Learning how to do a bunch of repairs on my (‘03) car has been one of the greatest life improvements I’ve made. I now have a much better understanding of what noises and sensations are a STOP THE CAR issue vs let it ride. It’s taken so much of the anxiety away from driving along with it.
Having alternative transport also gives you the breathing room to do that work as well. I’m hoping to move close enough to work to purchase an ebike and always have a backup.
Image is from The Skeleton Soldier Failed to Defend the Dungeon
The art gets decent fairly early on.
The writing/story has a lot of ups and downs. I enjoyed that the MC has a limited resource to get stronger and has definitive goals that he won’t compromise on like saving his necromancer. Bad part is how he gets strong fast but then it’s like both he and his enemies get weaker IE the knight that chases him for like 40 chapters that kills a kraken to get to him so he’s incredibly powerful, then the skeleton fights a cloned army of that knight and cuts through them like they are cannon fodder.
The boulder could just be the check engine light and be equally funny
I just disconnected my check engine light. No indicator, no problem
And this is why I only buy Japanese - Honda, Toyota, Mazda, in that order.
I’d rather a 20+ year old Honda than newer in other (American/European) brands.
Honda has never done me wrong. Suzuki has been pretty amazing as well.
I think I’ve borrowed a car about a handful of times in the last year, but otherwise my scooter has been good enough. Just in case there is anyone out there wondering about what to buy if they need transportation, don’t overlook a really cheap (and brand new) scooter. The ‘needing a car’ thing turned out to be almost exactly like ‘needing a truck’ idea: mostly overblown and the $20 rental from home depot will do fine.
In hindsight, I am lucky that I wasn’t interested to drive way back when because I was scared of driving (I’ve gotten some practice now but it turns out it isn’t too bad). Over time, I learned that car maintenance is expensive so my initial decision feels vindicated.
But still, I want to buy a car in the near term now that I have financial security. I may have financial security, but there is few freedom without a car, especially the country I live in has piss poor public transport.
Volvo is king for realiable cars, doubly so for anything pre 2010 (as long as parts round your end of the world are accessible)
With basic maintenance and a yearly service you can run one of those things to the moon and back five times over
