Dear Car Talk:

Most people write to you to ask how their car is broken. But I’m wondering how my car was OK.

I live in Boston, and last winter, I was out of state for three months. I was supposed to be gone for seven weeks, but it turned into 13 weeks, as I avoided flying during the omicron spike and just stayed put. My 2017 Subaru Impreza sat in the Boston cold from midNovember to mid-February. Then it started up without a pause! How?!

How was my 5-year-old battery alive after two blizzards and a bunch of nights below 10 degrees? How did my fuel not cause starting problems? Was I blessed with a miracle?

I bet my sister $50 my car wouldn’t start. I lost and I’m curious why. — Claire

I would have lost that $50, too, Claire.

The gasoline would not have posed any problem. It wouldn’t degrade in a few months. And regardless of the temperatures while you were gone, a key factor would have been the temperature on the day you started the car.

So if it was 9 degrees out the week before, but 45 degrees on the day you started the car, the battery might have worked fine.

Cold weather diminishes battery power, but only during the cold weather.

What surprises me is that your 5-year-old battery lived to start the car at all. Five years is about how long most batteries last these days. And when modern cars sit, most of them slowly drain your battery in order to power things like the alarm, the computer and the emissions system.

In fact, it’s not unusual for modern cars to not start after they’ve been sitting for three or four weeks, even in good weather.

So I can’t explain The Miracle of the 2017 Impreza, Claire. Maybe it’s the combination of a small engine, a big battery and the fact that you live a good, clean, compassionate life -- save for being willing to snatch $50 from your poor sister in the first place.

Now go get a new battery before you run out of luck.

Dear Car Talk:

I have a 2004 Jeep Cherokee with a starting issue. I turn the key and the starter doesn’t

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