1) I had waited till last week to go and get my inspection sticker (the one that was out of date last month), first because my Check Engine light was on, which is an immediate fail, do not pass go, plus pay me two hundred dollars. So before my lovely DIY husband went out of town he filled the oil and brake fluid and power steering fluid, and just all around any kind of fluid. Sure enough, the Check Engine light went off and I'm back in business baby!
2) I take it to get inspected, I wait for forty minutes and the
3) During the course of the "vacation" we make several trips to various AutoZone locations, GMC dealerships and Wally for all the odds and ends that the repair entails. Then a few more trips for the two or three pieces he broke in the commission of doing it himself. And finally took it to the shop that repairs the "company" cars there in San Antonio where they put the finishing touches on the repair. Two hundred twenty-five dollars later "Thpt." Spit in my hand, clap, clap, all done. Right? I get back home, take it back for inspection. The guy says "Hey, your back, all fixed?" "Yep!" "Those brakes working great now?" "Yeah! Well, it's not a new car you know. It's definitely better!" And he gives me a sticker. SMOOCH!
4) I go to take the kids to the book store today and as I'm cruising the parking lot, I have to brake for a woman who beat me to a parking spot and my foot goes all the way to the floor and I hear cckkkshhckkkk and it finally stops two feet later. "What was that?", everybody in the car yelled. "I don't know, I was just turning, maybe it was the steering wheel. It's fine, we're good." Twenty minutes later, back on the wet slippery streets, I'm pulling up to the red light, and suddenly I'm Fred Flinstone with my feet on the pavement and the
We made it home just fine and I call my DIYH to tell him the bad news and of course he's in a meeting. All day Mom's telling me how I really need a new car. I can't be driving these kids around in an unreliable car. We just need to break down and buy a new one.
The subject of breaking down and buying a new one has been floating around our house now for a while, with those for and those opposed. And like I am on most subjects in life, I sit comfortably on the fence. Remember, I'm not a chief, just a regular indian. (And I can say that because I have the Choctaw card to prove it). She was our first new car purchase, she is 10 years old, and she just hit the 222,225 mile mark. We love her, she's one of the family. We both have a few scratches and dings and not everything we were given, hangs exactly where it used to. We've been thrown up on, had food thrown at us, had our headlights adjusted .. wait a minute, that was just her, I'm still thinking on it. Anyway, it's not an easy decision. It's both emotional and primarily financial. John is asking me every five minutes, "So Mom, are you getting a new car?" "No", I say. "No", I say. Again and again and again. Today I said "John, be a dear and go out to the mailbox and see if we got that check for ten thousand dollars, would ya?" I got him, but just for a split-second. "Oh, Mom."
I think we would make a GREAT
5 comments:
I absolutely agree with you. I have a DIYH too-- though yours sounds like he might actually know what he is doing sometimes.
Oh you make me miss San Antonio. I grew up there and sometimes I miss it so much.
if GMC goes for it...let me know, my family is a walking chrylser commercial. nobody beats the crap outta Dodge and runs it like we do. and i would love me a new Durango.
Hey, another thing we have in commen...I am part Cherokee on my grandfather's side.
That's a tough decision, especially if you don;t have a car payment. Adding a car payment to an already stressed household budget is hard.
I am going to drive my Ford van until the wheels fall off.
Yes, I totally agree! But when do you call the horse dead?
When 12 months of car payments is less then the repair bill!
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