death of a volkswagen

[nibot]

Driving home yesterday, I was daydreaming about my upcoming camping trip to mexico, you know, lounging on the beach sipping margaritas, diving in the sea with the leopard sharks. "Where can I find a snorkel," I pondered. Moving down the mental pre-departure to-do list, I thought to myself, "I should find a Bentley Manual and some duct tape, just in case..."

Pumping up the grade from La Jolla that turns into CA-52, I glanced up at the rear-view mirror to check the traffic behind me. And was surprised to note horrendous clouds of smoke billowing up from behind the van!

Oh some act of hubris met this redemption. I pulled off of 52 onto Regents hoping to make it to a residential neighborhood. The temperature gauge launched on a trajectory of doom; I cringed, braced, and mentally felt around for the fire extinguisher.

Came to rest in the nick of time on Jutland Drive on the Clairemont Mesa. Relieved to see that the fumes were indeed steam and not smoke. Sweet-smelling fluorescent life-giving fluids gushed from the left side of the engine compartment.

Passer-by immediately stops (had followed from the freeway?) - fellow Volkswagen owner - offers ride home, telephone call, home baked cookies.

We hope that it's just a burst tube or blown connection. The nice man at Wolf's Foreign Car Service has another description: "blown cylinder head stud", prognosis: "new engine, or junk yard."

Comments

[nibot.livejournal.com]

Ooo, I could buy a new and more featureful one on ebay: http://fierycd.net/AW/

the question is, should I buy a car in san diego and drive it to rochester?

Mapquest says it is a 2612 mile drive and would take 40 driving-hours

Hmm

[roxymartini.livejournal.com]

YES! YES! YES! YES!
this is what i've always dreamed about. i mean you. this is what you've always dreamed about.

keep me posted.

[squarkz.livejournal.com]

i am in the somewhat the same position... i need to get a car, but should i get it here in minnesota and drive it out to seattle? or wait and look for one out there?

on the one hand: 1742mi/26hrs in an unfamiliar and potentially unpredictable car... i don't know about that.

on the other hand: MAXIMUM ADVENTURE.

[roxymartini.livejournal.com]

Can i come the the funeral and sing the requiem? That poor car. such good times though.

[heike.livejournal.com]

My parents own a 1987 Vanagon with full Westfalia outfit. I've been wanting it since I moved out.
We bought it about a year after a camping trip to Lassen Volcanic Nat'l Park where is snowed in August. My mother saw an ad on the back of the AAA Tourguide and said we should really think about getting one.