A Big Thank You

I got my car back yesterday from my Studly Mechanic at Como Imports. I owe them a big thank you for putting in all the extra work without charging the extra buck for it. They even kept it in their garage overnight with the windows open to help air it out (carpet is almost dry now). It's running pretty good and has a turn signal and seat belt back where it belongs and it starts when it should and all those nice things good legal cars do. I'm still mulling over exactly what to do to thank them and thought I'd start with a nice card that goes something like this...

The card has a BEFORE pic on the front:










Then inside is the AFTER pic:




and then a big THANK YOU!!!!






Some of you that have seen my car may be thinking, wow, I don't remember it being so shiny and new looking and rust-free and all the same color like that. Some of you that are more observant may be saying to yourself, hey, I'm pretty sure J-Funk's car isn't a station wagon. Well, you are all correct in your wondering because this isn't really my car, even though it's the same color and definitely just as fine. I hijacked this pic off of a website advertising this 1989 Toyota Camry for sale for $4,599. It only has 128,249 miles on it. It even resides in the groovy state of Washington. If you're interested you can check it out yourself at http://www.motorzoo.com/view.php?VIN=JT2SV21W9K0278335.

I've been thinking, if I could get on Pimp My Ride and get my car fixed up all nice maybe it would be worth that, too. Only a few dollars less because of all those extra miles. And maybe a few dollars less than that because of those couple of blemishes in the History Report (what deep water? accidents?). But I could still at least make back what I've spent this month don't you think?

So here's a summary:
Having your car towed to Como Imports: $80
Getting the water drained out from under the hood and all the spark plugs replaced: $200
Pop-starting your car to get it back to Como Imports: free (thank goodness)
New starter, alternator belt, and some pre-deep water long-needed maintenance like a new turn signal: more than I care to admit
Having an old car: PRICELESS

Let's go over what's so great about having an old car, just so we're on the same page. I can bop up onto a curb, run into a street sign, drive into a ditch, get keyed on the street, get my trunk busted into, leave it unlocked at night (which may prevent getting the trunk busted into again), and run into it with a shopping cart... all with the worry-free attitude of an old car owner. Plus I pay less in car insurance because if I wreck it I sure won't fix it.

Now we just have to decide... is it safe enough to drive out of the neighborhood?