hello rover

you wouldn't believe it, or maybe you would, you can decide
it seems that my car is at a difficult age
it's 13 years old and is having lots of problems
yesterday i replaced the rear brake pads and i'll have to do the front pads very soon too, and the handbrake pads need replacing too. and just last week the windscreen washer pump stopped pumping water, and i took it out and it is totally buggered.
and now i find out that the front wheel bearings need replacing, and they're sealed units that you have to buy off the shelf and bolt on. $330 dollars each at the holden dealer. i'm going to go for some secondhand ones and hope they last 50000 k's or so, they're only $125 each.

and now i expect that many other components will need replacing too, the gearbox is going to go sometime, and there's this horrible clunk in the drivetrain, and the diff is making noises and the whole car rattles like never before and each time i drive it there seems to be a new noise.

only last year the engine totally went and was overhauled with a reconditioned short block, plus new tyres and a wheel balance. i think what i've learnt here is that when a car gets to a certain age, it really needs lots of care, attention and money. or maybe it needs that care before it gets to this stage. either way, my car is behaving like a precocious brat and costing me lots of money. anyway, i've learnt how to fix it as a result, which is a good thing. and now with current petrol prices i wish i had a motorbike, or a nice turbo diesel. i'll look into that one day when i get a real job.