How I hate this car!

ROVER ZT I.8 03 Reg

It's been a year since my ex convinced me to purchase this piece of sh#t! No disrespect to Rover lovers, but I've never experienced so many problems with one car in my entire life. Today the engine was giving a rattling sound. It's not that I didn't get the tingling sensation, while deciding whether or not to buy the car. I remember feeling my stomach churn as I scribbled my final signature on the agreement and sentenced myself to a lifetime of misery. I knew somewhere deep inside me that this car was not meant to be. But did I listen? Of course not, like most people I choose to stamp out those little warnings, ignore my sixth sense and go with the flow.

Two days after purchase the CD changer wouldn't work, so it went back in. Two months later - now this is a laugh- I was on my way to work in the not so great weather, stuck on the M62 between the Wakefield and Leeds exits. Doing my usual cursing at the truck drivers and snailing along with the traffic because there was yet another accident on the M62, the second one that week, when suddenly up goes the heat gauge, into the red zone. I panic and drive over to the road shoulder, switch off the car and get on my mobile to call the tow service.

It's about to rain, and I've to vacate my car for safety reasons, I hope you're getting the picture here. I don't want you to think that I have this crazy hate relationship with my Rover for no good reason. Anyway, the Rover and I are wheeled away thirty minutes later- back to the car dealer and finally to the garage- Verdict- Blown head gasket! Excellent!

That was it's first strike. The second time it did a whammy on me, I was at work. It was two months after the gasket thing. At 5pm I'm in my car, ready to pick up daughter from school. I swing the key in the ignition. NOTHING! In a panic I do it again. NADA! I bang my head against the steering wheel hoping that that will get it started but still, NOTHING! So I call upon my fellow colleagues as they stream out of the office to go home for help. They come up with all sorts of solutions- jumper cables, fuel check. I'm I sure my lights weren't on? HAH? In day light? So it was back to the towing company and the silly Rover ended back in the garage. Verdict-Damaged fuel pump.

Now you'd think by now that the stupid car would cut me some slack. After two days out of the garage, I'm driving to work happy to have the car back, singing along to R Kelly "I believe I can fly." Stop at work and......Lord have mercy! My cars on fire! Or so I thought, because now I really wished I could fly! I panic as usual, scramble out of the car and watch the smoke come from underneath the bonnet. I call on a work colleague who is bold enough to open the bonnet, I stand far back as possible and wait- Nothing, but water seemed to be sprayed all over the engine -Verdict, pipe near radiator that transport water leaking. Brilliant.

After that was sorted, the car decided to cut me some slack for at least six months. Running smoothly just up until two weeks ago. The car wouldn't go into gear. I struggled in the middle of the road looking like an idiot after trying to attempt a three point turn with a faulty gearbox, holding up an angry mob of traffic bleeping their horns and viciously flicking their lights at me. I wave an apology and cursed at the car and warned it to get into f#*ken gear, which it did after almost getting my head chopped off by the gathering traffic. Verdict- Master and slave cylinder and clutch plate Caput! Now do you see why I hate this car.

So today I wrote down some possible solutions:

1) I could Burn it, although that could risk arrest.

2)Abandon it - it will probably be traced back to me so that's no good either.

3)Sell it back to the dealer for so much less than it is worth - the offer was ridiculous.

Seriously though, where does this leave me? I can't turn back the clock and make a right decision, what I need is a way forward.