I’ve been driving the same car since I turned 16, and even then, it was 7 years old. There’s a leak somewhere in the sunroof … the sunroof that cranks open to about a 15 degree angle when fully opened… so after in rains, it smells sort of like a hamster cage. Parts of the car have been repainted, so some panels are shiny black and the adjacent will be a dull grayish black. Somehow that translates to people as navy.(?) I put on a W '04 sticker to show my support in the Kerry sticker filled parking lot of UT. However, I often worry that other republicans see my car and wish i would remove it... cause it's bringing down their image.
Recently my old friend has begun a new list of old-car symptoms. 1. can’t change gears for several miles…When I pull out of my apartment complex, I get to watch as cars zoom around me being sure to give a good, hard look at the girl who just pulled out onto a busy street, but can’t seem to make it over 10 mph for the next 6 miles. 2. rumbles, shakes, and lurches at stoplights. I get a horrible sense of dread at the color yellow. When I stop at a light for longer than 30 seconds, I have to stop a full car length behind the last person because my car begins to shake violently, make a coughing noise, and lurches forward. 3. makes a machine gun noise at random, inconvenient times. A few months ago I got the pleasure of watching the lady in front of me at a stoplight physically jump in her seat and look in her rear view mirror with sheer terror at the jarring rat-tat-tat coming from under my hood. I now fantasize about seeing her face if I could have only been carrying a toy machine gun with a crazed look in my eye. Hmmm….
Final thought: It truly is a luxury to get in you car and know that it will start, to accelerate at a normal length of time, to have keyless entry, to have a sunroof that slides – not cranks, to be able to stop close behind a car at a stoplight, to have doors and panels all the same color, etc. Be thankful.
Hi-larious. That post was worth the wait. This is why you need a blog because I need that kind of laughter in my life.
ReplyDeleteNo kidding. I was putting up groceries in the kitchen and could here Suz laughing at your posting. I came in to read it with her, and she laughed even harder the second time.
ReplyDeleteI think the most colorful description of your Explorer that sticks in my mind is the time you described the "death rattle" it made at a stop light.
-Mark