Diary of Dead Cars

I got my car/truck/SUV (whatever you want to call a Jeep Liberty; everyone seems to have a different opinion of its classification) back today, finally. Really, I shouldn't have been surprised that it took them 3 days to complete a 20 minute replacement procedure, given my track record.

There's just something about me and vehicles. My first car, a Buick Skylark, died maybe two weeks after I got it. It was on its last legs with a severe problem before its ownership was transfered to me, but I think having the head gasket blow on my way to Lockport facilitated a life time of bad luck.

My next car, a 1992 Geo Prizm, an ugly little rust bucket I had to downshift to get up hills, was great up until the day someone smashed it to pieces while I was going through an intersection. It looked like a sardine can someone stepped on after they pulled it out of the ditch.

My next car, a 1995 Chevy Cavalier, had several annoying tendancies, which started with the oil light NEVER coming on, loosing all the oil and siezing up the engine, and ended with the habit of stalling out- and not starting back up- at intersections. After a particularly harrowing experience, I refused to drive it. Not long after they finally figured out there was a faulty tork convertor, but the damage was done (to my psyche, anyway).

After that I tried a 1999 Dodge Stratus. That baby did great for awhile, but then apparently the hit it took in parking lot fender bender (when someone pulled out and T-boned my door) knocked out any sense it might have had. My patience ended when the heater wouldn't work and although they replaced things and couldnt find a crack in the head, I was advised to move on before the engine blew up.

Now I have a 2003 Jeep Liberty with the extended warranty (though I was already planning on getting it, my mechanic stressed in a pained voice it might be wise of me to invest in one). No real problems, except for the day after I got it, some important bolt connecting the brakes and the tires loosened. Apparently my vehicle was the last one a recently fired mechanic had worked on. Currently the windshield spray wouldn't work... I cracked the pump so the fluid would drain out onto the ground, caused by one of my unintentional off-road endevors (really, what's the point of four-wheel drive if you're not going to try and use it?)

No big deal, they ordered the part and would fix it one afternoon. Which stretched to two afternoons when they ordered the wrong part, which stretched to three when the part still didn't come in.. which stretched almost to four, but amazingly they got the part and fixed me up.

Now I'm back on the road, as dangerous as ever.

~Katie

Word of the day:
Surreptitious
Obtained or done by stealth; secret or unauthorized