“Let’s talk” is a euphemism for “I’ll do the typing and you do the reading”. But I welcome your comments, if you have the fortitude to fight through the commenting procedures.
Mom gave me her car last year. I reluctantly sold Fernando, and have been trying to appreciate having a newer vehicle, one with power (a 6 cylinder engine instead of a 4, albeit “turbo-charged”, it was a little wimpy, sorry Fernando). I’m doing my best to get used to an automatic, to adjust to a non-blue or green car, to accept the lack of sportiness in a 4-door.
BUT, THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE CAR. Just saying. (Shouting, actually) The blower went out, which is the thing that sends A/C into your car (or heat or defrosting). I drove down to Visalia the earliest time possible to avoid the heat. Frank diagnosed the problem and said he’d have to order the new unit, which could take a day or two.
He drove me to Enterprise Rent-A-Car, and I proceeded to rent an all black Toyota Rav4. Couldn’t figure out how to start it, set the parking brake, or put it in gear, so I went back inside and asked for instructions. They tried to sell me a $33/day insurance policy, which I declined, figuring I’d just use the car to get home, where I’d park it safely in the garage until it was time to use it to retrieve Momscar.
I drove it the 30 miles home, a little white-knuckled, with no idea how to operate the radio (prolly didn’t have one—just some sort of app to be used with the phone—forget it) and no idea how to use the cruise control. I learned that it is hard to hold a steady speed after years of cruise control.
I was doing fine, until the dang thing started beeping at me whenever I encountered a curve. In addition, the steering wheel went a little spastic at the same time. Oh shoot, maybe I should have paid for that insurance. I stopped at the bank on the way home, and the two women there told me that the beeping and wheel tremors are part of new car behaviors. Okay, just another reason to stick with old cars. (I stopped to make a deposit, not to get mechanical advice, but we are all friends; they asked me how I was doing, so I told them.)
When the car was safely in the garage, I came inside and saw that there was a message on the answering machine. Frank called to say that he found the part and the car was fixed! WHAT?? I got back in the rental and drove the 30 miles back to town.
That little excursion cost $75 dollars, and they didn’t even charge me for gas, which I was NOT going to spend an hour figuring out how to put in the tank, IF I could even figure out how to open the cap.
In addition to all this up-and-down-the-hill excitement, I showed Frank this photo to ask about the car that I lusted over felt so drawn to in Mineral King.
It’s a Scion, only made from 2013-2016, and it was a joint venture between Toyota and Subaru. Frank said that Subarus are advertised to be safe, not mechanically sound, and the parts are really expensive. Okay, never mind. Good to know.
Momscar felt pretty simple and good after my little excursion with that fancypants rental car.
P.S. I don’t like Detroit to do my shifting for me!
9 Comments
I totally get it! I’m a truck girl myself, and if I have to have a car, it had better be a sporty kind of car. Hence buying a Camaro when in 2023 when it became clear my days of needing a kid-hauler just to go to appointments or the grocery store were over. And yes, must be a manual for maximum car driving enjoyment. I too can do without most of the ‘vehicle does it for you’ features that are put on cars (and trucks) these days.
Got a big laugh from your statement about prefering Detroit to not do the shifting for you. My DH is in the industry, you know, being an auto engineer for the last 30ish years. He is in fuel economy himself, and works closely with a lot of engine and transmission calibrators. On a recent trip, in his company owned vehicle, I heard him many times commenting on the shift points a good friend calibrator had put in that vehicle and saying “That was a sh***y place to downshift” or “(name) why did you do that there?!? We’re gonna have to have a talk about that!” (all in good humor of course)
Kris, I forgot about your hubby working in the auto industry. I can just imagine that conversation with his automatic. 😎
Do you still have the Camaro? I remember as a teenager always trying to figure out how to tell a Camaro from a Firebird. I never did achieve that level of auto discernment and concluded that they must have spies in one another’s factories.
TOOTA! Ha! Ha! Ha! Yes, I have that kind of sense of humor too! I’m glad you got Momscar back so quickly!
Michelle, renting that car may have been one of the most extravagant and impulsive things I’ve ever done. I’m thankful that it only was $75 instead of $300!
Well done getting home in your beeping car! I feel the same way about my new washer and dryer beeping and (super loud/no way to turn it off) buzzing: a) look machines, I do not actually need your oversight to do my laundry; and b) you are not the boss of me. I’m glad you got your Momscar back quickly.
Suz, what an obnoxious set of machines in your laundry room! I bet there is some wire you can jerk out somewhere. . . I’d sure try to find it!
I hate rental cars. I do not like the required learning curves; by the time I figure out how to work stuff, it’s time to return it. I’ll take my 2017 Honda Civic, and plan to run it to death before I think about replacing it.
But it doesn’t have a name. I’ll have to think about that for awhile.
Sharon, what color is your Civic?
“Aegean Sea Blue.” Check your inbox! 🙂