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the end is near - October 14, 2004 � � |
good car news - bad car news
April 03, 2003 - 12:19 pm it�s always a smart idea to check the fluids in your car. or for that matter funny smells. you know something that usually has a not-so-pleasant burnt smell. oil, plastic, hot metal etc. when i finally discovered what my car was smelling like (burning coolant) it was time to get it looked at. i am one of the many people who leave car repairs to the last minute (or close to it). you know if it�s not broken don�t fix it. seems reasonable. and when you�re hard up for cash like me, you tend to wait until you can�t put it off any longer. like my shocks. i put it off and off until there was a loud thud every time i hit the tiniest of bumps. and it was slowly driving me crazy. so now it�s the rad. it�s a very slow leak. the good news is it isn�t too major and it�s only going to cost about $300. so i�ll get it fixed next week and there will be no more awful smell. and my car won�t over heat in the summer. now here�s the not so good news. the air cond. is going to cost twice as much. my mechanic, danny, told me the cost of fixing air conditioners is getting worse and worse every year. if someone could explain why, i�d be interested in knowing. now do i wait until its 40 degrees outside or do it now? i know i�ll cave in when it�s the middle of july and people are melting before your eyes. i�m not sure how much longer i will have this car. i�ve owned it for more than 10 years and it�s getting up there. things are breaking down at a once or twice a year rate. and the miles are piling up too. i hope by this time next year, i�ll have a new car. and when i say �new� i mean one that was built in this century. at least this car has started almost everyday for the last decade. it�s taken me to Algonquin more times than you can imagine. it�s faithfully taken me back and forth to PA to see my girl about a dozen times. up to chris� cottage twice. and out across the country and back.(i�m talkin� seattle!) so i�ve racked up the miles, it�s been in a couple of bumps and scrapes, it doesn�t shine anymore and it�s funny looking. but this car is me, and i know i probably won�t have another car as long as i�ve had this one. we get along just fine. it gets to hear the coolest tunes; i haven�t driven it off a cliff yet; or entered it in a smash-up derby; or rolled it; i make sure i keep it clean; and i don�t eat any gross food in it. so right now we�re both happy. as long as it stops me from putting in like a thousand more bucks into it, we�ll both make it to the next car.
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