This video is a compilation of several real cold starts that I recorded on different days before heading to my skating classes. Most of the clips feature my Opala and my Beetle, and every attempt was recorded as I was getting ready to leave for class.

Since these clips were filmed on different days, every start was a little different. There were times when the Opala started surprisingly easily, other times when it took quite a while before the engine finally came to life, and there was even one day when it simply would not start at all. After so many attempts, the battery went weak a few times, and I had to call my husband to come help me get the car going again.

You’ll also see me wearing different outfits and different shoes because all of these moments happened on different days. Nothing was staged or recreated. These are all real cold starts from my actual routine before skating class.

And at the end, there is one longer clip where I finally get the car started and actually drive it to my class. I placed the camera on its mount and recorded the entire trip, so you can follow the car from the cold start all the way to the drive.

Today I decided to take the Voyage out for a little drive, wearing my slippers. Since the weather was warm, I was hoping the car would cooperate a little more than usual, and thankfully, it did start faster this time. It still took a little while before the engine finally came to life, but it was definitely easier than on those cold days.

Once it started, I took the Voyage out for a drive and enjoyed getting it moving. I accelerated, shifted through the gears, and drove around for a while before bringing it back. When I stopped, I gave the engine several strong revs, listening to it respond each time. After that, I switched it off, stepped out of the car, and called it a day.

I got into my VW Voyage hoping to take it out for a little drive and get some ice cream, but with how cold it was today, I had a feeling the car might have other plans. I took off my coats, climbed in wearing my heeled boots, and started trying to get the engine going. I tried absolutely everything I could think of, pumping the pedal lightly, pumping it hard, pumping quickly, pumping slowly, holding it all the way down, and even trying to start it without pumping at all. Every attempt was different, but none of them worked. Every now and then I stopped to play with my phone for a moment, trying to give the engine a little break and avoid flooding it or draining the battery too quickly. There was one moment when it sounded like it might finally start, but it never quite got there. After so many failed attempts, I got frustrated enough to take off my boots and socks and keep trying barefoot, even though the pedals were absolutely freezing. I kept going for nearly the entire 16 minute video, trying again and again, begging the car to cooperate and getting increasingly frustrated as nothing seemed to work. Eventually, after pushing both the car and myself as far as I could, the battery finally ran out and there was nothing more I could do. I was already pretty angry and frustrated by that point, so I had to give up. I put my boots back on without my socks, and that was the end of my attempt to get the Voyage started and go out for ice cream.

I start the video completely alone, relaxing on the couch while my friend is busy doing other things. For several minutes, I sit there by myself wearing my mules, casually using my phone and swinging my crossed leg, letting my shoe move naturally with every little motion.

After a while, my friend comes over and joins me on the couch. She is wearing Havaianas flip flops, and soon we are both sitting comfortably with our legs crossed, playing with our phones and casually swinging our feet and shoes. We spend some time together, talk a little, and enjoy a relaxed moment on the couch.

Later, we go back to using our phones while our feet keep moving naturally. Eventually, I get up and leave the couch, while my friend stays behind alone, relaxing and gently dangling and swinging her feet in her flip flops.

Today I just wanted to take my Voyage out for a little drive, but getting it started turned into a much bigger challenge than I expected. I got in wearing my Birkenstocks, took them off, and put on my black high heel mules before trying to start the car. What followed felt like an eternity. I kept trying over and over, sometimes pumping the pedal, sometimes waiting a little so I would not drain the battery, but the engine just refused to cooperate. My husband was nearby helping me, especially because the car was still stuck inside the garage and I knew getting it out would take some time even after getting it running.

After what felt like forever, the Voyage finally gave me a little sign that it wanted to start. I managed to move it slightly forward, but then it stalled and refused to start again. I kept trying and trying until it became clear that something was not quite right. My husband opened the hood and started checking things to see if he could figure out what was going on. After so many attempts, I finally managed to get the engine running again.

Getting the car out of the garage was another challenge. The space was really tight, so I had to move forward and backward several times, carefully maneuvering until I finally got it out. By that point, I was honestly close to giving up after spending around 20 minutes trying to get the car started.

But in the end, it was worth it. I finally took the Voyage out for a drive, shifted through the gears, and accelerated quite a bit because I was still tense after everything that had just happened. I was worried something might go wrong after such a difficult start, but thankfully everything worked out. I drove around for a while, came back home, parked the Voyage in front of the house, and finally got out of the car.

I needed to take my Opala to the gas station, but first I had to get it started after it had been sitting for a while. I got in wearing my Havaianas, took them off and set them aside so I could drive barefoot, then started trying to bring the engine back to life. The battery was already weak, and even though the car gave a few signs that it wanted to start, it just wouldn’t quite get there. Since it was a warmer night and the Opala runs on ethanol, I was expecting an easier start than on those cold days, but the loose battery terminals were the real problem. My husband noticed them, tightened them up, and after that the car started normally. Once the engine warmed up, everything worked perfectly. I drove carefully to the gas station because I didn’t want to run out of fuel on the way, so I kept things nice and easy and filmed the whole trip. After filling up, the video continues with me already driving back home. Knowing I had plenty of fuel this time, I could relax a little and enjoy the drive, accelerating a bit more just to hear that beautiful engine sound. The ride home was definitely more exciting, and after getting back, I parked the Opala in front of the house and called it a night.

I was getting ready for my gym class and thought starting the Opala would be the easy part of my morning. I got in wearing my gym clothes and socks and started trying to fire it up, taking my time and giving the battery a little break between attempts.

But the engine simply refused to cooperate. After a while, my husband came to help and opened the hood. We quickly discovered the problem: the cold start reservoir was completely empty. He filled it up, and I pressed the choke button to get some fuel moving through the carburetor.

The Opala finally started, but the engine was still cold and struggling to stay running. It started, stalled, then started again. Not exactly the smoothest trip to the gym, but at least I finally got some signs of life from it!

I was all dressed for the gym and slipped into my Birkenstocks before getting in my VW Voyage, hoping for a quick start. Before turning the key, I kicked off my shoes so I could work the pedals barefoot and started pumping the gas, determined to wake up the cold engine.

For several minutes, absolutely nothing happened. No sign that the engine wanted to come to life. After about four or five minutes of trying, it finally started... but only for a brief moment before sputtering out and shutting off again.

I refused to give up. I kept cranking, pumping the gas, and telling myself I was going to make this car start no matter what. The Voyage had other plans. No matter how hard I tried, it simply wouldn't cooperate.

After nearly nine minutes of battling with it, I finally admitted defeat. I was already running late for the gym, so I decided it was time to try another car instead.

Before getting out, I noticed the sole of my foot had gotten dirty from working the pedals. I wiped it clean, showed it to the camera, slipped my Birkenstocks back on, climbed out of the car, and left the garage grumbling after another frustrating morning.

It was a cold day, so I knew both of my classics would need a little extra patience before they were ready to run.

I started with my Opala, wearing my Birkenstocks. After getting in, I slipped them off and stayed barefoot while I worked the pedals, hoping the engine would come to life. It struggled for quite a while, and eventually the battery became too weak to keep trying. I hooked it up to the charger, waited a bit, and gave it another shot.

This time the engine finally came to life, although it was running rough and threatening to stall as it warmed up. Once it was running, I got out, disconnected the battery charger, closed the hood, and climbed back in. I took the Opala for a short drive, but the cold engine kept stumbling and stalling over and over. I had to restart it several times before it finally settled into a smooth idle. After a quick drive, I parked it, put my Birkenstocks back on, and moved on to my next project.

Then it was time for my green Beetle. It was just as stubborn, with another weak battery making things even more difficult. After plenty of persistence, I finally got the engine running and kept working the gas pedal to keep it from stalling while it warmed up. Once it was running properly, I took it for a short drive, with the camera focused on the pedal work the whole time. After parking it, I got out, happy that both cars were finally warmed up and ready to go.

I was already dressed for work, wearing my white high heels with my light blue toenails on display, when I climbed into my old Opala. It had been sitting in the garage for quite a while, so I knew the cold engine wasn't going to make things easy.

The first few attempts were frustrating. I kept cranking the engine and working the gas pedal, hoping it would finally cooperate. After several long tries, with the battery beginning to weaken, the engine finally came to life. I gave it a few steady revs to help warm it up before heading out.

I drove to work in my white heels, but the trouble wasn't over. Along the way, the engine stalled several times in traffic. Every time it happened, I quickly restarted the car and kept going, trying not to panic. I hate when this happens because there are always other cars behind me, and it's incredibly stressful to hold everyone up while I struggle to get the engine running again.

After a few nerve wracking moments, I finally made it to work, parked the Opala, and got out, relieved that my old car had managed to get me there despite all the drama.

My friend needed to take her Ford out, so she slipped into her flip flops, got behind the wheel and turned the key, expecting a normal start. Instead, the engine refused to cooperate.

She kept pumping the gas pedal over and over, trying every trick she could think of. Every attempt sounded a little different, making her believe it was finally about to come to life, but it never did. She stayed in the driver's seat for a long time, patiently cranking the engine and working the pedal, determined not to give up.

Eventually the battery became too weak to keep trying, so she waited a while before giving it another chance. Once there was enough power again, she climbed back in and repeated the whole process. More pumping, more cranking, more hope, but the stubborn engine still refused to start.

After countless attempts, thick clouds of smoke began pouring from the exhaust, showing just how much effort had gone into trying to wake the engine up. Even with all that persistence, the Ford simply would not cooperate.

In the end, my friend had no choice but to give up. She stepped out of the car in her flip flops and walked away, leaving the Ford exactly where it was.

I thought getting to work today would be easy. I put on a simple outfit, slipped into my green heeled mules, grabbed my keys, and headed out into the freezing morning.

The moment I got in my old VW Voyage, I knew it wasn't going to cooperate. The engine was ice cold, and no matter how many times I turned the key and pumped the gas pedal, it just refused to come to life. I kept talking to the car, begging it to start, hoping each attempt would be the one. At one point it almost caught, but then it sputtered and quit again. I think I accidentally flooded the engine.

I refused to give up and kept trying until the battery finally ran out of power. Since there was nothing else I could do, I went back inside, put the battery on charge, and decided to get ready properly while I waited. I changed into a more polished outfit and swapped my green mules for a pair of black high heels before heading back outside for another round.

Even with fresh determination, the Voyage still wouldn't cooperate. I kept pumping the pedal, turning the key over and over, but nothing worked. After what felt like forever, frustration got the better of me. I kicked off my heels and continued trying barefoot, hoping that somehow this stubborn old car would finally respond.

When my husband noticed what was happening, he came outside to help. He poured a little gasoline into the carburetor, and that finally got the engine going... sort of. It was running terribly. The engine kept stumbling, it wouldn't stay running, thick smoke poured from the exhaust along with plenty of liquid, and every few seconds it would shut off again. I'd start it, it would quit. I'd try again, and the same thing happened. I simply couldn't get the engine to run properly.

Eventually I had to admit defeat. Instead of spending the whole morning fighting with the Voyage, I went back inside and called an Uber before I ended up even later for work.