My car burned itself out!

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I just traded in my Honda Accord. I bought it new in 1997, and it has given me 21 years of faithful service. But it finally succumbed to burnout, and I had to trade it in for a new one. When I say it burned itself out, I don't mean anything quite as dramatic as the photo that accompanies this post might suggest. But they say where there's smoke there's fire, and the last time I drove my car there was plenty of smoke. I was going to the library to return a book, and was almost there when I saw clouds of smoke coming from the engine. I made it to the library, and hoping that the car was just overheating, put some water in the radiator. But when I started home, it quickly began smoking again. I had to pull into a parking lot and call AAA for a tow. At the dealership they told me that several internal parts had literally melted and melded together. They said they had never seen anything like it. I still don't know what caused it, but the car was (literally) toast. Fixing it would cost much more than a 21-year-old car was worth. In fact, when I traded it in they would only give me $100 on it. So, goodbye old friend. After 21 years, I will miss you. I wish I knew you were going to car heaven, but I suspect your destination will really be a junk yard. Photo credit: Shah rukh khan via Wikimedia (Public Domain)