If you've ever driven its likely you've owned a cheaper car with a sizeable amount of miles on it. These cars are prone to many problems that happen frequently and end up costing more in the long run then what you originally paid. I've only driven for a year but the car I own has 289K miles on it. There's been many problems with the car but more so problems that all cars have after a long time. Tires arent really a 'problem' but are more of an expense and the longer you go without paying the more risk you have of crashing. My battery has recently started to give up on me meaning I'll have to spend more money to buy a new one. These are more readily replaceable things you'll need to deal with no matter the mileage. They cost alot and are just one more expense to expect.
If you own an older car or are planning to then be ready to face the niche problems it'll throw at you. Last summer my car fan blower gave out on me leaving me without air conditioning in the 100F+ degree weather with only my windows to cool the air. Problems like these aren't so easy to diagnose. Sometimes the fan would randomly start blowing but be really weak, most of the time it wouldn't work in general. You begin to search up what the problem could be, leading you down many rabbit holes. What if its the thermistor? What if the fuse is blown? What if the airway is blocked? It's questions like these that get you feeling like you dont know what you're doing and have no way of solving this problem. It's the reason I didn't do anything about it. However, if I wanted to make it through winter I knew I needed to face this problem.
I bit the bullet and ordered myself a new fan blower and a socket wrench kit. Whether it be my intense determination or my overconfidence, I soon found myself laid on the car floor while the rain poured outside. My phone was my only source of light while also being the tutorial I watched to get through it. There were many problems I wont get into, but over the course of maybe 2 hours I had removed the old blower fan and replaced it with the new one. Everything was put back into place and it was the moment of truth. I started the car, hoping I didn't damage the wiring, and turned up the fan. The feeling of acomplishment in that moment when air came out could only be riveled by hard drugs. Walking back to my apartment, a dusty and broken air blower in one hand and my socket wrench kit in the other, I felt on top of the world. I felt like I could do anything.
Last winter, winter of 2023, the tempatures dipped down to -15F. This caused many problems with my car, locks not working, doors not closing, and worst of all a gas leak. I would be driving and over a week a gas smell would develop and blow into the cabin of my car from the engine. Since I needed to have the hot air on to stay warm, I was forced to blow intense gas fumes into my car while I drove. It slowely intensified until it got so bad you could smell the gas from around my car. I was at my aunt's house when we did a more thorough investigation of the smell. I had previously checked the engine but just could not find this leak. The family I asked would question if it smelt like exhaust, if my gas cap was on, etc. I knew it was from the engine, I knew it was gas, I just could not find the leak. I was in the drive way when I spotted it. Drip.. Drip.. Drip.. There it was. I pulled into my aunt's garage and we got to fixing the leak. It turns out the intense cold was the problem. The metal of the screws or clamps was shrinking and expanding and the clamps on the line loosened, causing gas to leak. It was a simple fix, just screwing the screw tighter. However, it was leaking in multiple places. Screwing one place led to a leak further in the line. This was hard because the screw was covered by a metal plate we had to remove. After that was all over, I look back at it fondly. It was fun to blast OK Computer while driving and getting poisoned by gas. I might have been getting a high off of it, thats another reason I could have enjoyed it. Who knows.
This is a more common problem with cars and a recent issue with my car. It showed up the day I went to leave from my apartment to head home for the holidays. I've had jumper cables in my car which have come in very handy. I got my roomate to jump my car and was on my way. It hasn't happened often but it's always at the times you wouldn't expect. I was at work and was the last person leaving, I try to start my car only to have it be dead. I had to call someone. The neighbor who lived by my work place asked if my battery was dead and I said yes. I didn't expect anything more than that. As I sat in my car waiting for the person I called to come, I watched as the neighbor ran around their yard grabbing various wires and what looked like a handheld generator or crank. I just watched until they threw something over the fence (waist high chain link) and ran around. I got up and they just started to help. It was a nice gesture and we talked a bit. The person I called arrived shortly later and the neighbor had to head back, but it was an interesting experience. Today my battery was dead again and my sister got me a battery power jump starter for Christmas so I tried that out. I think I did something wrong because it did not work. Either way, I got a jump eventually. This battery will need to be replaced soon but who knows what other problems it'll bring me while I still have it.
My family house is in a place that snows alot. Driving in snow is difficult and it's when you become comfortable that it gets you. You'll be driving carefully and slowly relax your vigilance and then you'll take a turn a little too sharp and fast and begin to slide. I've only had two minor accidents and both have been caused by sliding. The first time was when I was turning onto the road that led to my house. The turn is off a 50 MPH highway and its one you have to slow down and do a 90 degree turn. I was heading home and was trying to turn. There was someone behind me that did not look like they were slowing down so I took the turn a little too fast and began to slide. There was nothing to hit besides a snowbank, so thats what I hit. It was a slow slide, my car suffered no damage and I just reversed and went on my way. Afterwards my steering wheel was extra shakey for a day or two. I figured it was some loose snow caught somewhere in my tires or something, so while driving I quickly turned back and forth going straight and it actually fixed the problem. The second time I slid was maybe a week ago and was more violent. I was taking a left hand turn and I took it a little fast, causing me to slide. There's this unforgettable feeling when you slam on the brakes and they just do nothing. You get the feedback and vibration of your brakes just vibrating from the tires but doing nothing. It's a hopeless feeling. I slid into the sidewalk with a very loud thud, pretty scary. Again, my car was perfectly fine, I think I only hit my tire. Conclusion here is to be extra careful in the snow and don't relax your alertness. Be careful.
On top of living in an area that gets alot of snow, I also live in an area with lots of deer. There's signs of course and you sometimes see them, but they always leave your mind. Last summer I was heading home and I was going over an interchange when this giant deer or elk runs up the side of this dirt hill and gets up to the road. Your heart begins to pound, you have to think quick. This was my first encounter with a deer at these speeds, I didn't know what to do. Initally I stepped on the gas but I realized this was a mistake and started applying my brakes. If the deer actually ran into the road I would have hit it at 40 MPH. I was very lucky. Instead of the deer running into the road, it ran along the side, allowing me to continue driving forward. There's this heart sinking feeling you feel when something like this happens, you're just in pure shock. I turned down my music and was in silence. When I turned off the highway I just screamed to let that feeling out. It was intense. The other encounter I had was just about a week ago. A lot of things seemed to have happened to me within these last couple of weeks. I was driving the backroads home, they're very windy and much more naturey. The two visual conditions were these: It was night and it was really foggy. I typically speed on this road which was another factor. I'm driving along when I see a deer run across the road infront of me. I thought it was a dog at first. I braked a little, but it was okay since it looked like only one. The problem was when the second deer jumped out and I almost hit it. I was about 10 feet away before it was out of the way. I'm alot more scared driving that road now.
I have only had one really bad near miss which shook me a little. It was dark out and I was returning from.. somewhere. It wasn't a normal route. I stopped at what I thought was a 4 way stop, checked, then went. Suddenly I look to my right and theres headlights barreling towards me. The only thing you really can do it step on the gas. If they hadn't braked I would have been hit. It's frightening stuff. Little moments like those that could just end your life or permanently alter it. I have had other experiences where I could have been hit, but none like that. I like to call myself a good and safe driver but moments like these make me rethink that.
I wasn't sure how to phrase this title but I have this weird feeling I cant really describe. It's this weird fascination with breaking down in some remote area and being stranded with only your brain and things you have to fix the car. Sort of like the episode of breaking bad called "4 Days out". The feeling might stem from being prepared and watching that pay off. I have an urge to buy a real cheap car and try to drive it across the US during summer. Just drive and see what happens along the way. All the places I would get to see and explore, it sounds like alot of fun. There's one scene I've had in my mind for a long time where I run out of gas on a remote road while its pouring rain and just have to sit there. I imagine it with this song playing over the scene: Out Of Gas by Modest Mouse. A game that has a feeling close to this is a game called The Long Drive. In this game you spawn with a junk car that has any amount of problems with it and you put stuff in your little garage into your car. You get into your car and just drive. It's an apocalyptic setting with vast deserts and plains and sparse buildings along the way. You slowly improve your car and could crash which sends engine parts flying out and you may not find them. You could fly and roll very far from where you crashed. Its a fun game.
This Is a Long Drive For Someone With Nothing to Think About
Karma's Payment
Out of Gas
Trucker's Atlas
Every Penny Fed Car
Airbag