Susie the Sunbird served me well for nearly four years. She was a good car and I shall miss her, but with her engine dead and her heater core gone as well, it became painfully obvious that I would be needing another car. For a while I had entertained thoughts of putting a new engine in Susie and bypassing the heater, at least until winter. Alas, any hope of doing that went out the window with my brother in-law's death. Dear man that he was, he was going to help put in the new engine when we found one. Putting in an engine is no one man job, at least not for "the estranged one." Paying someone to do such a job would cost more than my old car was worth and could take eons! And so the search for another car began...
My budget was very limited. I had just spent a large chunk of my savings on the Atlantic City trip and my spending limit was around two thousand dollars. I was beginning to feel hopeless. Then I saw her parked in the Giant Eagle parking lot. She was a 1996 Chevy Cavalier. Her body was nearly flawless. She had a 2.0 liter four cylinder engine, so she'd be easy on gas, a must with today's gas prices. In her window was a sign that said "For Sale." The price was $1995. Oh, did I mention that she was red?! (Lady Starlight has a thing for red cars.) I was in love!
A little bit of talking by "the estranged one" got the price down to $1800. I could never have talked anyone down on the price. I really wnted that car, and it most surely would have shown.
