I've always thought I had an angel on my car. For those of you who don't know this about me, I have always been terribly afraid of driving and didn't get my license till I was 34.

So with each car, I always felt that there was an angel watching, telling me (almost could hear it) when to "get to the side", or "hug the curve", or "pay attention" and it was always always moments before a car was rounding a curve at me and they were more in the center of the road, or when a dog or large debris was in the road ahead of me.

The ONLY thing that has happened to me, and I mean CONSISTENTLY, is that I get a flat back tire caused by a nail, or a light goes out. This has happened so often, I started joking that I had a gremlin and that I should buy bulbs by the case. The people at the Tire Doctor got so used to seeing me that they knew immediately why I was there - to get yet another nail out of my back tire.

So I bought my new car one month ago........ONE MONTH AGO... I have a flat back tire and a headlight out.  I said out loud to myself: I must have a gremlin! and sure enough, I heard a little "giggle". Oh, and there is a nice shiny nailhead sticking out of my back tire.

I think my playful little angel is letting me know he's there, and that is the worst thing that is going to happen to me.

If that is the worst thing that happens to you in a car, count your blessings! [I know you are]
TomM

Gremlin? More like cruising construction sites......   ;D

I once owned a '71 Gremlin. Bought it for $200, put in gas, oil, and a $150 brake job. Sold it 6 months later for $175.

Car sucked. But it was cheap.

I'm with Bill.............I have had countless nails in my tires over the 16...17? yrs I've been in Real Estate.............new subdivisions will do it every time.

I hate contractors Cathi

Quote:

and that is the worst thing that is going to happen to me.

Unless of course that tire decides to blow at 70mph on the freeway like it did to me.

wrote on Jun 6^th, 2008 at 6:37pm:

I once owned a '71 Gremlin. Bought it for $200, put in gas, oil, and a $150 brake job. Sold it 6 months later for $175. Car sucked. But it was cheap.

I beg to differ . . .I have VERY fond memories of that car . . . . .  ;)

Your story reminds me of the Twilight Zone episode where the gremlin is pulling up plates on the wing of a passenger jet that only one scared passenger can see.

We had lots of nails in our tires too. You haven't slipped out of this universe yet

Charlie

I look at those incidents as little helpers.  I can only imagine what would happen to me if it HADN'T happened.

I try to remind myself also to be patient.  That there's always a reason for little old ladies doing 40mph in a 55mph zone! :P

BTW, coming back from dinner out tonight, there was a huge freakin black bear that crossed the highway in front of me!  Must have been about 500lbs.  I'm glad no one was coming from the other way at the time!

The more I read about what could/might happen, the less I want to drive a car again... :-/ Luckily for me, I don't own one right now and I'm in hurry to get one, either.

Sanna

Jen, at least it sounds as if your gremlin is merely mischievous.  Which is no bad thing.  Some vehicles are possessed by devils.

My brother-in-law, Martin, has just such a car.  

I will not name the brand, other than to say that its model is named Excrement or Enema, (or something like that) and its make has the same initials as the phrase Fairly Often Rolls Dead.  

It's pure evil, and no mistake.

Notwithstanding the fact that his car was recalled once because the cruise control in these models sometimes ignites spontaneously when the car is stopped--setting peoples' houses on fire--it has an apparently unfixable fault wherein the spark plugs slowly come out while the car is driven.  His car did this once in Rawlins, Wyoming (very far from anywhere else, by the way).  It caused $4000 in damage--not to mention the inconvenience of being stationary for many days in Rawlins, Wyoming.

My brother-in-law is a mechanical engineer, and a very stubborn man, and he refused to believe that a car could be infected by a devil.  I warned him, but he would not listen.

This past weekend, he was driving to Salt Lake City, when the tie-rod went out in the front end.  Apparently, in the (Excrement or Enema) model, this is a very serious matter, which requires the intervention of highly-skilled mechanics, and a massive infusion of cash.

He called to ask me what he should do.  I told him that if I were him, I would have it towed to a junk yard and watch while it was being crushed.  I believe he made some attempts to sell it, but it seems that few people lust after a fat-butted SUV that gets something around 8 miles to the gallon right now, particularly one with a broken tie-rod--and so he received little joy.

Last I heard, he flew home, leaving the thing bereft in some used-car dealership in Salt Lake City where they play mariachi music over the intercoms.    

Best,

George  

 

Linda_Howell wrote on Jun 6^th, 2008 at 6:54pm:

Quote: and that is the worst thing that is going to happen to me. Unless of course that tire decides to blow at 70mph on the freeway like it did to me.

Linda_Howell wrote on Jun 6^th, 2008 at 6:54pm:

Quote: and that is the worst thing that is going to happen to me. Unless of course that tire decides to blow at 70mph on the freeway like it did to me.

and that is exactly how the whole thing got started Linda ;)