Opalescence

So I had this little heart-to-heart chat with my car before spending a small fortune to get yet another part replaced today. It went something like this:

“Okay, sweetie. I’ve had you for nearly 8 years now, and they’ve been a good 8 years. You’ve seen me through a lot, and I really appreciate it. I realize you’re not as young as you used to be, and at this point I’ve needed to sink some good money into keeping you running smooth. I’m happy to do this. But you have to realize that when you have this many breakdowns and problems and cost me this much money in so short a time, it gives me pause. It gives anyone pause, and causes them to wonder at what point you need to swallow your pride and trade up for a new model. Again, you’ve been good to me, and that counts for a lot in my world. You deserve as much chance as I can spare you. So, I’m gonna sink another small fortune into your upkeep today, but no more. Not for at least a couple years. Please don’t break my heart.”

I’ve had to do a whole lot of maintenance and repair work on my car the last few months, including:

• May: 80,000 mile service;
• June: Replacement of all four tires (one blew out);
• early August: Battery replacement, plus a breakdown, necessitating an alternator and timing belt replacement;
• late August: Replacement of a speed sensor that had a faulty circuit which caused the car to spasm, post inconsistent speeds, drive up my RPMs unnecessarily, and generally wreak havoc with my transmission system

The bills for this… well, let’s just say they total in a range I’m not surprised at, and that I’m sure you can imagine. The truth is, even with all this, it’s still cheaper to pay for all this and keep the car running than make the monthly payments for a year. So I’m hoping that after this small obstacle course of problems, I’ve gotten my car tuned up to the point where it will go back to being a very low-maintenance thing that won’t sting my pocket book for some time.

For what it’s worth, more than one mechanic say that it runs extremely well for its age, and recommend keeping it. I just hope they’re right. Money aside, I want keep it running well for at least another few years before I finally bite the bullet and trade up for a new one.