Automobile Woes part II

So it has been about a week since the incident. I am alive and well, but currently my car is not. According to my mechanic friend, it is looking bad. Apparently, the 2000 model of the Dodge Intrepid, and especially the Canadian model (which I own), is known to have a common problem of engine failure at around 100,000 miles. My car had 107,000 miles on it, so I guess I was on borrowed time. As a result of the commonality of this problem, the market for engines is a seller's market. They are very expensive, and used engines have a good chance of failure at around 100,000 miles too.

Right now, I am thinking that I am going to take some time and enjoy public transit. When all of the students come back to morgantown, cars become problematic. Traffic is highly congested. I went to the bus depot yesterday, and found out that the bus goes virtually everywhere I would need to go in town. For now, I am going to be without a car--from what I have gathered (and the impulse I too have felt), many people rush into buying a new car when their car dies. For the next month, my work necessitates me being around Morgantown, so there isn't a real need for a car. I have a bicycle. Cycling is better for my own health, and the good earth God has given us. Public transit also offers a similar degree of environmental stewardship.

One thing I am impressed by in Europe is that not many people have cars. Amsterdam is called the city of bicycles--900,000 people and 500,000 bicycles call the city home. For now, I will do without. I will carpool, and chip in for gas or trade meals for wheels or something like that. If i really need a car, I believe God can come through with just exactly what I need, so i am going to wait, research, get council, and trust God and His provision and guidance.

Last summer when I let one of my friends borrow my car for six weeks while in Orlando, I realized something that made me a little uncomfortable. I was addicted to my car. I could leave and go anywhere any time I wanted when I had it. Without it, I lost my mobility. I had to be dependent on other people. Maybe we could all learn to be a little more dependent on one another. Maybe we need to experience a little bit of helplessness to understand our true state of dependence.

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?