"The car lives."

The phone call I'd been waiting for all day finally came. I answered the phone, and it was my mechanic.

"The car lives," he said.

Earlier in the day, he had explained the mechanical problem that had occurred. He explained the damage that can be caused by this type of ... uhh.. thermal dynamic failure. They were, in order, (A) not so bad, (B) pretty bad, (C) so bad he wouldn't even discuss it.

In the end, it was (A), not so bad. $350, including an oil change.

Yes, the car lives.