One Mirrored Car...

If you've ridden in my car (or even just seen my car) sometime in the past year and a half, you most likely experienced this...

Yes, the missing passenger side view mirror. In September of 2009 (yes, over 20 months ago), my side view mirror hit the trash can while I was pulling out of my garage. I was shocked when the whole mirror was left hanging by wires, especially considering that I was only going like 2 mph (if that). I went that day and got a few quotes on the cost to replace it and couldn't believe that it was going to cost me close to $300! My mirror was perfectly undamaged, but I would have to buy a whole new mirror in order for them to reconnect it to my car. I refused. Once I found out that it was legal to drive with only one side view mirror, I decided to delay the process of replacing my mirror.

Six months later, in April of 2010, the worker who was remodeling my parent's bathroom decided to make it his mission to find me a new mirror. He found a matching one at a junk yard and removed it from the car himself. He brought it to me in perfect condition, and it was much cheaper than the $300 the mechanic was trying to charge me. Well, I was hesitant to put it on my car because I was afraid that I was going to knock it off again (the garbage cans in my garage made it a very tight squeeze into my parking spot). So, I decided to delay putting on the new mirror...and it sat in my trunk for another six months.

In November of 2010, I moved back in with my parents for a few months to save money for the wedding. This would have been the perfect time to put my new side mirror on since I wasn't dealing with the garage issue anymore. But, I guess I was so used to driving with only one side mirror that the whole thing just was bugging me that much anymore. I had perfected parallel parking without a side mirror. Plus, I was so busy with wedding planning, that my car's side view mirror simply wasn't a priority.

Another 7 months went and finally Jason had it. He refused to ride in a car with only one side mirror. I admit, it did look very tacky! Considering that I even had the replacement mirror, it was even more ridiculous that I was still driving around with only one mirror. So, last weekend, Jason and my dad put my new mirror on my car! It did involve a little bit of 'jimmy rigging' since the wires didn't match up perfectly, but in the end, it all worked out. And now, 20 months later, my '98 Camry is looking back to normal!