) thought that he looked like a "Brute" when we bought him, so thus the name Brutus was born. We really liked Brutus, but when he blew his transmission while sitting in the driveway at Norb and Karyl's cottage, we knew we had some serious decisions to make - repair to the tune of $3600 on a 79,000 mile vehicle - or replace. Being the economy conscious people we are, we decided to replace him with a smaller version (thus BJ) and a Hybrid. Based on the number of miles we drive up to our cottage in Wisconsin yearly, we needed to consider something a little more economical.

We will go back up to Iron Mountain on March 17 to pick BJ up.

Lesssons learned:

1. Get rid of a vehicle when it starts to nickel and dime you to death!

2. Don't use your personal vehicle for company business.

3. Listen to your wife.

Nana (Joan)