But you can't really blame me. When I left for Arizona on November 11, the Malibu was sitting at 99,992 miles as I flew out of Minneapolis. I knew that when I returned on the 13th, the drive home from the airport would push me past the elusive 100,000 mile barrier, and I would be ready and waiting with my camera. The instant those five consecutive zeroes appeared under my speedometer, I would capture the historic moment, even if it meant slamming on the breaks and coming to a dead stop in the middle of the interstate to ensure a high-quality photo.
During my time in Arizona, I feared that something--I didn't know what exactly, but something--would happen to the Malibu while I was out of town. It just couldn't possibly happen...a Chevy Malibu reaching 100,000 miles? It's like winning the lottery...or getting hit by lightning...or winning the lottery at the exact same time you get hit by lightning.
With the excitement of the trip and the painful transition from the 70s of Tucson to the shrinkage-inducing 20 degree temperatures of a Minneapolis winter, I failed to give the odometer the attention it so desperately deserved. The plane landed, I picked up my luggage, found the Malibu (sadly, no one had stolen it), and managed to get the car started...on the first try, no less! Me: 1, Theft System Light: 0. I pointed the car toward home and was on my way.
When I pulled into the garage, I realized I'd missed it. I looked down, and my odometer read 100,021. Tears filled my eyes as the significance of the moment began to overwhelm me. Over the course of eight and a half years (and with a 25,000 mile head start courtesy of the previous owner) I had timidly gone where no Malibu owner had gone before. It was the perfect ending to a year that, by Malibu standards, was pretty darn good. (The Malibu celebrated the occasion by briefly shutting off the Check Engine light, which promptly returned in all of its blinding glory on November 15.)
It's been a full 13 months since I last wrote about the Malibu...twice, I guess, back in December, 2010. That's a good sign, because when it comes to the Malibu, no news is good news. With my opening blog of 2012, I figure now is as good a time as any to update the infamous repair expense thermometer:
As of the previous update, the repair thermometer sat at $6,494, which means that I spent another $924 on Malibu repairs in 2011. That may not sound like a great year, but it beats the $2,600 I spent on repairs in 2007...or the $2,050 I spent the year after...and it's well below my five year annual average of $1,500. But enough about the numbers. Behind the $924 repair budget sits a fine, fine Malibu story.
The entire $924 was spent on a single repair...and a strange one, at that. On Friday, April 22, I came home from work and pulled the car into the garage. Family came to visit that weekend, and I didn't drive the car again until I started backing out to go to work on Monday morning. The moment I started backing up, I heard a loud grinding sound. Believe me, I've been through enough Malibu repairs to know an expensive sound when I hear one, and this didn't sound good at all. My first guess was that something was lodged under the car. I got out and looked around, but couldn't find anything unusual. I got back in the car and slowly started backing up again, only to hear more grinding. Whatever this was, it didn't seem to be going away.
I slowly navigated the car out of the garage and into the parking lot, loud grinding accompanying me for the duration of my short, pathetic journey. I felt certain that a tow truck was in my not-too-distant future. I got out and walked around the car again, and in the bright morning sunlight, I spotted the problem: the front driver's side wheel well was resting comfortably against the tire. I had no problem identifying the issue, since I had just replaced the rear struts on the Malibu--at great expense--the previous October.
I went upstairs and called a tow truck, then called work to tell them I wouldn't be making it in to the office that day. On the bright side, I'm happy to report that that particular phone call has become supremely efficient over the years:
Me: "I'm going to have to work from home today."
Work: "Malibu?"
Me: "Yeah."
As I waited for the tow truck, I realized that the Malibu had hit rock bottom in it's track record of mediocre quality. It's one thing when your car breaks down while driving. But the Malibu found a way to break down while sitting in a climate-controlled garage! To put that in human terms, the Malibu's parked strut-failure is the automobile equivalent of seriously injuring myself during an afternoon nap. Hardly the injury of a courageous warrior...
But like I said before, 2011 ended up being a pretty solid year. I got to ride in a tow truck and walk home from the repair shop, and I guess I should consider myself lucky that the struts didn't break while I was driving...after all, I'd hate to roll another car off the interstate. And after installing my second pair of new struts in six months, I cruised through the remainder of 2011 without another repair bill. Things could certainly be worse...
With 100,000 miles and nearly $7,500 in my rear-view mirror, I'm slowly rebuilding the Malibu, piece by expensive piece. New struts, new driver's side window controls, two new tires, an overactive Theft System...I have no reason to feel anything but confident--I'm practically driving a brand new car! My sights are now firmly set on 200,000 miles.
I now close with the same offer that I extended at the end of 2010: help me fund the next leg of my journey, and ride shotgun as the Malibu extends it's already impressive mileage record. I promise you this: the next time five consecutive zeroes show up on my odometer, I won't forget to snap that picture. So click that button...
