The Unforgettable Dilemma with CarMax

Once upon a time before I knew the value of a dollar, I thought car buying was an enjoyable and exciting experience. I envied car buyers. Perhaps I too wanted to share that experience and bask in the glow of being a car owner.

My first vehicle of choice to go under my name and credit was a Silver 2003 Chevrolet Impala. I made this purchase back in April of 2006. Such a heaven-send, (at least I thought) 26,300 miles, clean, sexy, navy blue cloth interior, extended warranty package all for only $13,500 - could've sworn the angels were watching over me. I dreamed already of picking up my girlfriend in my new ride - with us riding off into the sunset, but I was wrong. Late that Friday night it rained, and rained and rained. Fierce storms woke me up in the dead of the night at the sound of a STRIKE as I peeped out the window with a grin - admiring my new ride parked at the curb. Way ahead of myself, I envisioned a new name for my ride, "Paula," I chanted staring out, "For now on it's going to be just me & Paula."

Back in January 2007 I begin to experience some problems with "Paula." On my way home from work one evening, Paula's temperature needle was inside of the red zone (the car was overheating.) Desperate to figure out the cause, I pulled over immediately on the side of the highway to investigate.

"What the hell's wrong with this damn thing?" I growled thru the sounds of the evening commuters passing by. No smoke, no burning smell, no coolant leaking, nothing. I sat a few moments to let it cool off, hoping it was just something silly - like a rabbit caught in the motor or a deer pissing in my gas tank. I started Paula up once again and hoped it was just a glitch. Nope! Paula would overheat again after just 3-4 minutes of idling. I turned her off and flopped back into my seat.

"Damn... why is this happening?"

1^st trip to CarMax (Late January something)