A Love Letter to a Car
As another year of Jimny ownership passes, it's time to take a look back on what's gone on, and what's gone wrong.
A traditional three-year anniversary is celebrated by giving gifts made of leather, meant to symbolise the durability but also the flexibility of a relationship. I haven't bought my Jimny anything for its anniversary because I am once again looking for work, but also because in the past year of ownership I've treated it to;
1 new battery.
1 new grille element.
1 new radio head unit, digital - video coming soon, probably.
1 new exhaust gas recirculation valve.
2 new rear-seat releases.
2 new headlight bulbs.
2 new number plates
4 new tyres. Needed them after I realised it'd do burnouts for days!
And 685.71 litres of petrol (a snip at £780.97!)
This year, we've only covered 4832.1 miles, a fraction of our usual adventures, I blame lockdown. And that you got sidelined for a while when your EGR valve failed, not that that stopped me loading my bike up and blasting up to Grafham water with you.
And then there was the time you ran out of electricity on the bridge going through the centre of the village and had to be rescued. At least we haven't run out of petrol this year, which is a bonus I guess.
But on a positive note, you've been my reliable commuter bus, my break from the drudgery of life in lockdown. You've brushed up well, matured somewhat into a 'modern classic' and haven't spat me off a roundabout backwards in the torrential rain. Your serpentine belt may still squeak, you still rattle like a tin can filled with gravel, your body roll makes the Ever Given look as though it handles well, your brakes are still woeful, but I still have no regret buying you.
Hopefully, our fourth year will hail more adventures and fewer stoppages. Maybe I'll fix the rattle from the exhaust too?