I am 15 years old. As of today, I have only a California learner's permit, which I will have for exactly 76 more days before I can apply for my probationary license, or whatever the state calls it. 
I can't have kids in the car, and I can't drive from 11 PM-5 AM. I've been learning in an '02 Toyota minivan, which has and automatic transmission, but quite a bit of oomph. It's not very gracious, it's not very hip, but it doesn't matter. All that it's for is teaching me how to merge, park and not kill people, and so far, I've done a pretty good job. I do get the screaming parent that everybody says they've had, too. They sit in the passenger captain chair, next to me, saying, "you failed" after every minute mistake. It is interesting, though, because it sways around corners and scares me to death of the line. What I will be driving, however, is an automobile of similar demeanor, perhaps possessing one with even less excitement. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, the Danger Wagon. It is similar to the one pictured, only with a fading silver color and a sagging rear end. A 1990 Volvo 240 DL, with one airbag, 114 horses and enough space in the back to fit literally everything I own. A manual transmission awaits me, with the quickly fading, original clutch, which proves amazing after 141,093 miles. It was the car for almost my entire youth, going to school, Tahoe and even the beach. My mother always let me sit in the front seat, while my older brother had to deal with the huge baby seat my little brother used in the back seat.
I can't have kids in the car, and I can't drive from 11 PM-5 AM. I've been learning in an '02 Toyota minivan, which has and automatic transmission, but quite a bit of oomph. It's not very gracious, it's not very hip, but it doesn't matter. All that it's for is teaching me how to merge, park and not kill people, and so far, I've done a pretty good job. I do get the screaming parent that everybody says they've had, too. They sit in the passenger captain chair, next to me, saying, "you failed" after every minute mistake. It is interesting, though, because it sways around corners and scares me to death of the line. What I will be driving, however, is an automobile of similar demeanor, perhaps possessing one with even less excitement. Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce to you, the Danger Wagon. It is similar to the one pictured, only with a fading silver color and a sagging rear end. A 1990 Volvo 240 DL, with one airbag, 114 horses and enough space in the back to fit literally everything I own. A manual transmission awaits me, with the quickly fading, original clutch, which proves amazing after 141,093 miles. It was the car for almost my entire youth, going to school, Tahoe and even the beach. My mother always let me sit in the front seat, while my older brother had to deal with the huge baby seat my little brother used in the back seat.The Danger Wagon was retired in 2003, after 8 years of continuous use, to be replaced by the aforementioned minivan. My dad, buying and selling several different trucks for worked, used this every so often between cars.
In early 2008, I took an interest in fixing it up for my driving career which would commence in two year's time. Having bringing it back to running condition that February, it abruptly stopped working properly at the end of August of that year. It had been cursed ever since. At first, it seemed that the fuel pump relay was shot. It could be bypassed, running smoothly, however, with a noted rise and fall in RPM's. Upon replacement, the car would only barely start, sputtering and eventually dying. The OBD-1 computer noted a 1-4-4 code, which had something to do with the fuel signal, but has since been cleared with a recharged battery. The in-tank fuel pump was replaced, as was the filter, with no results. I suspect a faulty air mass meter, or mass airflow sensor, but it remains a mystery as of yet. Even so, with a failing clutch, and overdue registration, I don't suspect the battle of wellness to be over anytime soon with the Danger Wagon. Further posts will note my progress, but now, I shall be going.
In early 2008, I took an interest in fixing it up for my driving career which would commence in two year's time. Having bringing it back to running condition that February, it abruptly stopped working properly at the end of August of that year. It had been cursed ever since. At first, it seemed that the fuel pump relay was shot. It could be bypassed, running smoothly, however, with a noted rise and fall in RPM's. Upon replacement, the car would only barely start, sputtering and eventually dying. The OBD-1 computer noted a 1-4-4 code, which had something to do with the fuel signal, but has since been cleared with a recharged battery. The in-tank fuel pump was replaced, as was the filter, with no results. I suspect a faulty air mass meter, or mass airflow sensor, but it remains a mystery as of yet. Even so, with a failing clutch, and overdue registration, I don't suspect the battle of wellness to be over anytime soon with the Danger Wagon. Further posts will note my progress, but now, I shall be going. School sucks, man.
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