Frenzied Passat

Last week I heard a whisper in the depths of my mind,  

"take the car to the repair shop and have it checked out before you leave on vacation for a week." 

I even ran into the man who repairs our 16 year old car, and told him I hoped I didn't have to see him much, other than socially.  Now that our car most likely won't ever run again, we will only have to see him socially.

5 miles from my grandparents town in the Sierra Nevadas, the car made a dramatic departure from this life.  It went into overdrive, 5,000-7,000 rpms.  I put it into neutral, pulled to the side and turned the key to the off position.  The car continued it's frenzied demise, though I had turned it off.  Smoke was pouring out of the tailpipe, and the engine roared!!  Silas said, "everybody out".  It did feel like it was going to explode. The kids jumped out and ran away, in a cloud of smoke.  I got out and followed them.  Silas jumped into the driver's seat and was able to kill the engine (or kill it some more).

We did end up at our destination in a rental car, but only after loading and unloading a week's worth of beach supplies five or more times, from one car to another.  From our porch, to our car, to my grandparents trunk, to my uncles's truck, to the rental trunk, to the hotel room.  It was an exciting and dramatic beginning to what is supposed to be a relaxing week at the beach.  

Our car is cooler than yours, as it is a VW,  it get 40-50 miles per gallon, the interior/exterior is in great condition, and it wasn't expensive to purchase.  Now we have to think about getting another car, and I just like the old one.

We now need to be able to travel back to our home at the end of the week, but are a bit stuck.  At least we are stuck at the beach.

Moms of Hazzard

I am driving a car I made money on (kinda).  Usually cars are not investments, they are like boats, or RVs, they cost more money than they are worth in the end (which is why I don't like to get an interest-bearing loan for them).  Here is how it worked:

I used to drive a 1993 Honda Civic which my grandpa bought for me ($0 for me), then I had a kid, and we didn't fit in that two door car.  We bought another two door car, whose seats folded into the dash so I could nearly stand in the back seat to put the babies in car seats. That car, which was a 1998 WV New Beetle, went to car heaven in 2009.

The insurance company gave us more than we paid in 2003 for the car, and we bought the next car, a 1996 Passat, for less than the insurance gave us.  Leaving us $1000 in the black! ( I get it, with gas, repairs and maintenance, we didn't really make money)

Photo courtesy of my then 5 year old with a point and shoot camera!

I have now been driving a "free" car, which is old-ish, for 1 1/2 years.  It gets great gas mileage, it is a turbo diesel, it can go fast, it is comfortable, it is cute, and it is green.  Sometimes I think I will need a new car, but then I remember, the newness will wear off, and I like my car.  There is one problem.  The doors do not work, meaning, some or most do not open or shut.  I am wondering how many doors need to be broken shut, or open, before the car is useless.

As I was letting the irony of a working car with no working doors wash over me, I remembered another cool car that has no working doors.  As long as my windows work, I don't need a new car!!



I can imagine my children jumping through the open window from the pick-up line at  their elementary school.  I'll be the coolest mom ever?

PS pretty cool old guy that can still do that!!