Many years ago I dubbed my 2004 Acura RSX Type-S, the #SapphireSled, because of the factory color of Arctic Blue. In 2004, I was celebrating my first year of marriage as well. So this wasn’t a mid-life crisis vehicle purchase, or divorce present for myself. However, the narrative did change over the years.
I wanted the Sapphire Sled and yours truly to be synonymous with cool; to be well-known like Amazon Prime but in the end it was more like Wish.com …
What’s In A Name?
For a number of years I incorporated street-lingo from Urban Dictionary into my daily speech. Sled was one of the thousands of euphesisms for “car”. And I’m a ginormous fan of alliteration so instead of “blue”, or “arctic” I referred to it as sapphire.
Thusly, the Sapphire Sled was born!
I didn’t think much of it other than an internal labeling system. Then it became more than a name. It became synonymous with my name … after I replaced the issued license plate with my vanity plate: LOS.
It’s a triple pun, folks. I did that deliberately.
- Car is missing from the license plate so it’s supposed to be CARLOS.
- Los is Spanish for “the”. Quite literally translated, “LOS Automobile” is “The car”.
- Lastly, “LOS” is short hand for Carlos which I should be driving the vehicle.
I know, I KNOW … hilarious.
Divorceville
September 29, 2008 my divorce was finalized … thankfully. I was determined to use this vehicle to travel to as many hookups as I could do. The Sapphire Sled was gonna be a girl magnet!
At least that’s what my primitive mind was thinking.
The reality was much different. Those thoughts were born from being hurt, from the horrible realization I was gas-lit for 9 years. So I drove myself out of #Divorceville to Issaquah’s #SinglesTown.
Singles Town
The settlement from the divorce afforded me the ability to payoff the loan balance of the Sapphire Sled that coincidentally my ex-wife helped me buy as “bad cop” in 2004. It was the only thing I owned outright.
And by God as my witness, I was gonna use it!
There are too many little memories created by this vehicle it would make this post too long to read (too late!) There are a few that hit the highlight reel.
- No speeding tickets!
- Drove to / from California’s Great America in the San Jose, California area
- Cited with the most expensive moving violation ticket in it –
- Had my fair share of car sex – ’nuff said
- Bo Duked it over the hood only once
- Grenaded the original engine – replaced it
- Three sets of wheels and tires on it
What’s Next, Rice Chex?
The fate of the Sapphire Sled has yet to be decided. If I place one more dollar into it for repairs … it’s a dollar too much!
Options on my mind:
Keep it and rail it one last time for the Washington Gambler 500
or
Sell as a project car to someone else
What do all y’all think I should do with it?
‘los
los, Fil-Am Renaissance Man 