Car go "VROOM VROOM!"

So this is my knitting blog and I don't normally wander about my life walking into the sections that include my dancing, my car, my job and other scenery, but since I brought up my car accident in a previous post, I feel justified.

My car has been in the shop for the last two weeks and I've been racking up the miles on a Suzuki Forenza (took it from a tiny 200 miles to a respectable 740 miles--yes, I commute that much). I knew before the accident that I was going to need work done on my exhaust as it had been making some noise for a couple of weeks. I had taken it in for an estimate and they had told me that it would be $300 for a new "Flex Pipe" and all the labor it would take to get the rusted one off and a new one on. I had put it off, as I didn't really have an extra $300 to blow and it wasn't too terribly bad.

The insurance agent had called and mentioned the exhaust problem and said it wouldn't be covered, as it was a pre-existing problem and said that I "really should get it fixed". I, of course, replied that with the $500 deductible for an accident that wasn't my fault in any way I was in even LESS of a position to have it fixed now. He gave me the name of a mechanic who he said might be able to "just weld it up temporarily". I figured it probably wouldn't hurt to take the number, and use it whenever I decided to have the work done.

WELL.....I went to pick my car up this morning. I waited while they fixed the glue on a side light. I cleared out my rental car. I got in my car and waited for them to open the garage door. I turned the key.

VROOOOOOOOM!

My exhaust now sounds like I'm driving some sort of monster truck with a straight pipe and no muffler. I'm guessing the accident sped the process up a bit, because it was DEFINITELY not that loud before the accident.

I drove to work today with thoughts of old ladies cowering and small children scurrying aside as I drove by. Even though I quickly adjusted to the power my Volvo has that my rental did not, I did not adjust as well to the growling roar of my exhaust, so everytime I punched the gas, I cringed a bit as well.

...There goes new yarn buying in the next month or two.