I gave away my car today.

Today I bid a very sad farewell to my 2002 “Dream Cruiser” Edition Chrysler PT Cruiser.

I loved this car. Even though the PT Cruiser is not particularly fuel efficient, powerful, or maneuverable, I appreciated it for the comfort (heated leather bucket seats!), the hauling capacity (a lot of space with the rear seat folded down or removed), and most of all for the semi-retro styling.

While the car still looks good on the outside, the engine is making noises… noises that it probably should not be making. Once in a while I get a whiff of burning oil. I suspect the ever-worsening coolant leak is evidence of a failing water pump. A timing belt replacement is several tens of thousands of miles overdue. One of the cylinder heads has a makeshift repair holding it together. The front suspension is in need of work, and the interior sill of one of the doors has begun rusting through.

The cost to repair everything that I’m currently aware of that needs work would be in the vicinity of three-thousand dollars. That would not address the rust. In my experience, once a car starts needing work that costs “thousands” of dollars, as soon as one thing is repaired something else starts to fail.

And, quite frankly, I don’t have three-thousand dollars to put into the car right now. Make that $3300.00 – the annual license and safety inspection renewals are due by the end of October.

It breaks my heart to part with this car. I will miss it a lot – miss driving it, miss seeing it sitting in the driveway… but I won’t miss washing those stupid 5-spoke chrome wheels. I could never keep them clean.

Rather than hassling with trying to sell the car, I donated it to The National Kidney Foundation . I have been seeing advertisements on television recently – they say they will accept any car, running or not, and they will pick up the car. Well, they picked it up. A tow truck just left my driveway a few minutes ago… and so did my little Inca Gold PT Cruiser.

For the time being, I will be driving a beat-up, boring silver Toyota Corolla on loan from a family member – or more accurately, abandoned by a family member who moved and didn’t want to bother taking the car. The Toyota looks like it’s been in a demolition derby, but at least it runs… for now, anyway.

Oh well, I guess this gives me a legitimate excuse to start daydreaming about new cars!

25 October 2014