So, we’re drivin’ down the 605…go to pass some slower cars…”Um, the car just stalled…HOW is that possible? Oh, we’re out…of gas…” Somehow we managed to coast along the highway, and most of the way down the exit ramp before the car came to a stop. We make a quick switch (Kris hopped out, I jumped over into the driver’s seat), and Kris pushed the car about 25 feet into the nearby gas station. We wouldn’t have been totally screwed, after all, we have AAA. And, as stupid as it feels, even I’ve run out of gas on the highway/exit ramp before. Unfortunately for me, the gas station was uphill from where I was in Worcester, MA, and I had no one else in the car with me at the time. Lesson learned – the things you don’t check are the things that bite you in the ass. And bonus – found out exactly how big the gas tank is.

We were able to make our first trip to an awesome, clean, and organized pick-a-part yard in CA (although you still had the more than occasional ankle-breaker to watch out for). Too bad there were only four Neons in the whole place which were picked over by the time we found them. We were still able to salvage a few usable parts (ceramic exhaust ring, exhaust heat shield, and the steel oil pan that’s been on the parts list forever). It was only a buck to get in, and today happened to be the “half-price” sale day. We were also able to head up to the shop, get our newly acquired parts cleaned, and re-organized our area. So our slightly stupid mistake did not ruin the day one bit.