That shiny sticker with the number "8" up there is one of the small victories in life. Up until yesterday, the Prizm wore a sticker that said "4". Yup, that means that the state inspection expired way back at the end of April this year. There was no way that the Prizm was going to pass inspection back then. The brake rotors were so warped that slowing to a stop at any speed caused the front wheels to wobble so hard that steering a straight line was difficult. Every time the car hit a bump, the sway bar clunked violently (on his short ride in the car, my own brother said that he thought the wheels were going to fall off the car at each bump; and there are a whole lot of potholes in Vermont - I don't think it was a real relaxing ride to the store...) The exhaust emitted a offendingly loud rasp from somewhere under the front seats. This is in addition to the headlights that won't turn off with the switch, the passenger door that won't open with the inside handle, and the balky starter solenoid. Other than those few issues, the car has never given us any trouble.
Anyway, it started as stubbornness: I just put a ton of money into this car (new wiper blades!), and I refuse to spend any more money on a car that I'm getting rid of as soon as possible. Once the shiny new truck made the trip up here and the "Project With No End" started, the thought was to get that truck ready for inspection and start driving it instead of the car. I was reminded that a safe, reliable car was going to be needed in the fall in order to pick up Levi from preschool every day. Darn. Time to put new rotors on the car. Fairly cheap and easy to accomplish. Took it in for inspection and failed on: sway bar links at all four corners, exhaust leak, bad muffler hanger, and the biggie: a burnt-out license plate light.
Now the issue isn't stubbornness, it's cash flow and time. A little low on both at the end of the summer. I've been driving with a "4" sticker for three months already, might as well keep at it. It's amazing how accustomed one can become to running as an 'outlaw'. You quickly learn where the most law enforcement activity is and places to avoid (stay off the interstate - state police love writing up those stickers{I got pulled over in my own driveway by a trooper for that} and go through the center of towns - local cops are usually on the outskirts). You get used to the sharp jolt of adrenaline that happens when you see an officer and hope that he ignores the "4". Park nose-in at home so that the officer that drives past the house every morning can't see the sticker.(That same dude is eyeing the truck's lack of inspection sticker pretty hard!) If leaving the house for work before 6:15, put the headlights on to make it harder for the officer to see the "4" as he passes you. There's many more tips, but trust me: it's easy to drive all "thug"....next you know, I'll be breaking other laws, too. Maybe I'll spit some chewing gum out the window or "forget" a turn signal when switching lanes - you know; get all wacky and outta control. End up in jail because of my string of tickets for reckless driving in cornfields...
It took some time and a little money, but all of the areas of failure have been repaired. It's turned the Prizm into a much quieter, stable, and -dare I say it?- nicer vehicle. Just the thing to get me through the winter fetching parts for the truck! (Getting used to the 'freedom' of driving a legal vehicle is taking some time. You mean I can just drive anywhere and anyhow I want to? I won't get pulled over for that little sticker on the window?...)
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