tindra

My car (Yuki, a 2001 honda civic with 148k) died today. I've had her for four years and haven't had any major problems until a couple of months ago. I paid to have her seals changed and the ignition replaced, since she was leaking oil and the ignition was shorting out causing her to die while driving. A few weeks ago the check engine light, and battery light came on. My mechanic came over to look at her, diagnosed the problem (thermastat was stuck open, and couldn't find anything wrong with the battery or alternator). Last night after running errands all day, Yuki died in the safeway parking lot. I checked the connections and noticed that there was some corrosion. I cleaned it off and got someone to jump start her for me. I drove her around the city for about half an hour so the battery would have time to charge.

This morning, I went to start her when I heard the dreaded "dead battery" sound. Luckily my landlord was there and he push started her for me. Once I got to my parents' house my dad tested the battery. It was charged and working. So I'm pretty sure it's the alternator. Right now, I don't have the time to fix her so I'll wait until next year. I've also been thinking about buying a new car. Should I get her fixed, try and sell her, or trade her in as is? Either way, I'm not going to make a lot of money.

Then there's the question of what to buy. Do I want to buy an older car to restore, or a new car? There are quite a few cars that I'm considering. 1940's mercury, 1960's volkswagen squareback, 1960's volvo p1800, datsun 510, Audi A3, Volvo C30, Acura csx. So many decisions. Maybe I'll just stick with Yuki, she's reliable (mostly), good on gas and it'll save me money. The only problem is that about 10 of my neighbours have blue honda civics so it's hard to tell which one's mine.