The car

In the Netherlands, a car is also called "the holy cow". Is it still that precious to us?

It's time for another car. Looking back I need one every year or two years. I guess that's what happens if you have only a certain amount to spend. It's impossible to save faster for a more expensive car. I say more expensive because it isn't said that one will be good. Even brand new cars come with issues, explode, give their owner stress. Life shouldn't be about a car only but frequently it feels that way. Unfortunately, I still need one. I wish this wasn't the case but it is as it is.

A used car will always have issues. Why? Because a good vehicle will not easily be sold. Car sellers will never repair everything they know about and which should be repaired. Their only job is to make the car look good, pass the test and get rid of it with profit. Preferable one of 100-200%.

It feels a bit bitter to say goodbye to this lemon after all the repairs and money I spent on it. By now it drives well and it still looks shiny and I am used to it. Another car... It will have issues too, after being bought it needs to be tested and most likely no one will tell me its bottlenecks. My cars had it all. Rain inside the dashboard, the back or dashboard closets. Broken heather and leaks. Destroyed airbag because of water issues, water into the gasoline. Doors that locked you inside or didn't let you inside. Cars that refused to start even with a new battery. I used jumpstarters, pulled and pushed my car and ended up in the middle of nowhere.

I waited hours for the road service, borrowed my car from others and always got it back broke. One car ended underneath a truck (no, I wasn't the driver) and with that one, I lost more than just a car. I lost my items, a huge amount of money, my no claim and was scolded by the driver and his girlfriend. I thought they were my friends. People who left me with the damage and said they would not pay me a cent. The loss of these friends is not what I cried about most but the fact I trusted him with my car. A car I needed myself. It all (financial too) had a huge impact on me and my children. Not for just a week or month but for years. We suffered for years because of a car accident made with my car by someone I thought was a friend. A person I even took into my home because he was homeless and jobless. He came without a cent and as I borrowed my car so he could visit his girlfriend I gave him money for gasoline, food, shopping everything.

I had a car that gave up on me on the highway. I just bought it and according to the seller, it was a good car. It was tested everything. I could not even drive 100 kilometres with it as I ended up in February (Winter) in the middle of the highway. From one second to the next all electricity shut down. The nastiest thing about modern cars. You never know what exactly causes the problem you deal with. All the electronic parts and extra's look shiny but if it comes to it it's hard to get it repaired. The costs are high especially if the mechanic can't figure out what it is.

Like the mechanics say: It can be this or 8 different parts. In many cases, they replace one part after the next. If you are the unlucky one even after that the problem is not solved. A good reason to dump the car as soon as possible. It's what they say here too: as soon as your car starts having trouble it's time to sell it.

Today was the first time I didn't feel stressed because of this car. I do find it a pity but I never intended to keep it longer than one year. The first year was filled with troubles and car service visits. I had to call the road service several times and there was so much more.

The first step is to find something else as soon as possible (within a week). Next, I will see what I can do with this car. Time will tell. I hope I can find something that won't let me down if I need it since the winter is the worst time to be without a good car. One that starts, doesn't leak and has a good heater.

#kittywu #freewrite #car #life