The Real Bev wrote:

> You used to be able to tell what was wrong with a car and fix it yourself. I used to feel
> fully confident in my ability to buy a 10-year-old car and know what was wrong with it and
> roughly how much it would cost to fix. When I bought the 2013 Corolla ("Certified" from a
> dealer) I didn't even lift the hood. I'm ashamed of that, but I never want to fix a car
> again. Ever.
>
> I did take it to a mech that I trust, who told me he'd looked at the car that morning and
> was thinking of buying it for his daughter. Good enough for me.
>
> Do kids even know that batteries used to need water? DISTILLED water?
>
> I hated fixing cars, but I don't regret having done it. Just something people should know
> how to do, at least a little.

I agree. My 2006 Kia needs a timing belt but I am tired of working on cars.
So off to the garage it goes this spring.
My son finally took an interest in cars, at age 30, and successfully
put strut shocks on his Mazda last summer using only hand tools.