And so, with the new year, the saga continues...

For those of you who came in late, my engine failed on I-95 near Trenton in July and, after a brief rest at a mechanic up there, I had it towed down here to D.C. to a German car specialist, Euro Imports in Alexandria, I've been using for some years. He pronounced the engine dead and started looking around for a suitable replacement, but after he saw what was out there and the prices, decided to look into the engine and see if he could repair it.

Although I originally thought this was IMS, the absence of a loud noise and an oil slick (I think, I was going about 90 at the time) when it happened has led me to believe this may not have been IMS. Nevertheless, it seems likely the engine is dead.

However, I just spoke with Peter Mikon, the owner of Euro, as I will be out of the country for a few weeks and wanted to know what was going on. He says he plans to look at the engine in early January and may have some news for me when I return.

I haven't paid a dime yet for any of this; AAA took care of my towing and Peter has not done any repair work yet. I'm frankly grateful he's willing to take a look at the engine, I think most mechanics would have just offered me the choice of an engine or selling the car and, since I can survive without the car if need be, I'm glad he's willing to look at alternatives.

Watch this space.