(Chevy) Sidekick rolls off the 5, bursts into flame, 5 dead.
http://www.ocregister.com/articles/chp-vehicle-down-2517845-hill-suv
I had a Sidekick once. It was very fun, very stiff suspension,
cloth-roof convertable, very affordable (mine had no
air, no power windows, no 4WD, no radio). Veteran of many desert adventures.
Later, when I had a kid, I got a Subaru Forester. Still have it.
Good car.
I also once blew a tire on the 5, but got over to the right
safely and recovered. Also once overcompensated and bounced off
a Jersey barrier, no harm done, but scared us. Never, ever, made snap
decisions near the gore.
The real problem I had with that car was that every 30K miles, it needed new ignition
wiring. I went through several sets of high quality silicone-insulated
ignition wires, never made a difference. Once I drove back from the desert
in it, with two cylinders not firing --little HP, and a pickup truck with mexicans
gestured wildly at me, so I pulled over. The muffler was cherry-red incandescent
from the unburned fuel burning in the catalytic converter. Thanks guys! But I still
drove home, but didn't take the scenic/mountain/faster route, instead taking a freeway.
Again, thanks guys.
Once took same car to Mexico with a friend. We got stuck in a soft shoulder. A guy with the same kind of car stopped to help, pulled us out with the help of a random piece of
cable from the side of the road. I went to offer him money, but he refused; I insisted,
and he produced a *fat* wad of american 20s to show he didn't need it. Very cool.
Likely related to the (demonized) pharmaceutical trade, and he helped us tourists.
I've only been a few times there, and would not go back, out of fear and not speaking
spanish. But the locals are friendly.
My first time there was in a Ford Escort, for an eclipse. The Federales (teenagers with
rifles with toilet paper in their muzzles) found a lame firework, but let us go.
I did not like military checkpoints though. Some years later, I encountered the amerikan version of same when exploring the lower Anza Borrego desert. I loathe the amerikans more, because I have no expectation of freedom in Mexico, whereas the US government is supposed to be constrained.
On the way back from the eclipse (awesome) the steering wheel disconnected, and we went off the road. (A friend was driving.) Fortunately I had a few MIT engineers (electrical, nuclear..) with me and they had tools. They reconnected the steering wheel, aligned it using a flashlight, inserted a compression pin, and we drove home. I drove with that fix for years afterwards.
It is of course somewhat amazing that I've made it to 45.. and every day is thanksgiving, which makes them more valuable.
