Ol' Red is Dead (almost)...

Well, it looks as though it's time for me to part with Ol' Red. We've been together for 10 1/2 wonderful years. She has always been good to me. We have traveled together over many, many miles, and only once has she decided to leave me stranded on the side of the road (at 2 am in the middle of nowhere), but I don't hold that against her. So many memories have been made in Ol' Red. Driving to OC on the first day of college, Spring break road trips, trips to Duncan with many friends, making the decision to move away from Oklahoma on the way back from Alabama, and so many good memories, but I'm afraid all good things must come to an end! In case you haven't figured it out, Ol' Red is my car. A 1997 Mercury Tracer. No cruise control, no power windows, no power locks, no cd player, and now missing an air conditioner. Despite all those things, she's been a good car. A really good car. We've driven back and forth to Alabama MANY times and, as I said, she only broke down once. Luckily, it was close enough that my dad and Paul (our wonderful friend and mechanic) were able to come pick us up and haul us in to Duncan (only after we spent a long night sleeping in the car!).

Anyway, it seems the end to our long relationship has finally come to its end. I took Ol' Red to the mechanic yesterday. (Side note...if you're in Montgomery and need a good mechanic, I would strongly recommend Joe McClendon. His shop is downtown on Decatur, and he was SO nice! I got to his shop at 3:30, expecting to have to leave my car overnight and pick it up the next day. Although he closes at 4:00, he took the time to drive the car, put it up on the rack, figure out what was wrong, show me what was wrong, and then give me some good advice which did not include me paying him to fix it.) Now back to the demise of Ol' Red. I knew it wouldn't be good when Joe heard the noise my car was making and said, "Hmm. That's strange. I have never heard a noise like that before." Keep in mind that he has been a mechanic for a long time! Nonetheless, he was determined to figure out the problem. After a quick trip around the neighborhood, a discussion with the other mechanic, and a few minutes looking at it, he came inside the shop and said he wanted to show me what was wrong. As we were walking to the car he says, "have you ever thought about trading it in?" Again...not good coming from a mechanic. Apparently, I have inplay in the crankshaft. I may be saying that wrong because I know nothing about cars. Basically, from what Joe said, the motor is moving back and forth, causing a piece of metal to bang into the back of the motor when it moves. Apparently this is a bad thing. I told him I needed to drive it to Oklahoma, and then to Chicago. Apparently this is not a good idea. He said it might make it, it might not. After talking to Matt, dad, and Paul we came to the conclusion that it is, in fact, time to put Ol' Red to bed, or at least sell her. So, if you know anyone who wants a cheap car that may or may not last awhile, just let me know! Perhaps it would be a good option for someone who knows how to fix cars. On the bright side, Matt and I don't really need a car since we're moving to Chicago, and we can drive his truck up there with our things. Well, I know it's been ages since I've updated and I'll try to give more updates on our lives soon!