If you love her, you won't make her tow furniture

Friday, July 30, 2004

Dear Tom and Ray: I am writing to you on behalf of "Bookie," my low-mileage 1988 Acura Integra. Although she has spent all of her life in the happy confusion of Southern California, Bookie has less than 40,000 miles on her and, to her credit, remains in excellent health. Although I religiously pamper her with regular oil changes, fluid checks and other necessities, Bookie is rapidly approaching mid-life, and there are a number of crises -- beyond new tires and windshield wipers -- that I feel should be anticipated lest they impinge unfavorably on her reliability, my pocketbook and our relationship (the reason I'm nervous has to do with Sheila, my Chevrolet Beretta, and her treachery, but that's another, sad story). Here are my questions: When should I replace Bookie's computer? When should I replace her timing belt? And dare I risk her general health by pulling a trailer with the contents of a one-bedroom apartment from Maine to California?

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