HEY NOW!
2 weeks ago I was driving home from work in my 2000 Ford Focus (167,000 miles, running great) and smelled smoke. 3 minutes later, the car was engulfed in flames... police, fire dept, crowd of gawkers etc. it was not the motor...it was a dash-wire short that...caught on fire! The entire car was totalled...windshield burst...airbags deployed...seats and dash/interior looked like a bomb had gone off, I stood by and watched helplessly.
I just happened to like the car so much... I bought another one! (I do not drive imported automobiles...)
Now, I keep a fire extinguisher and a bag of marshmallows on hand...