The Light Goes On...What Now?

I noticed the light as my wife and I drove home last night, the little symbol of a tire with an exclamation point inside.

Tire issue.

But, what does it mean?

The newest car we have (before I picked up Donk, the Subaru...) is a '07 Toyota van. Love it--I highly recommend the Toyota product. Over the years we've had the tire sensor indicator light show up on the van's dashboard. When that happens, I'll check the tire pressure, fill up whatever tire's low, then the light will go off.

With Donk, I just don't know the car well enough. I checked the tires and they seemed okay, not any noticeably low. I then referred to the trusty owner's manual. Reading that, it made it sound like if the tire light goes on, you've got a flat--or almost flat--tire. Well, I know that's not the problem. The manual even states if the light goes on, do not panic. Keep driving straight ahead and move off to the side of the road.

I did an on-line search. I sort of got some answers. Turns out the sensors in the tires can be affected by cold weather. Yes, it's been cold, but from what others have written on-line, the light should go out once the tires warm up. My light hasn't gone out yet.

I guess tomorrow, I'll check the tires to see what the proper pressure should be. It's possible they're all low, even though they don't look it. If they're low, I'll inflate them then hopefully, the light will go off for good. There's a pro/con whenever you get a new-ish car. The improved features are great, but more features mean more chances for things to go bad.

Like the van, I'll get used to the car, try things, keep doing what works. It's a trial-and-error system--just part of the plan.

I Finally Bought It...A License Plate Frame

I know I'm vain, hopefully, not in all things, but I know I'm vain in some. I think we're all that way, to a certain degree. If you're not at all vain, good for you. But, I am. I held off buying a license plate frame for the car I drove.

Until last week.

For almost a decade, our family had two cars, a Toyota Minivan, and a Pontiac Vibe. The Vibe was the second one we've owned. I got one after my mother passed away in 2007 and it was a great little car. After a few things happened, it became necessary to trade in our little Vibe, and so we did.

After some other things happened, I was in need of another car. I wanted a Vibe. I liked the look, I liked the gas mileage, and I loved the fact Toyota built it. I found one, a few years older and about 10k cheaper than the one I had earlier. I didn't mind the age, or the fact that the paint was peeling, or the fact that after I hit and killed a deer and we eventually had to put on a new driver's side door (that was not the same color...)--no, I didn't mind any of those things, because of one simple fact...

The car was paid for.

When you don't have money for a car loan, a paid-off car--as long as it runs well--is a thing of beauty.

But, whenever I saw a car drive by with a license plate frame from their alma mater, I kind of wished I could get one for the Vibe. Of course, I could have gone out and picked one up, but I didn't want to put a University of Utah frame on a car that I felt, didn't look good. I like the U of U. I like being an alumnus of the institution. I love the time I spent there, and I didn't want to put a U of U frame on my beat-up car.

I know...I'm vain.

Last month, we sold my Vibe to my daughter. I felt good about it--we know most of the car's history and it's been a fantastic, dependable car. I felt better about selling her my car than taking a chance/risk on getting a car from the public, or buying a car (which neither of us could afford...) at a dealer. This created a problem. I'd now be without a car. Last week we rectified that problem and I found a Subaru.

Introducing Donk.

He's a 2010. He's been very well maintained. He's the same color, all the way around. And, Donk is equipped with an anti-theft device--a manual transmission. We've only had Donk less than a week, but we love him already. Donk gave me a reason/excuse to get a new license plate frame.

And I did.

Washing The Car...

A few weeks ago I wrote about how we came to purchase my father-in-law's car. Getting a new car is an interesting experience. You need to get used to it, the way it drives, the size of it on the road, how fast can it overtake a car you're passing on the interstate.

There's one thing, however, that I didn't expect when we brought it home.

The need to keep it clean.

It's not the newest car, but it's in very good shape, thanks mostly to the care and upkeep of my in-laws. They keep their cars well maintained, and clean, inside and out. It's not that we throw piles of garbage in our cars, mind you. We just don't take them to the car wash as often as they do. And since we don't have room for all of our cars to be in a garage, they're subject to the weather and our sprinkler system.

Point is, they get dirty.

I've driven a dirty car around a lot. Heck, I drive a car with one door a different color than the other three. But there was something bugging me about having my father-in-law's old car be dirty. It just didn't feel right--like something was wrong. I ran a few errands this afternoon so I decided to get it washed. It only takes a few bucks.

Even after washing the car, it's still not as clean as it has been the past several years. I didn't wipe it down, but I can see out of the windows. Maybe this is the car that will make me change. Maybe I'll be washing the cars more often.

I suppose, time will tell.

Getting A New Car...Well, Not New-New

The last vehicle our family purchased was back in 2010, a 2004 Pontiac Vibe. We traded a minivan for it. We didn't need two minivans--very few do. I've mostly driven that Vibe to the bus stop every workday, to get groceries on the weekend, and to go to church. I've put about 25K miles on it in almost seven years.

So far, it's been a good car.

That begs the question: do we need another car?

My in-laws had a car in their garage they no longer use. It was my father-in-law's, a Ford Taurus. We sort of had an agreement with them for years. When my kids got old enough, it would be nice to have another car. I had a car in high school. Okay, it was a 1965 VW Beetle, so half a car. Fortunately, my fiends had more reliable cars, or I borrowed my mom's car if I absolutely needed to get someplace.

My Vibe is showing it's age. The starter's being a little squirrelly (even thought I left it at the mechanic's for three days and they couldn't get it to be squirrelly for them...). And since my daughter wants to get her license (so do her parents...), we decided to move the Taurus from it's cushy garage and put it into the hands of a first-time driving teenager.

And, it's go a sunroof, too!