New Truck

My car died.  It turns out that when they say you should change your timing belt at a certain interval (every 60,000 miles in my case) they say that for a reason.  I changed mine at 60k miles but that was 75,000 miles ago.  I had put off doing it again thinking that I might try to do it myself this summer.  But the summer didn't get here soon enough I guess.  The timing belt broke, my engine's pistons shot up into the valves, which shot out all over the place, and so the valves and pistons were pretty busted up.  The car just stopped.  I got a couple of quotes to repair the motor and they were both about $2400.  But the transmission has been shifting pretty hard for years and something in the exhaust system kept causing the check engine light to come on.  So I decided not to get a new engine.

Instead I bought a new truck.

 A new to me truck anyway.  There is nothing else new about it.  It is a 1984 Toyota pickup and it is pretty beat up looking.  But it starts easily and it drives nice.  It has over 184,000 miles on it, but I think I can get a few more out of it.  Molly doesn't seem to be very impressed with it.  She knew I was looking for something cheap, but I think she wanted me to get something a little nicer.  But it was only $600 so I figured even if it lasted a half year or so, it was worth it.  And it might last longer than that.  I am done with school now so I only have to drive a couple miles to catch my vanpool everyday.  So at five miles a day, it should last pretty well I hope.  And the kids love it.  Luke likes to stand in the bed and shoot baskets.  The kids want to name it Mater because it is pretty rusty on the back and I guess it reminded them of Mater from Cars.  And they said Mater used to be blue.  So I told them they could call it whatever they wanted.  I am happy to have something that drives and I have always wanted a little truck like this.