Serendipity

So this actually happened to me a few weeks ago, but I hadn't started this blog yet. So here it is.

First, a little history:
I have a Porsche 944 it has 156k miles on it and a relatively unknown history. Since I purchased it, it has been having problems stalling. The first time it happened, I was on the freeway going to a doctors appointment and it stopped running at 90MPH. I had to have it towed. It wasn't the fuel pump, but it turned out he fuel pump relay was bad. we replaced it and I thought all was good. But then I stalled on my way into SF on the Bay Bridge lukily there wasn't much traffic and it was stalling intermittently, so I managed to get it tucked into a little pull-out. I was towed off the bridge (they have their own tow service just for the bridge and they basically drop you at the end of it). and I limped the car to about a mile away from my apt, when it wouldn't go anymore. I got a ride home from a friend of mine who happened to be a block or so away. and I took the train down to los altos to pick up my cadillac, so I could go to Hayward where the porsche parts place left another relay outside their front door in a bush for me to pick up. I later wnet to the smae place to get a spare relay in case it happened again.

the story:
I was meeting a guy in San Rafael to buy a snow board from him. There was a ton of traffic, and I was winding my way through the town to the parking garage where I was supposed to meet this guy, and the car stalled. I was on a super-busy road. I let the car sit for a while and it started again (yeah!) then it stalled a block later again. I let it sit, because again there were a lot of people angry at me, and again it turned over again, not wanting to push my luck, I turned on the next side street and pulled into a parking space on the street one right at the front of the block (very convienient for tow-trucking) and in front of a macintosh supply/reapir shop. I got out of the car and called the guy I was supopsed to meet, and walked around a little before I realized that I had parked right across the street from the garage I was supposed to meet the guy at.

After buying the snowboard, I pulled the old relay out and put the spare I had in, and then I went into the Mac store. I was trying to find a specific case for my ipod. The guy behind the counter greeted me and immediatly asked me about my 944. He said that he used to have one and that he really liked it. and then talked to me about some of the problems, we exchnaged stories and I told him about my chronic relay problem and how I had just changed it out. we laughed about the unreliablitlty of our cars, and then I left to start her up and leave. but alas, the relay wasn't the problem. the car would not start.

I went back in and asked him if he had a good shop he could recommned. he suggested hi-tec auto which was not too far away, and a couple other places. I called hi-tec and they were still open, and said they wouldbe there for about another hour. I immediatly called AAA, and got a tow truck and then went down the street to get a pizza because I was starving. the towtruck was faster than the pizza, and while I was getting hooked up i ran back to get my pizza. (so good! - Amici's) We got the car to the shop and the guys who worked there were really cool. They ahd just bought a 944 too so we chatted about them for a while. then they left and Jim cam e and picked me up.

I was so lucky to have gone into that mac shop.