Inspection

NYS requires a yearly vehicle inspection. This is only a problem because people in NYC are worried about the cars they don't have to drive, so the entire state gets a law.

I could go on about that dynamic, but this isn't the time.

I like to drive older cars because I'm tired of needless bloat, feature creep, and they're cheap. (Not as cheap, thanks Obama) The problem is that, while they may last years longer, the inspection requirements don't. I had to get a new van a few years ago because the one I had - that was perfectly fine and would run several years longer - wouldn't pass the NYS inspection without a significant investment. It had to be sold to someone cheap out of state. They're still driving it.

So when I dropped off my car this morning, I waited in dread for the call. When it came, they politely asked me how I was doing.

"That depends entirely on what you're about to say about my car"

I got lucky this year.