automobile woes

Saturday night I drove my car up route 40 from uniontown to farmington. That's a tough climb for any car, but especially a car like mine that is getting up there in mileage. Well, the strain proved too much. It didn't make it. I had to leave it on the side of the road. Thankfully some really nice people offered to take me to my friend Nic's parents house in Connellsville. Nic and his wife Tara gave me a ride to morgantown the next morning. God took care of me, and I am very thankful.

In the meantime, I have a little problem. The engine, she don't sound too good. I had to get the car towed from Farmington, PA to Fairmont, WV. My friend Bryan is looking at it right now, and the prospects are dismal. So I am asking myself a few questions.

How badly do I need a car?

Do I repair the car or look for a new one?

In terms of new ones, do I get one that is really new, or just new to me?

Should I look into a pilot's license instead?

This car has served me well. It got good gas mileage--30mpg on the highway.

any thoughts?

Car Problems

Well, I just commenced my journey to Florida today, and it has been eventful thus far. I planned to leave early in the morning and head toward Parkersburg to meet with a few people and get some last minute work done before moving farther south. On the way along route 50, a reddish liquid began to splash against my windshield. I pulled over, and popped the hood. My transmission fluid hose had come loose, and all of my transmission fluid was pouring over the highway and out of my car. Good Times! Thankfully, I knew just what to do, and tightened a clamp on the hose. After doing this, I thankfully had a half quart of fluid to add to the car. It wasn't sufficient to go for the long haul, but it was just enough to get me to parkersburg, where I drove immediately to a Chrysler dealership and had a diagnostic run on my car. (The check engine light came on shortly after my little transmission debacle.) Thankfully my transmission system was intact, and the mechanic just added three quarts of fluid. Of course neither the diagnostic check nor the fluid were free, but I think the guy respected the fact that I made the drive, and knew what I was doing with regard to the vehicle, so he walked me through the whole diagnostic, and confirmed everything I had believed to be true. It is comforting to have my diagnosis seconded by an expert. It is also cmforting to receive that confirmation prior to a long road trip, and not in a strange place along the way.