I hope I have your name right. You called show #806, about relocating to AK for 3 years because your husband is in the Coast Guard. If you are moving to Cordova, it is an island, and as you said, has a small population. I lived in Alaska for 10 years and would still live there if it weren't for other circumstances in my life.
The car I drove was a 1988 (which I purchased new) Subaru wagon, GL, 5 speed, 4WD, no A/C. Best car I’ve ever owned!!! After moving from AK in 1992, the lack of A/C was a problem due to the fact that I was living in desert country for most of the years I had it.
In 2000, I gave the car away to a friend’s daughter (it was kinda ugly by then due to bad drivers where I was living). The car had 180,000 MILES on it and I NEVER REPLACED A THING, INCLUDING THE CLUTCH or breaks. However, I am a very good driver and I kept all regularly scheduled maintenances up on it, including changing the oil every 3,000 miles.
Contrary to popular belief, if you keep an open mind and can travel with your children to all of the fabulous places to see and things to do in Alaska, you will love it and won’t want to leave.
Go Scoobie (that’s what I called my Subaru) and enjoy the time you have in the greatest STATE in this nation!