Just when you think everything is going great, another kick in the shin. The car's been running great for weeks and weeks. I think it's a record actually. I started to gain some confidence in its ability to be a daily driver. In fact, I hit the milestone of 134,000 as I pulled into WalMart.

But as I got into the car today to go to the bank, I turned the key and got nothing. I thought maybe it was my negative battery terminal coming loose again. I cleaned up all the corrosion around the terminals, but nothing fixed it. Then I realized I had power with the key turned, something that doesn't happen in the terminal comes loose. No, this time, my battery read 9.1V. It's currently charging via the house. However, either I have another parasitic drain, the battery isn't holding its charge, or the alternator isn't working, something I don't want to get into (although changing the alternator isn't a bad job on this car).