Me and my car are about to have a fight. I'm thoroughly convinced that it hates me and is secretly plotting to kill me, or at least severely wound me. While my 2003 Saturn view has been a trusty ol' steed (considering Saturn no longer exists) for the past 120,000 miles I must admit it's really starting to tick me off.
The green machine is a small SUV and has one of those hydraulic lift hatch/trunk door thingies. Apparently in cold weather the hydraulics don't work so well which looks like this......
Yesterday, I'm at the grocery store after work (which by the way is never a good idea on a Monday) it's cold and I'm starving. So I'm haulin' out to the car with my shopping cart. I lift the back door expecting it to fall and when it didn't was pleasantly surprised. I slowly move my hand off the door, just in case, and begin loading my groceries. smooooooth sailing so far, then just as I'm moving the giant 20 pack of coke zero from the cart to the car.......thud!!! The door/ mouth chomps me. Then I cuss. The lady 3 cars down thought it was hilarious. As long as she's having a good time...
To make matters worse when I turn the car on my "low coolant" light comes on. Oh joy. Oh and apparently as my car gets older the road noise gets louder. Ask me to take you to the airport, and when you get out of the car an hour later and you are deaf and your ears are bleeding don't say I didn't warn you.
Sadly, I'm a little attached to it- I didn't think I was but when we first moved to Oregon I was homesick, it was just me, D, and a couple suitcases. I remember when the transport guy came with our cars I was never happier to see the green machiene. Then he rolled it off the truck and the battery was dead - and I remembered why I was surprised that I was happy to see the car.
We are taking it this week to get the hydraulic door thingies replaced and to get a list of all the things that need to be done to get it up to par. We keep going back and forth about replacing my car before the Brooklyn gets here, but always come back around to wanting to keep our savings right where it belongs- in the bank.
I know I can get a few more years out of the green machiene, and in all honesty don't put near as many miles on it as I did when we lived in Oklahoma, but the allure of having something new (well, new to me) is quite tempting. I have to keep reminding myself that it's just a car, a means to get me from one point to another. Many people don't have one and lots of folks have one that's worse than mine. Plus- babies don't care what your car looks like. (At least not until they are 14, then they care what everything looks like.)
So here's to a good report on the ol' clunker.
Going to the store after work while cold and hungry is a recipe for me to load up on all kinds of bad food because everything looks good. It's sad that the green machine is starting to poop out on you. And I'm currently feeling guilty for wanting a new car right now. More specifically a Mini Cooper. On the other hand…I think you totally deserve a newwww carrrrrrr (that was my Oprah voice)! BTW - it was so windy here today that while I was putting groceries into my trunk I was thrown into it head first and then the cart was thrown into me. Luckily no one was around.
ReplyDeleteYou and that green monster have been through a lot! ;-) Hopefully it will get you through a little longer!
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