STORM2K

Yep....my baby died No, not my sister or niece...MY BABY!!! MY CAR!!!!!

To us guys, our cars can almost become members of the family...and I'd driven ole' Betsy for eight proud years....all the way back to when I was living in Mississippi and back to Georgia. I'll admit, she was getting on up there in years....she would have been 20 in November; even older than my baby sister.

What happened? Well, the technical name is "blown head gasket and internal engine damage", but what actually took ole' Betsy was old age. My trusted mechanic, Paul Pendley...a friend of my grandmother and I for over 30 years delivered the sad news around midday: "Perry, you'd come out cheaper to just trade cars...the parts alone will be over $500 bucks. This repair'll cost more than she's worth" -- sad words indeed

I'll go out this evening and clean her out....retrieve all my valuables from the trunk, glovebox, and floorboard. You know, important items near and dear to my heart such as my tackle box, fishing poles, U.S. window flag, thermometer, compass, tire gauge, wrenches, fuzzy dice, and of course my all important ice scraper (won't be long until frost on the pumpkins again

Then tomorrow and Thursday....IT'S USED CAR SHOPPING DAYS!!
WHOO-HOO!!!!!!

Don't worry, I'll try not to buy another car as old as ole' Betsy was when I bought her (age 11).....heck, I might even purchase one as new as a 97' or 98'

What kind of car is it?

I'm sorry Perry...my mom was the same way when she got in her accident. She had a White '96 Eagle Talon and she loved it...but she got in an accident and the front of the car was totalled, but thankfully she was fine. She always says, "I never got a chance to say goodbye to it."

I hope you get a new car that is just as good and "friendly" as Betsy.

Lindaloo wrote:What kind of car is it?

1984 Plymouth Reliant

Thanks Colin

I know how you feel...my car died a few months ago, after 290,000 miles were put on it...any thoughts on a "replacement?"

Well, for one thing I'm not going to buy another Plymouth. This one only had 102,000 miles on it...I bought it in 1995 from an elderly friend who didn't drive much (church, grocery store, doctor, etc).

I've always like Ford's....and Pontiac's also.

JetMaxx wrote:

Lindaloo wrote:What kind of car is it?

1984 Plymouth Reliant

WOW!!

According to a good friend who's also a mechanic, he's seen a lot of these small engines fail around 100,000 miles...or even less. His exact words were: "they don't take heat very well" -- referring to the fact mine ran hot about a week ago after a radiator hose burst on the way home from a local restaurant...which in his opinion, likely contributed to the engine failure today

Only 100,000 miles? You hardly got your money's worth.

I'm with you Perry, get 'em used and run 'em into the ground. My all time record is that I got an older Chevy Cavilier for $100, with known problems. I got two month's of use out of it before the inspection ran out, then drove it to an auto recycling place that will give you $50 for any car you can drive in! So I paid a net of $25/ month. Even after licensing fees, it was still cheaper than car payments.

I hear "Taps" playing...

I'm sorry to hear about ol' Betsy, but have fun sopping for your new "used" car!

Wow... I really feel your pain...

I just spent 500 bucks on my much loved Honda Accord... It was strange 4 years of bliss free driving then boom 3 problems in row hopefully she has got it out of her system. I had a little chat with her on the freeway... Let's hope that worked. I did mention... the lot...

I think I hear her engine cooling fan kicking on again... oh man... LOL I haven't drove it in a hour.....

On the other hand.... car shopping can be fun fun fun :bgbounce: