My First Brand New Car, Guess What!
Just out of the dealership, a trip with my pals turned into a Nightmare...issue #72
ifOnlyi…had checked the fuel filter! I now blame everything I do today on the car’s fuel filter—EVERYTHING! This was a lesson I wish on no one.
I had reached 21, so now it was time to stop borrowing my girlfriend's Dad's car or any of my parents' cars, or be without a car. I needed to own reliable transportation. My Dad often told me, Ollie, if you buy a used car, you buy someone else’s problems, and you'll be driving a lot, just like one of our Sales team members.
With that knowledge in hand, I decided that since I was not a negotiator, I would buy a car from one of my uncle's car dealerships. Bob started with Datsun after My Dad convinced him to leave my grandmother’s VW-Porsche dealership and start his own.
With the help of my Dad and borrowing money from my Grandmother, Bob got his Datsun Dealership. I never knew until my Dad’s passing that Bob’s Nissan, which used to be Datsun, became the number one dealership in America. Now, that was quite an achievement.
I called Uncle Bob and said I was interested in buying a 626 Mazda coupe. Would he give me a deal, you know, family? His reply was no, Ollie. I run a business here, and I can’t.
Wow, shocking. You see, I was not a good Negotiator back then, not a dime off. So I asked Bobby, my cousin, if he could add some extras to the invoice, like special wheels and tires, a new Momo steering wheel, some CB driving lights, tinting, and the usual upgrades. There was no one better than Bobby to make the car look special.
Now that I had financed the car, insured it, and had everything tricked out, I was ready for the road. I would soon be starting to work for my Parents—as a fulltime Salesman once again!
It was Summer, and my buddies were all getting on their motorcycles and riding 220 miles north to visit our High School friend, Mark. I knew Mark well, as we spent time together in Palm Springs in the summers, lying in the sun at 110 degrees.
Mark’s family had a farm in San Luis Obispo, so I was asked to drive my new car up there, since I didn't own a motorcycle and didn't know how to ride one. Okay, let’s go! You see, I was always ready for a road trip.
I packed the car up, and off I went. After about 30 minutes of driving on the freeway, my brand-new car started sputtering. Then it became like whipping up and down, with the front dropping and then lifting, so I had to pull over on the side of the freeway.
My Pals didn’t notice I was missing for 15 minutes, and when they did, they turned around and found me about 30 minutes later. What The Heck, Ollie?
My car was a mess. Despite doing their best to figure out what needed to be fixed, no one solved the issue, so it was now time to take the next exit: find a car shop or Mazda Dealership and get them to fix the issue.
With no cell phones back then, the team had to stick together. It was just going to take us a tiny bit longer, and then we would be good to go, so we thought.
The first car repair shop had no clue, the second said to find a Mazda dealer, and the third had an idea of what was wrong. Yeah, what’s that?
“It’s your catalytic converter. We need to take it off. It’s clogged up,” the Mechanic said. That made sense; how long will that take, and how much will it cost, please? Well, about an hour and $400.00. Wow, thankfully, I had the cash, but it was going to be tight. They also said they needed to work on refitting the converter. I said time was not on our side, so they offered to remove it and just do an exhaust workaround instead. I willingly agreed.
My trunk was filling up with car parts as they were removed. I got back on the road, and within 5 miles, the car started doing the same thing again. I was fuming.
My friends decided to keep full steam ahead to see Mark, so I had to pull off again. This time, there were no friends, just me, and I needed to figure out the closest Mazda shop. There wasn’t anything close by.
One repair shop told me to go to another down the street, as they may have answers. After spending another hour with them and seeing no results, they sent me to their friend's place. I was told he had a part that should do the job.
Off I went on another whip, jump, hop, stall, and jerking drive to the next shop. By now, it had been over four hours just trying to fix my brand-new car.
The last shop applied a fuel additive, thinking it would fix the issue—it was the engine, they said. They also did some tune-ups. The bill was another whopper of $250. Nothing worked, so they sent me off to another friend's shop. Now I'm here, at another shop, and I'm sure it's another bill.
The manager came out and said, “Ollie, I got a call from the shop you were at, and yes, I have the part to try and see if it works.” Five minutes later, he said, “You should be good, Ollie. Take it for a drive around the parking lot.” I came back, got out of the car, and said everything seemed fine. No whipping, no jerking, no nothing, just a smooth ride. “Will it hold?” I asked.
He replied, “It was your fuel filter, Ollie.” Oh, Shit, how much do I owe you? This one was easy. Just four Dollars.
“You have to be joking. Have you seen my trunk? It is full of car parts. I’m out close to $760.00, and all it took was 5 minutes and four Dollars with the right knowledge.” I said, shaking my head.
My Friends arrived at Mark’s and had no idea where I was. All I had was my Thomas Guide and his address. Seven hours later than everyone else, I arrived with my brand-new car, parts rolling around in the trunk, and a considerable expense looming to put it all back together.
We had a blast that weekend, and the drive back to Palos Verdes was smooth sailing. Then, it was time to face reality and start my first full-time career in the family business.
The truth is, I left the car as it was. The spare parts were safely stored, and I drove it daily without any issues again.
The point of this story is that if anything goes wrong with your car, always check your fuel filter first. It could keep you safe, save your bank account, and save you time.
I Blame Everything on the Fuel Filter now. LOL!
#…ifOnlyi… short stories are published chronologically and follow my life growing up in California from 4 years old. If you’ve just found me, the stories will come together when you start reading from...Issue #1