My sunfire is no more

Transportation is a very important part of life, whether it's walking, riding the bus or a bike, driving a motorcycle or car, skateboarding, or even riding a unicycle.  We all need to get around.  Throughout my life I've had my fair share of vehicles.  And let me tell you, they've never been anything fancy, at all.  My first car was a 1983 Mazda RX-7 with a rotary motor, I bought it for 1300 dollars, and it even came with an extra car for parts, which I used more than once.  I only owned it for a year or so and man was it fun.  I bagged the hell out of that car, made sure I put a thumping stereo in it, which is what you do when you're 16.  It was a two seater but we took numerous road trips in that car, two in the front, and two buddies laying down in the back next to the subwoofer, good times, but it eventually had to go.  Next up was my parents old 1990 toyota camry, now as far as I'm concerned toyota makes one solid car.  That thing got me through a lot, 4x4ing offroad, road trips to bush parties, taking it halfway across the country to northern alberta, I even maxed it out at 188km/h, it just wouldn't go any faster.  Eventually I traded it to my sister for an old 1989 chevy half ton that our grandpa gave her, because come on, let's face it, guys should drive trucks instead of cars.  But there is something about a girl driving a truck......mmmm.....okay back to it.  That chevy made it from Manitoba to Alberta for my first journey away from home to setup up camp in a new city.  Eventually it made it to Red Deer and finally I decided to sell it, of course with my bad luck it started leaking antifreeze the day the potential buyer came to check it out.  So I only got 800 bucks for it, but I was able to buy my latest ride.  A 1999 pontiac sunfire 2.4 litre GT.  $3000, it was the most I'd ever spent on a car, and ya know what? It did what I needed it to do, several trips into the BC mountains, lots of winter driving through Alberta, and eventually I packed my entire life into it for the final voyage to Victoria.  Two years I've had it in the city here with me, after a little fixing and a ridiculous amount of money spent on an out of province. safety.  I always said I'd drive it until it died.......well that day came today.  I was on my way to pick up my friend to drive him to the airport this afternoon, when I heard a bit of an odd noise when I hit the brakes, not thinking anything of it I continued on.  A few blocks later I noticed, in my rear view mirror, that I was smoke screening the guy behind me.  What the hell? I thoought to myself, is that my car? So as I slowed down at the next red light a little old lady pulled up next to me pointing to the back of my car to which I mouthed the words, "that's not good".  She quickly mouthed back "no it certainly isn't", it was kind of funny really, but I wasn't laughing.  I was rather angry.  So I pulled off the road and parked the clunker.  While it sat there smoking i made a phone call to my coworker who quickly filled me in that I'd blown the head gasket.  And I knew that it's not a cheap fix to fix a head gasket, so I gutted it of everything I own, subwoofer, cd player, all assorted belongings, phoned my friend who I was on my way to meet and let him know that I wasn't going to make it, got a ride and left it for dead on the side of the road.  As I drove away a calm came over me, I knew it was it's time and I'm cool with that.  I'm in Victoria, I thought.  I don't really need a car that bad, so now I'm carless and thinking that it might be a blessing in disguise.  And also thinking that no longer will I purchase vehicles that aren't road worthy, I'm gonna grow up and someday buy a new car with warranty.  lol.  Sometimes it just pays to have peace of mind.