Sunday, February 4, 2007

The curse has been lifted...maybe

My husband and I bought a used car 2 1/2 years ago and it was a mistake that we continue to pay for. We had (have) no money and desperately needed a vehicle, so we paid $500 and financed the remaining $3000 on a 1998 Mercury Sable. Twenty four hours after the purchase, the engine light came on and the transmission had to be replaced. We were upset, but the dealer we purchased it from agreed to pay for it. We were still optimistic that everything would be okay. In the next 6 months we replaced the power steering pump, alternator, oil pan gasket, about 75% of the heating and cooling lines, front brakes, and starter. Over the next two years, the repairs continued at a slower, but steady, pace. We spent $500 on the brakes on the back of the car, $300 in tires, and $1000 on the suspension. About 3 weeks ago, the car began to shake at high speeds and I thought, "Here we go again." I took it to the tire guys first, but I was not hopeful. I was just certain that it was another $1000 in suspension work. For the first time in 2 1/2 years, the car gods smiled on us. It was a bad tire and the tire was under warranty. It cost me $8.50. I left the tire place feeling victorious. I actually thought that maybe the car wasn't such a crappy bucket of bolts after all. I parked it in the driveway and hurried inside to share the good news with my husband. We both felt warm and fuzzy. The car gods must have heard us and decided to punish us for celebrating a near miss at the mechanics. We had a cold night last night and my husband decided to try and start my car this morning. No luck. So, Manther and I are worshipping with Elmo videos this morning instead of church. Only 8 more payments to go!
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1 comment:

Rex said...

Thanks for sharing. Great lesson about reading too far into things. Thanks for the reminder. And hey, somedays Elmo id just as good as church!