When Life Gives You Lemons

If you read my blog regularly, you already know my luck with cars. I received my license when I was 17. I am now 35, and I have owned (drum roll) 7 cars.

I love the "new car" smell. I salivate when I walk through a showroom and a salesman gives me a decent price on a vehicle I've been eyeing. But the excitement is generally short lived.

I will begin with my purple Chevy. This was the first car I bought with my own money. It was my favorite color. I am not counting the "brown bomber" as my first car since that was so nicely handed down to me while I was in college. Hence the name; you can image the issues that car had. After graduation I gladly handed that sweet ride down to my little sister (that's what family is for).

The purple Chevy however was a dream come true. Nothing like turning the ignition and having a car start on the first try (something I wasn't privy to with my first car). Then it happened. One day on the way to work I got stuck in a police chase (so Hollywood of me). And yes, the front of my Chevy was pulled off. Although it was fixed, it never quite ran as well. And so we parted ways.

I moved on to a Hyundai. While it wasn't top of the line, it had more options than the Chevy, and I really liked it for a while. Then the transmission went (not even a year on the road). Shortly after that was fixed some Bozo decided to make a left turn in front of me. I made it out with just a few scratches. But the Hyundai was sent to the big scrapyard in the sky.

Car accidents are never a good way to get rid of a car you don't want. However, because of that previous accident, I was able to buy my Monte Carlo. Hands down, this was one of my favorite cars. But once again, it didn't last very long. Although this time it was good news.

We were expecting our first child. We soon realized that getting a car seat in and out of a Monte Carlo was considered an Olympic Event. So I traded cars with my husband. I was down graded to a Ford Escape while Hubby rode off into the sunset in Monte.

After the transmission blew in that (a few times) we bought a Chrysler Pacifica. What can I say...beautiful. This car was wonderful. And aside from the small hit and run it was involved in, it remained a dependable car. Unfortunately at the time, we could only afford to lease it. So after three wonderful years they had to pry it from my grasp.

And that is when the minivan entered our lives. It was a nightmare on wheels. It literally rained in the backseat because of poor sealing issues. It was in and out of the shop. Of course, it was also involved in a hit and run......but we got that girl.

When I finally couldn't put up with the problems any longer, I began to visit dealers again. Let's just say the smell of "new car" makes me break out the checkbook.

So there I was with a brand new minivan. This was April 2009. It is now June 2010, and my minivan is a little over a year old. You probably won't be surprised when I tell you its been towed twice, the automatic doors have closed on my children, and I sometimes find the doors open in parking lots when I return from a shopping adventure. Needless to say, it will be going into the shop tomorrow.

You're probably also wondering why it's not considered a lemon. Apparently, in order for your car to be considered a lemon, the same problem must exist three separate occasions within a certain period of time.

So until I can convince the dealer that I have been sold a lemon, I will have to be satisfied with owning a lime.