Jim Barnes got his first car in 1973—a white, Chrysler New Yorker—given to him by his great aunt. A big believer in preventative maintenance, he has been taking good care of his cars ever since.
Jim’s current car, a 2003 Grand Prix Pontiac, just hit the 300,000-mile mark, and is still looking and running great. It was even featured in the Pontiac enthusiast’s magazine, “Smoke Signals.”
As an independent manufacturer’s rep with Jim Barnes Inc., Jim puts a lot of miles on his car. The secret to this car’s longevity has been regular maintenance, including oil changes every 5,000 miles. He wonders how many more miles he can get out of it as it’s showing little signs of wear.
Jim says that if you do the math, he and his Grand Prix have been to Jiffy Lube more than 50 times. Over the years, he has gotten to know the team members at Jiffy Lube, usually visiting the Allisonville Road or Keystone-Glendale locations.
These team members have also gotten to know Jim and his car. Jim remarked, “I appreciate how courteous and helpful the staff at Jiffy Lube always is. I see many of the same people, time after time. There’s definitely a level of convenience and piece-of-mind that comes from having people that know my car do the work on it.”
When Jim isn’t on the road or at Jiffy Lube, you can find him working on sculpture pieces for local art installations. You’ve probably even seen Jim’s work. The red, “Astro” dog at Kessler Blvd. and the Monon Bridge is his, as is the six-foot logo in the Big Brothers Big Sisters board room. He just submitted his most recent series of work to be featured in Installation Nation—a 23 day-long exhibition presented by the local group, Primary Colours, on the grounds of the Indianapolis Art Center in Broad Ripple.
Many thanks to Jim for trusting us with his vehicle and letting us talk to him for this feature! We wish you many more happy miles of driving in your Grand Prix!
