Hello, My Name is: Cornelius

I drive a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo. It's 4 wheel drive and has a 4.0L inline 6 engine. The engine is one of the most serviceable and reliable engines manufactured in the late 90's assuming you don't abuse it and you keep on your maintenance cycle, which is EXACTLY why I bought it. It's a 13 year old Jeep and it made it out here to California from Chicago no problemo... well it scared me a little bit through the Rockies when I was going down hill and had to floor it for some reason? I'm guessing wind resistance, but who knows. Not only that, it parallel parks like a champ! Which is ideal out here when parking can be hard to come by.

But what it didn't fare to well to is my Love taking it for a little joy ride, windows down, country music blasting. In hindsight, I'm picturing her "air lassoing" down the 405 at 65 mph, ocean air blowing through her hair, singing along to Kenny or whoever was on the radio... IN SECOND GEAR!

EEK! A couple of days after the joy ride, Cornelius (as I now call the Jeep) stalled on me... wait for it... at 5:45 in the morning! 15 minutes before my 6am class at the gym. I was ecstatic. So I had to hop on my bike, and pedal my ASS off to get to the gym for the class! Ended up being on time, but what was to come of Cornelius?

A buddy of mine out here gave me his AAA card, and I had Cornelius towed to a garage down the street... Being without a car for a few days wasn't that big of deal. Dakota learned how to run next to me on the bike, and we just rode to the gym. My apartment is within walking distance of grocery stores, restaurants, coffee shops, and basically anything you need. What was rough was anticipating the impending bill... a few days before Cornelius fell ill, I got my oil changed and a check up and Firestone quoted me $3,200 in parts and labor!!! I called their bluff, and I busted. And now my car was in the shop and I, a former service parts pricing manager who knows the EVIL that awaits behind service parts pricing, sat waiting for the estimate.

Well, long story short, these guys need a new pricing manager. It cost me $230 to get Cornelius up and running. He needed a couple new sensors (for now), but he still whines every once and a while because the power steering pump got beat up a bit. But he's a trooper. After all, who really wants to die without any scars?