Hoop Dreams
Two years ago when the lease ended on my old car, I decided that since my commute is measured in blocks rather than miles and that I drive about 20 miles in an average week, that I didn't need anything special and really didn't want to have a car payment. So I set out in search of a car that I could purchase outright for the cash I happened to have in my wallet. About four hours later I owned The Hoop and have been driving it ever since.
The Hoop is a beat up old 1992 Chevy Cavalier. It looks like this:
...except, picture that with a dull and scratched up paint job, dents, rusted out spots, spots where a dent has been pulled out and the holes filled with tar, worn suspension, scratched and permanently stained windows, the spoiler broken off, the finish all chipped off the wheels, a quarter of the trim gone, the center arm rest broken, stains on the seats, a chunk missing from the steering wheel, a detachable driver's side window roller handle, a warped dashboard, a gaping hole where the stereo used to be, and a horn that has been known to fly off if the wheel is turned too sharply.
But, it gets me where I need to go.
This week The Hoop gave me quite a scare. While rounding the corner at 11th & Grand the other night I heard a loud pop under the chassis. Ever since then it has made a low rumble whenever I go over bumps, slow down, or make a left turn.
My main worry was that the repair would be urgent and tremendously expensive, because I can neither afford that right now nor afford replacing The Hoop. Though I can walk to work no problem, there are/i> a few places I go to each week where neither walking nor the bus are an option and I did not want to become a burden on my friends.
I dropped it off today for an oil change and a look and returned to work in terror to await the outcome.
Thank God. Turns out the fix isn't too terribly expensive after all, and even more importantly, it isn't urgent. I've cracked something called a "hub bearing". Though there's a chance it could break down, most likely I can defer the repair a couple of months. By then I'll be ready to get something else to drive if I decide to do that instead.
The Hoop lives on!