The Plan *Edit*

Well, after exhausting those possibilities that we have the ability to fix ourselves, we’ve discovered that the timing belt on the car is no longer spinning. Whether this is because it’s snapped somewhere below where we can see or has somehow seized up, we have no way of knowing. There’s also an oil leak somewhere. And if the attempts to start the car caused any damage, the engine basically has to be rebuilt entirely.

The real bitch of it is that I am four payments away from having the damn thing paid off.

So Alan and I have been exploring our options. It’s nothing like practical to buy a new car right now because we’d have to finance the whole cost. Car prices are also a bit ridiculous here. An officer in Alan’s shop says that it’s simple supply and demand. We don’t live in a particularly well-off area, so people aren’t going out and buying new cars every few years and thereby flooding the market with used vehicles. In Connecticut, or any wealthy area, sellers, whether a dealer or a private owner, have to price their cars very competitively in order to get rid of them because there are so many choices. And I can attest to that. The two cars I’ve bought in my life have both sold below Kelley Blue Book value. What it means out here is that people can charge more because you have fewer options.

My original plan was to sell the car to the highest bidder, ask my dad to help me pay off the last $500, turn in my plates and cancel my insurance. Alan could ride to work with Pez for a couple months while I took the first wage-slave job within walking or biking distance that offered, sock away as much money as possible for a down payment, and buy a new car in a couple months. Good plan, right?

Apparently not. Once the unit moves to their new offices, everyone’s going to be headed in different directions getting things sorted for a while and that means Alan can’t rely on the kindness of Pez.

So, new plan.

We’re going to call the service departments of the two local Chrysler dealerships and get rough estimates (already have one from Firestone), have the car towed to whoever gives us the best price for a full estimate, and beg my parents for money. I really hate asking them for money, but it’ll be easier to pay them back than the bank — they don’t charge interest. We get the car fixed. I still take the first wage-slave job that offers and save as much money as possible to build up a down payment, then add that to whatever I can get for trading in my car and buy something that doesn’t have an entire website devoted to its most common problems (literally http://www.ptcruiserproblems.com).

We’re thinking about a Chevy Equinox.

This seriously fucking sucks.

~Liz

*Edit* Alan called Perkins Dodge this morning for an estimate… $993 including parts, labor, taxes, etc. That includes the new timing belt and a new water pump, but not the cost of anything they might find that still needs fixing. And it doesn’t include the $1500 it would cost to fix the A/C or the cost of replacing the exhaust or the $260 for a new windshield. The windshield really kills me. I had it replaced about a year ago, before we moved out here. Over the winter a stone got thrown up from the road and chipped it. We would have gotten the chip filled but within 24 hours, the freezing air outside combined with the heat on the inside cracked it all the way across. Then again, it just needs to limp along for a little bit longer.

And now I’m getting bloody noses for some reason. I’ve never had one in my life to this point. What the hell?