Exercise 4.13Sample answers are provided.
No More Used Cars!
Buying a new car is expensive. That’s why I always had a used car. I would
love to own a new car, but for now I am living on a budget and have to drive
an older car. Last winter my old car finally died. I tried to start it, but it had no
more life left in it. I sold it for junk and went to buy something a little newer
and more reliable.
I had seen the Johnson’s Pre-Owned Vehicles lot on my way to workand
decided to stop there to check out the cars. Some of the cars were just too old,
and others too expensive for my budget. I had to make a compromise between
how new the car wasand how much it cost. I finally found a compact two-
door sedanwith a little rust on it, but it seemed to run rather well.
I paid Mr. Johnson with a check, signed the necessary documents, and
drove home in my “new” little car. I was rather proud of my new vehicle. It
looked rather sportyand sounded like a finely tuned machine. My brother was
impressed with my purchase and said, “This is the best car you’ve ever had.”
But my father was skeptical. He laughed and said to me, “Used cars are a spe-
cial breed of wild animal. Watch out.”
My “new” car ran well for a long time. Then on a very cold morning in Jan-
uary, I went to the garage and tried to start it. But the car was ice-cold, and
the engine wouldn’t turn over. It was frustrating. It just wouldn’t start. My
brother came out to the garage and jumped my battery from his car. Finally
the motor was running, and I was on my way to my job. I arrived at work late
and explained that my new car had had a problem.
When five o’clock came and I was ready to head for home, I went out to the
parking lot to start my car. And again it wouldn’t start. Now I was mad. Really
mad! I looked at that car and shouted, “You’re nothing but a piece of junk!”
Naturally, the car couldn’t understand what I said and just sat in the parking
lot without moving. One of my co-workers was watching me and laughed at
how silly I looked. It was pretty embarrassing.
It took half an hour to start that car, but it finally turned over, and I could
leave work. I wish it had never started. Two blocks from work the engine froze
up, and I was stuck in the middle of the street. I got it started again, and two
blocks later the radiator began to overflow. That old car stalled five times on
the way home.
When I finally arrived there, my family was waiting for me at the supper
table. They knew something was wrong with my car because my clothes were
Answer Key 229