My (Amy's) dad can fix anything, especially cars. He usually picked the next "family car" by going to the junk yard and figuring out which car model everybody else was putting into the junk yard. This way he knew he could find plenty of spare parts for the family car. He rarely purchased a car less than 12 years old with less than 200,000 miles on it. The cars would often break down, but dad knew how to tie a rope on the car and tow it home and fix it up to make it run again.
For our wedding, he gave us a 1986 Dodge Daytona and assured us that he had replaced almost every part on the car. He put the keys into our hands while saying "you shouldn't have any problems".
We shouldn't have been so naive knowing:
-the car was as old as we were
-the mileage was so high, the odometer had stopped working
-we know NOTHING about fixing cars
We quickly learned the cost of fixing a car valued at $800:
Oct 07-Ignition Repair $70
Dec 07-Starter and Heat Shield $386
Jan 08-Clutch Replaced $ 375
Jan 08-Ignition Repair $40
Sept 08-Spark Plugs $224
Over the 18 months we had the car, we were pleasantly surprised when the car would start, or when we wouldn't smell a strange odor coming from the car, or when the car door shut, or the brakes worked. Joel named the car "Old Faithful" because it often amazed us and got us where we needed to go.
We gave "Old Faithful" to my Dad at Christmas. He is thrilled to be able to fix the car he says "has lots of life left" and sell it to someone else. As for us, we've decided to drive Honda's.
We often joke with my dad about this car, but we are truly thankful for the gift he gave us. We know he put a lot of time and money into this car getting it ready for us. He saved us a ton of money our first year of marriage. Thank You Dad! If we lived closer, we'd be happy to drive cars only you can fix!
2 comments:
Oh Amy,
I loved this post!! I read it to my dad, and we both appreciated it so much. My dad is the same way as your dad. We currently own 4 vehicles, all over the age of 15 years. Mine is 23 years old. It has lasted me 5 years, and is still going strong. We paid $1,500 for it, and it had only 23,000 miles on it. (It now has 96,000)It has stalled on me two times, and thankfully, only once in Chicago (100 tow bill for 1 mile and 60 bucks to fix the belt) The other time, I was close to home, so my dad got the tow rope and came to rescue me. I sometimes get very frustrated with not having the money to purchase a newer car, but I am so thankful that my dad is willing and able to come to the rescue any time. And he enjoys fixing cars so much. I know one day, I'll have the problem you do of not having your dad close to fix your car. But until then, I'll appreciate my dad more for all he does with the transportation at our home. :)
A rope is a proper way to tow a vehicle verses a chain. Causes less stress on the drivline of the towing vehicle. When the white Daytona Iroc left you sit Amy, you did not pick a good place to park the car. To hook up the rope I had to crawl on the ice that was half melting and was partially coated with fresh cow manure due to a farmer's manure spreader that leaked.
Dad
Post a Comment