I have 2 cars. The first, an blue 80's Chrysler Daytona. A friend gave it to me about 4 years ago, it's been a good car, I've put around 80, 000 Km on it with a minimum of maintenance, 2 alternators, a tune up, runs great. But the doors have stopped opening, or to be more precise, closing, when you open them they fall down off the hinges, and so we keep them closed and hop in through the windows. Apparently this is a common thing for this car. "It's Cool" I tell the kids, but I don't think they believe me. What parent is an authority on "cool"? And the electric's are a bit funny, and so the windows don't always close when you're inside and the speedometer doesn't always work, but these are small things, it's a good car, it runs great. A couple of months ago, though, it got a flat, and so I parked it in the driveway, it's been filling with snow and leaves ever since.
TO fill in the gap a friend gave me her old car, a black 90's Volkswagon Jetta, she had just bought a new car, "this car", she warns me, "could die at any moment", and so forwarned gives me the keys. And I've been driving instead, flagrantly disloyal to the blue car, the children liking the novelty of getting in through the doors, the boy had been getting self-conscious of jumping in through the windows of the old car when I picked him up from school (he wasn't buying my arguments about how this was "Character building", he saw it as proof instead of my lack of worldly success). And he's sort of proud that I've got this new car, this Volksagon, his mom has one too, so I must be coming along in the world.
At first the black car sort of runs OK, but not really, it over-revs, my door and the windows stop working as soon as I take possession, the engine smokes as if it's on fire whenever I stop for a red light or get stuck in traffic. But it's better than nothing. Soon, however, the cars fate is sealed, the transmission dies, there is no prospect of affording another, it's beyond repair, time for me to call the Kidney foundation, or that number I found tucked under the windscreen - 'Cars Towed by Vince'...."how could they tell?" I wonder.....
I'm pissed off. I've just filled it with gas, with antifreeze, I checked the transmission fluid, but it's always the way.
I have 2 cars, but I'll be taking the bus.