Ingrate... I don't think you could have said it any better.
If you are ever in the NYC area... next year when I'm 21, not only the first round is free, but i'll get you good and drunk!
I can also relate to the maturity thing. I'm very meticulous when it comes to my ti. Mainly because I work on it myself. I have fixed the windows, I have replaced the engine mounts, I have installed new bushings/ball joints/control arms, fogged my airbox, and replaced numerous interior parts costing me well over an amount I can currently add in my head. Every time the oil had to be changed, or the car had to be washed, I did it. I even get out of the car when the guy at the gas station pumps my gas (remember I live in NJ). I don't know why I do, but i guess so he doesn't spill gas? Point being, my friends wreck their cars in heroic races on the interstate, romp with their trucks in the meadows, burn out, race at every traffic light they pull up to, etc. I don't do that at all! I go to the track to race it, even though it's not very fast at the moment, but it's fun. My ti is too my daily driver, and I love it to death.
I have also had electrical problems similar to the ones your car had, as well as the suspension... which was bushings and ball joints being old. I have also had friends who blew trannys and cracked blocks doing donuts.
I have that relationship with my car, and if i had the money, I would definitely do the M3 engine swap/suspension/exhaust/bodykit I have always dreamed of. I sometimes think the car is worth more to me than my girlfriend, then I think again... and realize it is. It has been with me longer, and it doesn't cost as much to maintain.
Sucks about the whole situation, but this too shall pass. Just hope a grease monkey gets a hold of the car and shows the forums what it's capable of. Maybe we'll see it in a magazine one day.
Take it easy. |