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| My cute little Jetta. |
Car stuff is another one of those times a husband would come in handy. Cars would be his department. The only responsibility I would have is picking it out. After that, all done.
I bought my Jetta 10 years ago because it had pretty dashboard lights. They are a purpley-periwinkle blue and red and quite lovely. And it’s not just me that thinks so; everyone who rides with me comments on how pretty they are. I was fairly certain I was going to buy a Jetta to begin with, but when I saw the lights, there was no question that would be my car.
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| This picture doesn't do the lights justice. |
Anyway, back to the breakdown. I’m on the freeway driving my car home from the shop, after being told they couldn’t find anything wrong with it, when the temperature light beeped and came on. I looked down and saw the temperature gauge quickly moving all the way to the right. Uh-oh.
I took the next exit and pulled over into a Burger King parking lot. My first response was to run in and get some fries but decided I would have to stress eat later. Instead, I opened the hood and looked at the coolant container my mechanic had told me to keep an eye on.
Did you know you’re not supposed to unscrew the cap in a situation like this? I remember being told that at one time in my life, but at that moment the warning was buried underneath a bunch of useless Reality TV information. Needless to say I will remember it the next time.
A couple of hours later my car was back in the shop. $900.00 after that, my car was home with me. Pretty purpley-periwinkle blue lights and all.
I didn’t have a husband to handle all of this: the frustration; the cost; the inconvenience; the rain; the knowing not to unscrew the lid. However, I did have a dear girl-friend. Also single. We stood in the rain together watching the tow guy hook up my car and drive away. It was only after he was done that we realized waiting in her car to stay dry during the process would have made more sense.
The next best thing to having a husband to tend to my car business is having a great mechanic I can trust. So if you live on the Eastside of Portland (Oregon, not Maine, a.k.a. the real Portland) I recommend this guy. I figure any mechanic that’s almost a dead-ringer for Johnny Cash knows what he’s talking about.
I’ve also learned it’s good to have other single girl-friends to stand with you in the rain. But even better than that are married girl-friends with husbands who are good with cars!
Question: What made you select the car you drive?
3 comments:
I've only picked out two cars in my life. One was my 4 door little green Saturn with the fin thing on the trunk. It's just what I wanted so I bought it. I'm not kidding when I say the very next day it wouldn't start. Supposedly there was a computer chip that went bad. The dealership paid for the tow and the repair. Then after I got married and my Saturn kicked the bucket (RIP) we got a Taurus. Gresham Ford was advertising on the FISH, so I figured they must be reputable. It was the first car I drove. It's been great.
I wanted a Pathfinder. I liked the idea that I would find my own path, and not simply follow others. It's all in the mind, I tell you. Plus, at one point I drove a '65 Chevy Truck and those were some of my fondest memories. This gave me the comfort my older body wanted, but the "wild abandon" of the truck days. Here's to blazing new paths!
With a clever designer plates!
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