There is an odd factor to all of this. A kind of underlying "Jimisum". Possably a throw back of the mystical power of the Fluke. But I tend to own bloody weird cars.
My first car was a 1979 British Layland Mini. I was the 14th owner in (then) 16 years. The 13th owner had been my God Mother. In the few years I had that death trap I got through 3 engines, 2 clutches and most of the wiring. It also nearly killed Fade. He had his head under the engine block while it was up on bricks (didn't have any axel stands). I'd forgoton to put the decrative hand break on and he was trying to get the sump plug out (we didn't know it was a revers thread). Anyway, after having the underside turned into a patchwork quilt of welding patches it eventuially dies when 4 out of the 6 wheel cylinders for the all round drum breaks spontaniusly failed. But that's OK, because the front driver's side stub axel was sheared through and held on by one and a half turns of the nut. Thankfully as I had never thrown it into hard reverse, the wheel had never come off. The supprising thing is I do miss that little car at times. I don't miss being at the side of the road reajusting the dwell angle for the ignition (the screw was a bit buggered). But I do miss the fact that it was a bright yellow, and in 4 years I only saw two other Minis the same colour. Also Mimi drivers flash and wave at each other. Don't realy get that with other cars.
The second car I owned was a "F" reg Pergeot 309. This car supprised me. It was the first car I had that when I took it for an MOT, it passed! Eventually all the lights on the dash board died and driving in the dark required a little mogification of a couple of LED lights, so that I could see the speedo. Managed to sell it to a garage for £75.
The third car I ever owned was a complet wreck! I should have listened to my gut instinks and walked away. But I needed a car in a hurry and it was cheap. It was a "N" reg Mitsubishi Carisma. The boady work was in good nick. The interior was good & comfy. But everything else was rotten. The fule tank had a hole in it. So it pissed £60 of petrol all over my car pack and rotted the ground. The sump plate was just rust and threatened to go through at any moment. The read near-side axel was out of alingment and was shreading the tyre. And the best thing was the gear box. You had complet pot luck with "First" and "Reverse". So you would be at the lights and put it into what you thought was frst gear and roll backwards into the poor bugger behind you. Needless to say, that car is long gone.
So here I am on my forth car. A "R" reg Astra saloon. This used to be my brother's car, and I got it in exchange for doing a lot of labouring for my folks at a new buisiness premisis. So I know where it's come from and I know it's been looked after. It's just got the age & stage where things are begining to fail. So I need to do some over time and keep the thing running. Knowing "Sod's Law", just when I get it all repaired, my company will take the van off me and give me a company car again
Don't you just love being a car owner?
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