I think my car is screwed.

I used it yesterday just a little bit, and it was its usual self, being over 12 years old and all that. This morning, however, I turned it on and the engine immediately starts making a loud, shrilling noise. I turned it off, then on again and it continues. So I turn it off again and decide to tackle it later.

After some examination, I find out that the oil dipstick is completely dry. Apparently, it lost the oil somehow, and the noise was the engine beginning to destroy itself. I walked all the way to the nearest Walmart (about two miles away) to get a 5-quart bottle of oil, then back, and poured about the whole thing down. Most of the noise went away, but there is still a lingering one. Don't know if it will go away completely, or if the engine has been permanently damaged to some degree. I'm gonna let the car sit for a few hours, then drive to a supermarket in order to buy the monthly bus pass that I use to get to work, and see what happens.

But I'm thinking I will need a newer car someday. Mine has been developing all sorts of issues -- not to mention that it is starting to rust -- that I don't think it is worth fixing. So it is time to start saving for a good down payment on a used car. Either I'll have to work many of my days off, or start taking a hell of lot of sketch commissions, or both.

Update: After driving my car a short distance, the noise went away almost completely, and the engine sounds about the same as it has always been. So hopefully I gave myself lots of extra time. I'll have to keep an eye on the car, to see if it has a leak somewhere, though.