Back at the end of March I mentioned that I had taken my Ford Escape into the shop for a routine checkup: brakes and battery. I then wandered down a rhetorical path of how much better we would all be by getting out of our cars and experiencing nature.
But I never told you -- the rest of the story. The shop called me later that afternoon to ask if they could keep the truck overnight. Now, there are some questions similar to that where you know that your answer will be "yes," and you know that the outcome is not going to be good. Such as: "Dad, do you and Mom have to come back from your vacation so soon?"
Thus it was here. When I called the next day, a very solemn voice began in a tone that signaled -- "We did all we could to save him." It appears that my 7-year old vehicle with 50,000 city miles on it had developed the dreaded Forditis: more oil leaks than a Venezuelan tanker. Added with the need for a break job and a coolant overhaul, all I needed to do was fork over a cool couple grand (and change), and I would have an Escape as good as -- 7-years old with 50,000 miles.
This is the point in every vehicle relationship where the question is: fix it or dump it? I thought this was going to be a good truck to take to Mexico. No liens. Reliable (up to now).
The answer is that I should buy a used vehicle for cash. But that is a year away -- and I need to stop fixing my current problems -- and start learning spanish.
But I never told you -- the rest of the story. The shop called me later that afternoon to ask if they could keep the truck overnight. Now, there are some questions similar to that where you know that your answer will be "yes," and you know that the outcome is not going to be good. Such as: "Dad, do you and Mom have to come back from your vacation so soon?"
Thus it was here. When I called the next day, a very solemn voice began in a tone that signaled -- "We did all we could to save him." It appears that my 7-year old vehicle with 50,000 city miles on it had developed the dreaded Forditis: more oil leaks than a Venezuelan tanker. Added with the need for a break job and a coolant overhaul, all I needed to do was fork over a cool couple grand (and change), and I would have an Escape as good as -- 7-years old with 50,000 miles.
This is the point in every vehicle relationship where the question is: fix it or dump it? I thought this was going to be a good truck to take to Mexico. No liens. Reliable (up to now).
The answer is that I should buy a used vehicle for cash. But that is a year away -- and I need to stop fixing my current problems -- and start learning spanish.
