One of the best cars I have ever owned was a 1985 Volvo station wagon. Well, it was one of the best until it caught on fire. I was driving home one night from a Christmas party and turned on the heat. Almost immediately I saw a spark and then a burst of flame inside the dash behind the heater controls. By the time I had the car parked and got out of it; the dash was engulfed in flames. When the fire department arrived the flames had already caused the windshield to 'melt' and collapse inward and the engine was on fire. The car was not salvageable. I would still recommend a Volvo but maybe a later model. I was told the fire was caused by the type of coating that Volvo used to use on the wires in older models. I've never had that confirmed but it seems plausable.
My husband and I once owned a 1995 Buick Skylark. It was my husband's very first brand new car. Within three years of purchasing it, we began having erratic trouble with the brakes. It would take a few seconds for them to begin stopping the car and would sometimes fail completely. We had the car in for repairs repeatedly and were told each time that the mechanics could not duplicate the problem. After a car wash attendant almost accidentally drove the car into a wall due to the problem, we filed a lawsuit against General Motors and settled out of court. We were afraid someone would be killed if we sold the car, so we donated it to a local community college to be used in automotive repair programs, where they converted the engine to run on compressed natural gas...and told us they had no problems with the brakes.
While my husband was away for a week on business, I drove around our Chrysler Sebring convertible. I had the habit of leaving the top down while it was parked in the driveway if I thought I was going to use it again later and he always reminded me that one day it would rain and ruin the interior. So, of course, I left it open in the driveway, and it poured outside and filled the car with over an inch of water. I spent the remainder of the week cleaning, bailing out water and hiding all evidence of the event. I thought I did a pretty good job and used the car to pick him up from the airport. He hoped in and put his elbow on the storage cover that sits in between the two seats, and as he pressed it down, water bubbled up at the seams along the leather. Apparently it was the one area I had neglected to check for water. He never noticed it, and to this day I've gotten away with my mishap. But, it was a really long drive home from the airport!
Once about a time I had a Yugo. I drove about an hour away, test drove it, loved it in all of it's goofy glory and bought it. On the interstate on my way home the steering wheel started to shake. I have had plenty of gelopies in my day, and I didn't want to be overly concerned about new squeaks and rattles, so I kept driving, at 65+ MPH in 5:00 traffic. Then my wheel came off. My driver's side front wheel bounced serenely by next to me, barely missing the minivan in the next lane and rolling down the highway. The little Yugo hit HARD. I'm a decent driver and luckily I was able to motivate it to the break down lane instead of the cars driving along side of me! There were sparks and screeching. My husband was following me and was sure that I was going to wreck into the guard rail and die. Luckily I was able to put it down against the guard rail gently, or as gently as you can put a Yugo against a guard rail.
As we were waiting for a tow, a police office came by. I thought I was going to be in trouble, because we technically had fictious tags on the Yugo, because we were just driving it home and didn't have temps yet. The police officer was so exited to see a Yugo he didn't even care. He asked us about our story and we told him. He said "Where's your wheel" we told him it was long gone down the highway somewhere. He jumped in his cruiser and said "I'll get it" peeling out into oncoming traffic with lights and sirins blaring. Giving the other motorists a stroke I'm sure.
It was a long day, and I had only gotten to drive the car for about a half hour, but it was one of the more eventful half hours of my life!
I currently own a 2004 Impala and when I was driving Saturday morning on my way home, I was following a truck hauling a tractor on a trailer. The tractor hit a tree and just as I was going under the tree a branch fell down and hit my car. It hit it so hard it knocked my mirror loose so that has to be replaced and I have scratchs all over the side of my car now.
My 2002 Honda Civic has been the most reliable car I have ever owned. I have had it six years, and it was used when I bought it. Last year I had to replace the alternator, but other than that I have had no major problems with it. The repair cost was around $500 for the alternator, but the service was phenomenal and fast. I always use Honda's express and repair services, and I must say, their associates are always kind, considerate, and helpful. Honda truly goes out of their way to keep their customers happy and comfortable. They even threw in a free oil change with my alternator repair. My Civic now has over 100,000 miles on it, and it still runs smoothly and efficiently.
I bought my first car 11 months back and it took almost 2 months to take a decision about it. I was initially confused between diesel and petrol vehicle and finally I decided to buy a diesel vehicle. It is sedan with 1400 CC DiCOR engine and has capacity to board five people in it. I love driving my car because it has a very smooth driving and is very stable even at the speed of 140km per hour. My car is an achievement for me because I have bought this within one year of my job and have not taken help from anyone to buy it. This car is very lucky for me and has never given any trouble to me in the past 11 months.
True story: Darth Vader breaks down while driving R2-D2's car
David "Darth Vader" Prowse was driving down the M1 highway in Northamptonshire, England, when his car broke down earlier this week. But the officers who showed up to assist him learned this wasn't just any old Mercedes the Sith lord was driving. It was previously owned by Prowse's fellow Star Wars actor Kenny Baker, the man inside R2-D2.
According to the BBC:
"The car was previously owned by my good friend Kenny Baker who was R2D2," said Prowse.
"He used to keep a little ladder inside the boot so he could climb up and put his suitcases inside.
"When he had finished, he'd put the ladder back and used a cord to shut the boot. "I decided to leave the cord there as a reminder of the car's previous owner."
Okay then.
Prowse eventually made it to his destination, a reunion of the 501st UK Garrison, which is a charitable group of people who like to dress up in Star Wars costumes.
"I'm the Commander in Chief Worldwide so it was really important that I was there, and when I broke down my boot was full of memorabilia and photos," Prowse explained.
A few years back I was in a jam and had to pick a car to purchase in one day. I took the entire day to go across towns to do research on several cars. At the end of the day I didn't have one picked out and just decided to purchase a 2002 Mitsubishi Lancer, OZ rally. It wasn't the car that was at the top of my list but it was there and the price was right. It was probably one of the best purchases I have made. This car has been through a lot of things. I have raced in it (which is not what it was purchased for but the opportunity was there), it has been hit from behind, and I have also been in a front end collision but the car is still in one piece. There is a scratch or two on each bumper but that is good considering everything that has happened. It is a solid car and is still getting great gas mileage. I have paid it off and plan to keep it until the wheels fall off.
When I bought my first car my dad came with me and had to drive it home because I had no insurance. He parked it on our drive and told me not to drive it. Later when he went out I got in the car and thought I would just drive it down the road and back and he wouldn't know. I started the engine and looked behind to make sure nothing was coming. As I turned round again I noticed the bonnet had flames coming out of it. Thinking it would put it out i revved the engine some more (I am a woman, and was only 19). The flames continued and got worse so I jumped out of the car and had to get my neighbor to throw a bucket of water on it. When my dad came back i had to admit what had happened, I was in big trouble!
One day, not long after I bought my 1996 Ford Contour, there was a very heavy rain. I had bought the car because I had taken a new job, and needed to get to the park and ride. Since I had only been at the job for a few weeks, it was very important to me to get there on time every day. My carpool van left only one time per day. If I missed it, I would not be able to get to work without traveling on a busy freeway, something I was unable to do.
I left my apartment that morning in the pouring rain. All was well until I got to a low patch in a road. Since flooding was in the process of happening, the highway department had not closed roads that were under water. I did not know how deep the water was. In fact, in rain that heavy, most roads are under an inch or two anyway while the rain is piling up and running off. So, I didnt' realize the water was getting a tiny bit deeper. When I did realize, I was not sure how deep it currently was or would get. I looked at the curb, and didn't see it. Was it underwater, or just a real low or absent curb? I saw waves in the water, and realized I was headed for trouble.
However, at that point turning around or backing up could have caused more damage in the high water. Terrified, I pushed through. I got to my van pool in time.
Later that night, I found that my back seat carpet had gotten just a tiny bit wet. I had to pay a deductible, get the jute replaced, and be out of the car for a few days (staying closer to the job). Plus, the car was nearly brand new. It was not long after that that I moved to an apartment closer to work.
Our lesson learned is, if in doubt, do not drive through water over the road. Pay close attention to water accumulation in heavy rain. If you can't see the curb (and you know it's there), it's probably too deep. It is very tempting to keep going, get through, and think you can make it. Resist the temptation. Taking a chance can mean a 500 dollar deductible and hassle. Also, do not leave wet carpet/jute to dry. It will mildew. The cost of replacing it is worth keeping damage to a minimum.
I can honestly say that, for that job, I went through hell and high water to keep it.
Last year before our daughter (2nd child) was born we were out to purchase a new small SUV because we new we would be installing the child seat in the back and did not want to have get down in a car to do it. It was alot of work putting my son in the car when he was an infant because we had small sportscar and he had to go in the middle because of side rear airbags. So we looked at all the popular brands and were a little suprised at the costs. When we decided to look at the brands that we really didnt consider we found an Isuzu Ascender. It was identical to the namebrand Trailblazer but it was thousands of dollars cheaper. It even had a GMC badge in the door. We love this truck and practically stole it since it was so much more affordable than the same truck without the popular namebrand.
When my husband totaled out our little Honda Accord- we needed to replace it quickly. I saw an ad for a Mercedes 300 D for $500 and off we went to look at it. It took a bit of spit and polish to make it look nice- but the diesel engine was in great condition. It was a stick-shift, so my teenage daughters didn't enjoy borrowing this car. We loaned it to my son-in-law who neglected to check the oil, and sadly, the car died shortly after. It was a great $500 investment though- and we had almost a year of "style" in our oldie but goodie 1980 Mercedes. I understand car payments run about $500 a month for a new Mercedes - hmmmm.
One time, I broke into my own car. Well, not exactly. Almost six years ago, my area of the country had its worst ice storm in recent history. Ice up to half an inch thick covered everything, including my car.
At that time, I lived in an apartment and parked my car in the parking lot. Though it was a safe area, from time to time we had the occasional car break-in. The first morning after the ice storm, I didn't go anywhere. I did not have to go to work, so I simply started up the car to make sure it would start, and then ran back inside my apartment to warm up again.
The next morning, I still did not have to go in to work, but I decided to scrape off the car windows. The temperature had not warmed up at all, so there was no melting. It took a lot of my strength to chip anything off the windows beyond a small hole in the ice, and I was going at it as best as I could. Finally, after I'd done all I thought I could do, I went back inside, hoping for at least a little melting outdoors.
The next day, I went outside to my car, got inside, and saw a few pieces of glass on the passenger seat. I was horrified. Who on earth would be breaking into cars in this frigid weather? Had they taken anything? No. In fact, the hole shattered into the window was very small, too small for a hand to fit into. Nor was it near the door lock.
It dawned on me that I had done the damage myself, had broken into my own car with my ice scraper. I felt pretty foolish, but I was also relieved that I had not been a victim of robbery.
The temperature that day was warmer than before, and I was able to drive out to get my window repaired. I didn't tell the people at the automotive place how the window had been broken, and they didn't ask.
In my college life my father bought a car, But a sad news is my father didn't give permission to touch the car. So I took the car while he was in deep sleep, And went some distance long and had cool drinks enjoyed well. While returning to my home i drive very fastly and met with an accident, my father scold me with bad words in public this incident broke my heart.
Moral: Respect Elders Words