the car had some electronic component that would overheat after a certain period of time, which varied slightly depending on the outside temperature. it ran well in the winter. in the summer, you could usually make it about 25 miles before the engine shut down. the power steering would go out, so you'd be left with a vehicle that maneuvered with the grace of a tank, coasting to a stop wherever you happened to be at the time.

driving it, i prayed for luck. i knew when we were reaching the mileage limit, and would start to plan. on the freeway, stick to the right-hand lane, so we could pull onto the shoulder the second all the warning lights flashed on. hopefully, i wouldn't be at a stoplight or on a narrow road when it happened. we knew than on a hot day, we could make it from my parents' house in eagan to downtown and almost all the way back again before it broke down. then it would be a matter of sitting and waiting for the car to cool down again to continue the trip.

one spring break, heather and i decided to drive down to chicago. what possessed us to decide it would be a good idea to take that car, i'm not positive. it had been through several repairs, so i think my dad had finally declared it safe for travel. we packed up our things and went. we made it almost all the way through wisconsin before having to stop at the rest area outside of janesville, close to the illinois border. we ran in and used the bathroom, but when we got back to the car, it wouldn't start. a few frantic phone calls later, a pickup truck was towing us to a chrysler dealership in town. we spent a highly enjoyable afternoon there, loitering around the lobby reading the paper (the top story featured a trial involving the star quarterback of the high school football team, who was being accused of having 'non-consensual' sex with a cheerleader) and wandering the three stores in the local mall. finally, a couple hundred bucks poorer, we were back on the road.

we stayed in a hotel out in my old neighborhood, and got up the next morning to head downtown. we were on the eisenhower with the music cranked, excited to see the city. all of a sudden, the lights flashed on, and the car went into tank mode. i yelled and propelled it through traffic towards the shoulder. there was an exit right there, so i decided to take it. we managed to roll all the way up through the light and stop in the parking lot of an apartment building. well, more of a project. we found ourselves on the west side, at sacramento and congress.

we got out and inspected the car. a minute later, an ambulance pulled up. they told us that they figured a couple white girls in that neighborhood were probably needing assistance. they said to grab absolutely everything out of the car and pile it in the ambulance, and that we would be lucky if the car was there when we got back. then they drove us to the local police precinct. we were greeted by chicago's crankiest irish desk sergeant. he let loose an impressive string of curses and stomped out, declaring that it was time for tea. the cops called a tow truck for us, and we got a fantastic tour of the west side while going back to retrieve our car.

we spent the rest of the day at another dealership, reading and crying and calling home for help. the mechanics treated us like a couple of stupid minnesota girls. which we were, in a shitty car that should never have been driven cross-country. finally, they managed to find the defective part and replace it. using my mom's credit card number and her authorization over the phone, they let us escape. too scared to take the freeway, it took us over an hour to get back to the hotel on local streets.

a day or two later, we noticed that maybe the car was getting a little noisy. we thought the muffler was going, as you could hear a low hum, which got a little louder as the day went on. we just turned up the stereo and ignored it, figuring it was nothing major. we were sitting at a stoplight in naperville when it happened. all of a sudden, we were driving the loudest car in the universe. it was beyond glass-pack, it was unbelievable. so loud you couldn't hear it, only feel it. we gaped in disbelief and rushed to the nearest muffler shop, which thankfully was only a couple blocks away. they quickly patched the hole in the exhaust pipe and sent us on our way again. at that point, all we could do was laugh.

we might been better off if they'd have just kept the car. i hear amtrak is pretty reliable.