Car 36

 I had meant to leave this post a draft until I could finish then accidentally published it I see.  Because I was going to title it with the current mpg its getting.  I didn't know if I could boast or not because I hadn't filled it yet, then checked the mileage.   

That mileage number is astounding.  Despite its current pinging problem and dash lights

36!   36 mpg on a car with 250k miles on it, that currently pings on hills and has five dash lights burning bright all the time.  I want to hug that car!   

I'd been  thinking its time to start looking for a new beater, but I could never beat my old beater.   So its staying put and I"ll just keep fixing it.  Consider the money saved each mile driven compared to most cars.

I keep looking back over the years I've had this latest car.   That's because its now pinging on inclines if I drive it very long.  Doesn't do it all the time, like on short drives.  

Plus, a good share of the dashlights are back on.

It's going to the shop again Thursday.  So far, I have found a ride back from the mechanic, after I drop it off in the morning.

Not a ride back to pick it up, yet though.  That's because I don't know when it will be ready.

I got the car in early June of 2017.  It had well over a hundred thousand miles on it and I'm its fifth owner.

First thing that was wrong--title wasn't actually clear.  Had the banks name on it.  In New York.  Took me a couple months to get a clear title.   Didn't matter.  I'd hurt my knee right as my friend came to pick me up to drive me up to get it in NE Portland, cash in hand, most of it a loan.   I hadn't driven a manual transmission in 20 years either.   I told myself "pretend you know what you're doing" and I did and it worked out.  But due to the knee injury, I had to take it easy for awhile anyhow.

So then it needed front brakes, then rear brakes, new tires....one front wheel bearing went bad, then the other.  Then a TCP thing replaced, then the clutch went out, started to burn, actually.   The dash lights had come on the first time, on the way home from when I bought it.  They were intermittent but soon were permanent.  When I got the covid relief check, 2nd one, I took it in, and they replaced the catalytic and O2 sensors and other stuff.  After that the dash lights that had been on went off.  But the airbag light came on.   And wasn't long before now and then the familiar dash lights were all on again, off and on, then a few months ago, permanently.  It was under two years ago, that the cat and O2 sensors were replaced.   None of that could possibly be bad again, you'd think.   

In the last year, the starter has been replaced, then it was the alternator and belts.

Once again its headed off to the mechanics.   I'm hoping he can figure it out, the dash lights on combined with the pinging when hot on hills.  

Fingers crossed.   

I have five cats up at the clinic and need to head out to go get them.  Wild weekend at the RV park up above Sweet Home, trying to finish there but I bet I'll never be finished there.