Greetings from Arkansas

[Samina]

Thank you each, jayman68, 1ATony, and luifer76 for the warm welcomes! And hello to each of you, too.

I was raised with all brothers, and when it came time to reach my teens, my dad would often find none of the boys to help him because they would be doing their own things, so I ended up helping him. He didn't work that much on autos, being a mechanical engineer, but he did try to do some things himself to save money (too many kids living at home) and I often held the sledghammer while he nailed a post to make a goat pen, horse pen, etc, or helped him with the used Opal he bought me that had some problems from day one when he bought it used, and was only worse when he took it to have it repaired, so he tried to repair it himself. I helped him do a valve job, but mainly looked over his shoulder. I am now married to another engineer and he has taught me quite a lot about working on cars and how the more you work on one, repairing it and such, the harder it is to part with it because you begin to learn the entire ins and outs of the vehicle, so the next time a similar problem occurs, you know just what to do, or what parts it will take, how long, etc.. He bought a 2008 Ford 4 cylinder a few years ago, stick shift, and I can tell he doesn't like it because he never bought a manual for it. The engine is mysterious looking. I don't like it as the body design is too heavy for the engine. Next time I told him his dad won't pick us out a car, but we will, even if we have to drive miles to a big town to do it (we live in the country), and the first thing I'll do is look for the steepest hill and take a test drive up it.
I better stop now before I carry on further.
Going further, but forgot to mention that our other car is the reason why my husband says I married him - an '86 Toyota MR2 with stick. Yep, still runs, just a bit of gear popping out when it is in fifth.

Regards, Samina