Homicular Vehicide

Apparently, I have the automotive touch of death. Two cars in the last week have fallen victim to my curse.

The first was an innocent, and brand new, van. I purchased a Toyota Sienna on Aug. 2. On Aug. 4, I drove that new van into a suburban. The front of the van was crumpled and they had to tow my van away. Wrecking a new vehicle within 48 hours of purchasing it is not a pleasant experience. That van had less than 300 miles on it.

Despite how weird that wreck was, I did not suspect that anything was out of the ordinary. I assumed that it was just a freak accident and that all was well.

I got a rental car to drive while the van was being repaired. It was a 2007 Nissan Altima. It was a nice car, I enjoyed driving it. I picked it up on Monday morning and drove it all week. On Friday, my wife drove the Altima to work. When she was 2/3 of the way there, the car stalled and would not drive. She called me and I came and picked her up and took her to work. I then had to go back to the vehicle and wait for the tow truck from the rental company's roadside assistance. When I got back to the Altima, I noticed that smoke was coming from under the hood. Within about 5 minutes, this white smoke turned to black smoke and then became a fire.

By the time the fire truck came and put out the fire, the entire front end of the car had burned. There was no hood, no side panels, no lights, nothing left but the frame and engine block.

Another car bit the dust.

The rental company has now given me a Toyota Prius. I am afraid to drive it. I stayed home most of the day Saturday and Sunday, hoping to shake off the curse. It is now Monday midday. So far So good.