I broke my car
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (338625)
Rockingham, Australia
December 18, 2020 7:45am CST
My car is a 1998 Hyundai Excel. It is red so it goes fast. 
l It has never given me an ounce of trouble but yesterday part of the plastic door handle broke off. I could still open the door but today, more of the handle came away and now I can’t open the door from the outside.
The last ‘break’ happened when I was in town on my own. I had to get in the passenger side then manoeuvre my way over to the driver’s seat. Luckily the console between the two seats is very low. I pushed the driver’s seat back as far as it would go then had no trouble sliding across.
To make matters worse, I think I might have picked up a speeding ticket, doing 83 or 84 in an 80km zone. There are double demerits over the Christmas period too. If the camera caught me, I'll get notice in the mail I guess. I didn't notice the flash so hopefully it missed me.
We went to the wrecker’s later this morning and, blow me down, they had a brand new door handle so now Vince knows what he’ll be doing early in the New Year.
Photo is of the door handle. The car isn't as faded as it appears. It's just the reflections.
l It has never given me an ounce of trouble but yesterday part of the plastic door handle broke off. I could still open the door but today, more of the handle came away and now I can’t open the door from the outside.
The last ‘break’ happened when I was in town on my own. I had to get in the passenger side then manoeuvre my way over to the driver’s seat. Luckily the console between the two seats is very low. I pushed the driver’s seat back as far as it would go then had no trouble sliding across.
To make matters worse, I think I might have picked up a speeding ticket, doing 83 or 84 in an 80km zone. There are double demerits over the Christmas period too. If the camera caught me, I'll get notice in the mail I guess. I didn't notice the flash so hopefully it missed me.
We went to the wrecker’s later this morning and, blow me down, they had a brand new door handle so now Vince knows what he’ll be doing early in the New Year.
Photo is of the door handle. The car isn't as faded as it appears. It's just the reflections.42 people like this
44 responses
@amitkokiladitya (171928)
• Agra, India
18 Dec 20
Such maintenance is common with all our possessions
7 people like this
@amitkokiladitya (171928)
• Agra, India
20 Dec 20
@JudyEv yeah....and maintainence is always expensive
2 people like this
President of India eh? You've moved up in the world.
@ARIES1973 (11426)
• Legaspi, Philippines
18 Dec 20
No worries, it's an easy fix. I am just driving around a small city most of the time, so I don't usually run more than 60. The worst I experience with my car was when the sidemirror dropped while I was on a driving test to get my driver's license. Good thing, I passed the test and had my license.
5 people like this
@RebeccasFarm (89734)
• Arvada, Colorado
18 Dec 20
Oh what a shame that happened but amazing they had a door handle at the ready!
Yeah hope you did not get caught there Judy. Dont need demerits and double even.
Yeah hope you did not get caught there Judy. Dont need demerits and double even.5 people like this
@FourWalls (67356)
• United States
18 Dec 20
Those old Excels were good cars. My dear mother of blessed memory kept waking me up with her car breaking down so I could take her to work, so I got sick of it and bought her a 1991 Excel (it was all I could afford at the time). She had that car for the rest of her life. I think the only thing she had to replace on it was the starter.
5 people like this
@sallypup (60773)
• Centralia, Washington
18 Dec 20
You slide from one seat to the other? If my handle breaks off I will be in huge fix cause I can't move from one bucket seat to the other. My car was made in 2004. The rubber gaskets on the side windows are deteriorating so most anything else could go wrong like yours did.
5 people like this
@JudyEv (338625)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Dec 20
I didn't really slide but I was able to get from one seat to the other without too much trouble. The A/C in this doesn't work too well now so once it gets really hot I'll have to take the Prado if I want to be nice and cool. The Hyundai is much easier to park.
1 person likes this
@JudyEv (338625)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Dec 20
Haha. I like to think so. I love driving my little car.
@Tampa_girl7 (50080)
• United States
18 Dec 20
We had a handle come off of our truck and I got a new one on Amazon.
4 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (50080)
• United States
18 Dec 20
@TheHorse it didn’t give my husband any trouble. I recall that he had to pop the inner door panel off.
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40243)
• United States
18 Dec 20
Oh dear! I'm happy Vince has the know how to fix it
I hope you didn't get a ticket either. Here they don't enforce those signs that take pictures because I guess the camera quality isn't good enough to see if it's you driving. I don't know if it's same there.
A friend of mine likes fast red cars too
4 people like this
@oahuwriter (26777)
• United States
18 Dec 20
Pitiful you! It's good luck you found the exact door handle you need though.
4 people like this
@JudyEv (338625)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Dec 20
@oahuwriter That's true. Thanks very much for the good wishes. I hope you have a great day too.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
18 Dec 20
so didn't know your own strength and pulled it right off!
4 people like this
@JudyEv (338625)
• Rockingham, Australia
21 Dec 20
@DocAndersen As long as the passenger handle doesn't break off before we get the other one fixed.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54402)
• United States
19 Dec 20
@JudyEv i thought maybe you were ceveloping super powers. Door handle remover!!!
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
23 Dec 20
I normally drive carefully but last month, my car scraped a bit of a gate.
May be a temporary lack of focus.
Yet I am not in a hurry to get the thing facelifted. It can wait.
Yet in your case, it becomes important to have things changed.
2 people like this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
25 Dec 20
@JudyEv
Yes at times, we cannot postpone some expenses for too long. Like one our bathroom taps, which has started leaking a bit again!!
1 person likes this
@ptrikha_2 (46831)
• India
26 Dec 20
@JudyEv
Ha ha I am totally clueless with such things. Adjusting some settings with a TV or a computer is something that I can still try but not these things.
So yes I will have to call a plumber. Yet not all plumbers are equally skilled and sometimes they are not fully able to solve the problems.
1 person likes this
@LeaPea2417 (37332)
• Toccoa, Georgia
19 Dec 20
I admire you for keeping it that long. We had an 1988 truck for 22 years. But then had to get rid of it , luckily someone bought it. But I still miss it. That was 10 years ago when we sold it. I still think about it and wish we could have kept it forever. I'm sentimental like that.
3 people like this
@JudyEv (338625)
• Rockingham, Australia
18 Dec 20
Really? I don't know how they get there but it's useful being an Aussie I guess. If I wrote about kangaroos, koalas, dangerous Australian creatures and toilets, I could probably make 1, 2, 3 and 4. What do you think?
@Fleura (30156)
• United Kingdom
18 Dec 20
How lucky that you managed to find the exact right thing! Hopefully it won't be too difficult to fit. My partner used to have a red Hyundai. In the end he had to replace it because for work he was supposed to have a car less than 5 years old (to give a better impression to clients I suppose) and this was 9 I think.
3 people like this
@Cheyee (8344)
• Pakanbaru, Indonesia
18 Dec 20
When I read the title my eyes just popped. But now I am glad it's just the door handle. I don't think it's something hard to fix.
1998 is 22 years ago. If it never give you serious problem you must do well at maintenance. 
I hope it will stay like that.
I hope it will stay like that.3 people like this
