the continuing saga of my car

[nourishment]

Because writing to you all individually is beginning to take up a lot of time that I could be using to pad my posts and because I know you're all so interested and also because I need to vent publically...here goes.

Let me begin by saying that I love that car, even though I've only had it for about two months. I thought I was making such a fiscally mature decision. My Honda was totalled through no fault of my own. At which point I thought it was a great opportunity to take the cash left over after the Honda was paid off by the insurance company and buy an older car outright. That way I could take the money I would have put towards a payment and pay off my credit car debt. In all, I would have been driving this older car (a Mazda) for about eight months.

So about two weeks ago, I started having a problem that deteriorated quickly. It goes like this. Apply pressure to brake and the engine stalls. Dropped the Mazda at the shop on Wednesday of last week. Get rental car. The nice folks at the shop tell me that it will take four hours to make the repairs and I can pick it up the next day. Uh-uh. One thing after another. Their parking lot floods, they have a family member that has just been diagnosed with cancer, they have to fire one of their mechanics, the wrong part is shipped, the right part is on back order.

Meanwhile I miss Danny Howells.

Rental changes increse.

My phone calls are not returned in a timely fashion.

Today I took a two hour lunch and went to the shop. The correct part has arrived. This may/may not fix the problem. We won't know until I've paid for it. If it does not fix the problem, the cost to rebuild the transmission will be an additional fee (which, it turns out, is significantly more than the car is worth.) Oh, and there's no way we can even pop the hood on your car to get started until Monday anyway.

Rental cars are not really that inexpensive. A few more days and the rental charges will outweigh the repair costs. So....I will be relying on favors for transportation this weekend.

If the shit does not continue to rain down on my head (actually it's no where near as bad as it could be, so I shouldn't complain at all but I am anyway cause it makes me feel better) and everything goes just the way I want it to, I'll get the car back on Monday, sell it immediatley for at least as much as I have sunk into it and I return to the land of monthly payments like I should have done in the first place.

So what's my point here...that attempting to be responsible backfired.

And that I'll have something worked out by next weekend, even if it's a sinlge day rental. Damn, but I'm resourceful.

Whew.

[pgiddy]

honestly that sucks and I feel sorry for you. If that was me I would be so freakin pissed. Sounds like that place is shitty, you should've brought it to a Mazda dealership. I don't know what I would even do if I was you. Bottom line as always you need 3 good people, a good mechanic, a good lawyer, and a good accountant. They can either really help you or really screw you. Sounds like your taking it pretty good though!! Oh well just try to go out and enjoy your weekend, maybe start riding a bike around!

[nourishment]

Please use the addtional space below to post sympathy and pity. Please PM me for the address where flowers and donations are being accepted.

[malanee]

I think the moral to this story is that being fiscally responsible costs more than it is worth!

I've been having car problems too - and I make car payments! Grrrr! I wanna new car! *whine*

[therunner]

Originally posted by nourishment
Because writing to you all individually is beginning to take up a lot of time that I could be using to pad my posts and because I know you're all so interested and also because I need to vent publically...here goes.

Let me begin by saying that I love that car, even though I've only had it for about two months. I thought I was making such a fiscally mature decision. My Honda was totalled through no fault of my own. At which point I thought it was a great opportunity to take the cash left over after the Honda was paid off by the insurance company and buy an older car outright. That way I could take the money I would have put towards a payment and pay off my credit car debt. In all, I would have been driving this older car (a Mazda) for about eight months.

So about two weeks ago, I started having a problem that deteriorated quickly. It goes like this. Apply pressure to brake and the engine stalls. Dropped the Mazda at the shop on Wednesday of last week. Get rental car. The nice folks at the shop tell me that it will take four hours to make the repairs and I can pick it up the next day. Uh-uh. One thing after another. Their parking lot floods, they have a family member that has just been diagnosed with cancer, they have to fire one of their mechanics, the wrong part is shipped, the right part is on back order.

Meanwhile I miss Danny Howells.

Rental changes increse.

My phone calls are not returned in a timely fashion.

Today I took a two hour lunch and went to the shop. The correct part has arrived. This may/may not fix the problem. We won't know until I've paid for it. If it does not fix the problem, the cost to rebuild the transmission will be an additional fee (which, it turns out, is significantly more than the car is worth.) Oh, and there's no way we can even pop the hood on your car to get started until Monday anyway.

Rental cars are not really that inexpensive. A few more days and the rental charges will outweigh the repair costs. So....I will be relying on favors for transportation this weekend.

If the shit does not continue to rain down on my head (actually it's no where near as bad as it could be, so I shouldn't complain at all but I am anyway cause it makes me feel better) and everything goes just the way I want it to, I'll get the car back on Monday, sell it immediatley for at least as much as I have sunk into it and I return to the land of monthly payments like I should have done in the first place.

So what's my point here...that attempting to be responsible backfired.

And that I'll have something worked out by next weekend, even if it's a sinlge day rental. Damn, but I'm resourceful.

Whew.

To be honest....this story was way to long and I never made it thru the first paragraph, but I am sure it means something to someone.

[vicman]

Originally posted by pgiddy
Bottom line as always you need 3 good people, a good mechanic, a good lawyer, and a good accountant.

a good woman i would also add to that list....a good guy for the ladies

[superfli]

Originally posted by pgiddy
honestly that sucks and I feel sorry for you. If that was me I would be so freakin pissed. Sounds like that place is shitty, you should've brought it to a Mazda dealership. I don't know what I would even do if I was you. Bottom line as always you need 3 good people, a good mechanic, a good lawyer, and a good accountant. They can either really help you or really screw you. Sounds like your taking it pretty good though!! Oh well just try to go out and enjoy your weekend, maybe start riding a bike around!

dentists get no respect

[vixenfoxxy]

Well look at it this way... at least you're not driving a 1988 VW Fox. Oh oh, and that's only when I'm in NY. When I'm here in DC, I am taking the bus

I def. feel your pain though. Conversation as my mom picks me up at LaGuardia arpt. last weekend
Me:"It's so great to be back in NY! I can't wait to drive my car around!"
Mom: "Oh yeah... uhm, about that... it's in the shop again."

Riiiiiight.
All the power to monthly payments! I hope this works out for you, I'm sure none of us CP'ers will be the poor sucker to buy the car off you though! Good luck!

[raver_mania]

Shit, that really sucks! Well, its Monday - what do they say now? Hopefully, it'll work once they put that spare part in...yeah, I also get pissed off with a lot of these shops, coz you're completely at their mercy! Maybe you can report them to the consumer bureau??
Either way, you'll forget all about that this weekend once you come here and party with us!

[vicman]

Originally posted by superfli

dentists get no respect

[nourishment]

5:17 PM Monday. No car, but they are working overtime. They will call me tonight when it's finished and leave the key under the mat. Right.

So now I'm begging for a ride home. If it's done tonight, right , then I'll be begging for a ride out to BFE to pick the damn thing up. And if it's not done tonight, which seems more likely, that leaves me begging for a ride to work tomorrow and then also out to get my car in BFE, assuming it's done tomorrow. Right.