My Vehicle History

Many people around the world name their car. These names can come from physical attributes, colors, make, model, or other reason I have had 3 vehicles that I called mine, and all 3 of them have been named. My first vehicle was an awesome Emerald Green Dodge Caravan that I named Van Diesel. The name simply came from the fact that it was a van, that I frequently treated like a diesel truck, mixed with the name of popular thespian Vin Diesel (pictured left with a duck). This tailgating machine was fast, furious, comfortable, and strong; not strong enough to survive an accident though. Leigh Anne borrowed Van Diesel and was hit by a driver who ran a stop sign, and Van Diesel had to be put down.

My next vehicle was a white 2002 Jeep Grand Cherokee. This car's name came from a specific event that happened in the jeep. For Lauren's graduation party I was given the job of picking up fried chicken from Walmart and taking down to the party. When I did this my car smelled like fried chicken... A LOT! So because of this I named my car The Colonel. It was dressed in all white like Colonel Sanders (pictured left), and it smelled like chicken just like him too. The Colonel was an awesome car. He had some amazing character and we really bonded in our short time together. However during a road trip to New York City for the annual Hot Dog Eating Competition the Colonel had a rough trip. On the way to New York we hit a guard rail and on the way home while driving down the Pennsylvania Turnpike A WHEEL FELL OFF (pictured right)!! Yes while driving 1 wheel suddenly came off the car and decided to pass us and continue down the road. Luckily after much bouncing around and swerving Brian (who was driving during both incidents) was able to safely get us to the side of the road. The Colonel was patched up enough to finish the drive home, but he was totaled and moved on to a better place.

After The Colonel I knew I wanted another Jeep. I had wished I could keep The Colonel but because his war wounds were too extensive I had to find a suitable replacement. After shopping around I found a red 2005 Jeep Liberty Sport. This car was curvy and smooth, so I could tell it was a woman. It was red which gave it a spicy look, and of course it was a Jeep Liberty SPORT so it was quite sporty. I had to think of a name that incorporated all of this, sporty, spicy, and feminine (so it had some "girl power"). There was only 1 name I could give this vehicle (although many were suggested at different times). I named this new car Mel. After Mel C. or Sporty Spice (pictured left) of the famous Spice Girls. Mel has already made the Dave Kraemer Vehicle Record Books as the car I have owned the longest, and also as the first car I owned that survived an accident. Just a short time ago I stupidly turned at an intersection and hit another car. Mel took some damage to the driver's side front corner (pictured right). They can rebuild her, they have the technology, they have the capability to make the world's first bionic... alright well you get the point. The Six Million Dollar Mel will be coming back better than ever, and I will definitely be making na na na na bionic sounds when driving the car around when I get her back. Or maybe I'll just play the following clip over and over again: