The end of an era

For over a year, I my car has been burning oil.  At first I was putting two bottles of oil in every two weeks. Since the school year started, I have been putting oil in it every three days or so.  I could tell by just listening to it when it was bone-dry.  I felt special.

I felt a real connection to that car.  We've been through a lot together since spring 2000.

Friday morning I was on the way to work and when I got the stop light about 200m from the school building, the light turned red.  My car started to shake like my dad's old diesel Benz.  It was still pitch black as it was about 6:45 in the morning, but I assumed that the cars around me must have thought I was bumping to some really good music.

I carefully drove the car the rest of the way to the lot.

After school, the car started shaking as soon as I turned the ignition.

I turned it off and called the boyfriend to see what he thought of it.  Of course, his reaction was that my car had been broke for a long time.

It has never been like this, though.

I drove to the local 7-11.  When I got there, I checked the oil level, poured some more oil in and started it back up.  Now, the gas pedal had no effect on the car's movement.

Somehow, I got the car to move to the Midas that has become my go to place - about 15 minutes away on the roads (no way I was going to get on the highway).  The guys there know me by name and car.  They don't even charge me for some services since I have been there so much.  At one point there was something wrong with the car that they couldn't figure out.  They sent me to the dealer, but they had no idea.  Mike and Jamie (Midas guys) told me to tell them what the dealers discovered with their higher-tech tools.  But they continued to research and figured out what even Toyota's tools couldn't discover.

When I got to Midas, Mike looked at the car.  Called me in to the garage about 15 minutes after he started and gave me the news.

There were two options... either a new engine (could run 2500-4500 USD) or a new car.

So, it is official.

The Rolly-san is dead.

I have to find a new (or new for me) car.