This
is a true story about my car. I’ve been nervous
driving it for months. It started dying
out en route last October. I took it to
my mechanic twice and he changed out several parts upon suspicion. His computer analyzer showed nothing was
wrong so he could not solve my problem. I
poured gas treatment into the tank in case there was any water in the gas. It still died out! Hubby gave
me three choices. 1) I could drive his
truck. (And smell like a cigar everywhere
I went.) 2) Drive it like it is learning
the knack of shifting it in neutral and starting it up again while in motion or
3) stay home. And he told me to stop
fretting; it will get fixed eventually; worrying will not help.
Months
passed. My prayer partner was so patient
praying with me to uncover the mystery of my car’s bad behavior. I asked the ladies in my Bible Study to pray
too.
I
purchased this car eleven years ago and even though it’s old now, I’ve always
liked it. I remember back then how I
prayed for direction for months while saving my money for a car. I remember the morning Hubby took me out “just
to look.” I pouted when he showed
interest in an old Nissan that needed a little work. B.o.r.i.n.g. c.a.r. The saleslady wrote up the paperwork and I
tugged at his shirtsleeve and whispered:
“I hate this car.” He told the sales
gal that he needed some discussion time with me and that he would call her by
Noon. When we got home, I researched the strengths and weaknesses of
the Nissan verses the 2001 red Alero Oldsmobile that caught my eye every time I
drove past the used car lot in our town. I won’t bore you with the facts, but my
research persuaded him. In fact, when he
could see on paper that we could save over $1000, he got his coat and we headed
out to test drive the Alero. By Noon, he
called the Nissan dealer and told her we bought another car.
My
Alero was not perfect when I purchased it in 2003. The college professor that previously owned
it put almost 100,000 miles on it driving from the Indian reservation to the
campus every day. I paid $5,000 for that
two-year old car back then and that included tax. The sales manager assured me it would be a
great little car for me around town and maybe Flagstaff or Phoenix. He should only know it has safely taken me to
San Diego and back six times. In eleven years, I have only had to put $1,300
in maintaining it and that included $500 for new tires.
Getting
back to my present frustration, I began to praise God for providing such a
reliable vehicle for me over the years. I
always felt like He led me to that car. Praise
works; complaining doesn’t! Suddenly, I
got the idea to join the forums on Google where a bunch of people talk about
their car repairs. I copied and pasted
all my Alero research and showed my print out to my husband. The man is not a car guy, but like me, he
likes to save money. We both are do-it-yourself
types so I felt that I had him in my back pocket. He liked my info about MAPS which has
something to do with the manifold pressure sensor but he never thought to check
that. The sensor was in good shape, but
the eight inch hose to it was disintegrating!
It actually crumbled in his hand as he took it out. The guy at the auto parts store thought, like
us, that this could be my solution. He
gave us the hose free of charge. We
changed it out and now my old car drives beautifully. Even in the rain. Even when I have to stop abruptly! I feel secure again.
I have a car that I love, and it's now 16 years old. So, I get the car stuff. We do get attached, don't we?!
ReplyDeleteI love that God cares about all of our *stuff* - the big stuff and the smallest details.
Ride on, Mary, ride on!!
:-)
Loved reading about how praising works, but complaining doesn't! Why is it that it takes us so long to figure that out when we are in the middle of a crisis or hard time?
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Mary, for sharing about your experience!
xo
Dianna
What a wonderful story!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you stuck to your guns and didn't buy the B.O.R.I.N.G. Nissan.
It's been a real long time since I 'loved' a vehicle, and now I'm at the age, I just want something reliable!
Sounds like you and your shiny red Alero were meant for one another. :)
I have discovered so much and saved so much money but investigating things on Google, before going out and making a major purchase or repair. Having a dependable car (esp. as a woman) is so important. Glad you were able to get it fixed properly and inexpensively!!
ReplyDeleteI love it that you asked your prayer group to pray about your car. God truly gave you wisdom to do the research on line and then to include your husband in the mystery of the disintegrating hose. Thank you for sharing with us here at 'Tell me a Story.'
ReplyDeleteGood reminder that worrying gets us nowhere. Amazing that I think when we are not seeing things in the shadow of troubles but instead seeing them in His light, fretting do disappear. Knowing that He is always there for us. Great analogy with His grace. And what a great car! I can't imagine the memories you had kept in your heart where it brought you. You're inspiring in the way you try to search for what's ailing the car. And in the end, He indeed rewarded you with the solution! God bless sister and have a wonderful week, going for more miles because of the strength He gives.
ReplyDeleteHi Mary! What a beautiful story! And all that work and worry for a hose?
ReplyDeleteCars are like electricity to me...a complete mystery. I love that you looked into Google forums, and that it helped. God was nudging you there.
My SIL had an Alero, and it was jazzy looking. I can see why you'd want it over the boring Nissan!
Blessings,
Ceil
Gotta love a story with a happy ending and a girl with unending devotion… You go girl!
ReplyDelete