Little Car

Problem Solving By Procrastinating

Why doesn't putting something off and hoping for the best solve any problems?  Wouldn't it be nice if you could just ignore something until it went away and then you'd never have to deal with it again? 

The Power of Positive Thinking is a total lie, at least when it comes to cars. 

Case in point, my car. 

Meet Little Car.  She's a 1996 Toyota Tercel who does two things - she makes my life easier, and she makes my life harder. 

Pictured here making my life easier.

Today, she's making my life a little bit harder. 

But to be honest, I should have confronted this problem a few weeks ago. She's been having mechanical problems and I've been adopting the, "ah, it'll all work itself out" repair technique. I even fooled myself into believing it for a few days when the problem had almost gone away.

Foolish mortal. 

Saturday, I pull into the gas station to fill 'er up, and when I get back in the car it won't start.  Just a hopeless clicking sound while other customers start to line up behind me.  Ugh.  So embarrassing. 

I call Melissa to see what we should do, and while we're debating a tow I give it one last try. I turn the key, cross my fingers, and...

C'mon baby...

Success!


I don't know how, but somehow in that moment it actually did sort itself out. But I don't know how many of those it has left in it without some attention, so off to the mechanic we go today. 

The challenge at the garage is that I don't know a lot about cars.  I can see if something looks worn, or if a tire needs replacing, but most of the time I have to take their word for it.  And it's not even like I don't trust them, it's just that every item on that list costs at least $50. 

Money better spent on other things, like coffee.

Wouldn't it be amazing if you went into the mechanic, he looked your vehicle over, hit it on the engine block with a wrench and then said, "There, problem solved!" and sent you on your way with a fixed car, no charge?

I'm still waiting for that one. 

But until nanobots fix our cars while we sleep, the mechanic it is. 

So I'm off to Midas today at 10.  Wish me luck!