To be filed under 'lost causes'

My mother's car is a 1989 Fiat Uno in a funky, late-80s "dolphin-blue" color. It's a total jaloppee -at the point where you do start wondering if the bumper stickers are keeping the car together (as far as I've seen we have the only car in Germany that has more than 2 bumper stickers on it). I've driven through the entire city and on the highway at 65 mph with the emergency break on, and I swear I didn't notice anything about the car's performance. The driver-side window doesn't open, and the sunroof kinda leaks. The dashboard is VERY basic -we're talking little plastic handles you push up or down to turn on lights, wipers, etc. Oh, you can't lock the hatchback door either. And the passenger door lock really sticks.

The car has about 100k miles on it, which isn't much in the land of Japanese engineering, but for a pasta-burner, this must be getting near some record running time. Maybe if we can keep it alive for a few more years, we can retire it to the Fiat museum in Turin and they'll give us a new car for our steadfastness.

Anyway, yesterday I was filling up the car at a gas station, and this woman comes up to me and asks me, completetly seriously: "Would you like to test-drive the new BMW 1-series car?"

I just stared at her in disbelief. Good woman, if I had the money to buy that kind of car, would I be driving the one you see me standing by?!?!?! I think someone needs better marketing research skills...