(no subject)
Jan. 7th, 2004 11:15 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
podlingThis is me whining. Or more accurately, the after effects...
The short version is that I was more right than I knew when I said the podmobile had exploded.
Well, basically I'm screwed. In a way. In this life, anything involving objects (those not stuck through you, anyway) is generally solvable. With lots of money, anyway. Which is what my car requires. Not to get too technical, my car, my baby, my podmobile, will shorty die a gruesome death, that is, unless I replace the cylinder head, which seems to be cracked.
Now, what really gets me about this is that:
a) My first car, the 'tiac (the pon fell off) also had this issue, though it wasn't actually it's biggest problem (that would be the fact that the rods were bent, and it's first really noticeable symptom was when the car stalled every time I turned the wheel (which made going places *really* hard)) but that car had something like 120,000 miles on it.
b) This is not the first major issue this car has had, and the first one, that required the transmission to be taken out and possibly rebuilt, was for something that at the time the tech assured me was a known issue that 1 in 30 stick shift Saturns had, so if you didn't have a warranty, you were really just shit out of luck. And in fact, the only thing that surprised him about it was that it took so long for it to need to be fixed on my car. As for why he'd let me in on this, I think he just wanted to assure me that I hadn't done anything to destroy the car.
c) This car has just under 73,000 miles on it. I baby it. I do kind of drive it hard, and far, but I get the oil changed regularly, and pretty much take care of everything that needs taking care of (with the possible exception of the windshield wipers, which need to be replaced, but they do still work beautifully, so it's not actually imperative, it's not like the time I exceeded their design specs or anything). There is no reason that a well-maintained car should go belly up. Which brings me to something else...
d) Since moving to the suburbs of the middle of nowhere on my own, I actually *need* to have a really working car. It's not like when I lived near my parents and we'd figure out a way that everyone could get to work when we were down one or two cars. And it's not like when I lived within walking distance of the train station, or with Cara, when yeah, it was a pain for her, but not an impossibility, for a few days at a time she could drive me to the station when my car was in the shop. And my mechanic uncle really can't help me at all at this distance. Unlike my other broken possessions, this can neither be cheaply fixed nor lived with. Really, I can deal with the stereo having... Issues.
So the dealership initially didn't even give me a price quote for fixing it. Their recommendation would be that I trade it in. I'm resistant to this for several reasons... one is that really, really, I don't have the money. I mean, money is more than tight at the moment. It's non-existent. I make a decent salary, but I can't afford to buy groceries regularly or have cable (yeah, I know, really that's a luxury), never mind buy a new freaking car. And the other, and more important reason, not to trade in my car is that I hope to NEVER EVER EVER own a Saturn again. Yes, this car served me well, but I think replacing most of the engine before it reaches 75,000 miles is kind of a not good sign. I want something reliable, perhaps like my parents' old toyota, the one that drove to Florida and back once or twice, that was past 150K when my brother totalled it in a head-on collision (which, incidentally, wasn't his fault, and the car still turned over and sounded okay though you couldn't make it go anywhere). So basically, if someone came along and said, "Yes, I know Saturns suck, but here, you can have this one for free." I would take it, but otherwise... no.
I have the money to fix it. Or rather, I actually don't, but I will, because of the generousity of my parents, who were going to pay the remainder of what I owed on it as a post-Christmas/pre-birthday gift, and will now pay to rebuild what is left of the podmobile so that I can continue to work and possibly sink into debt at a slightly slower rate. So now I have to find a mechanic. Or let Saturn have their way with my car. In the meantime, I'm probably going to rent a car to prevent utter annihilation.
Now, yesterday, I was nigh ready to commit suicide (for about 2 minutes) then decided that I must live at least until the ski trip to Vermont, which is already pre-paid. All in all, I was pretty whiny and sorry for myself (and you're wondering how that's different from now, aren't you? heh) and depressive. At work, when I found out, it was kind of like a freak-out fest for me. I even called Rico at his work (which I've done, like, 5 times in my entire life). Today, on the other hand, I've had time to process it all, and it is going to get taken care of, and while I'm still not happy, I'm now a different kind of not happy. So. It's all good. Or it will be. Somehow. I still feel like my future hangs on threads, but that's not that unusual. The plan is back in place, just altered. Like I said, all good.
The short version is that I was more right than I knew when I said the podmobile had exploded.
Well, basically I'm screwed. In a way. In this life, anything involving objects (those not stuck through you, anyway) is generally solvable. With lots of money, anyway. Which is what my car requires. Not to get too technical, my car, my baby, my podmobile, will shorty die a gruesome death, that is, unless I replace the cylinder head, which seems to be cracked.
Now, what really gets me about this is that:
a) My first car, the 'tiac (the pon fell off) also had this issue, though it wasn't actually it's biggest problem (that would be the fact that the rods were bent, and it's first really noticeable symptom was when the car stalled every time I turned the wheel (which made going places *really* hard)) but that car had something like 120,000 miles on it.
b) This is not the first major issue this car has had, and the first one, that required the transmission to be taken out and possibly rebuilt, was for something that at the time the tech assured me was a known issue that 1 in 30 stick shift Saturns had, so if you didn't have a warranty, you were really just shit out of luck. And in fact, the only thing that surprised him about it was that it took so long for it to need to be fixed on my car. As for why he'd let me in on this, I think he just wanted to assure me that I hadn't done anything to destroy the car.
c) This car has just under 73,000 miles on it. I baby it. I do kind of drive it hard, and far, but I get the oil changed regularly, and pretty much take care of everything that needs taking care of (with the possible exception of the windshield wipers, which need to be replaced, but they do still work beautifully, so it's not actually imperative, it's not like the time I exceeded their design specs or anything). There is no reason that a well-maintained car should go belly up. Which brings me to something else...
d) Since moving to the suburbs of the middle of nowhere on my own, I actually *need* to have a really working car. It's not like when I lived near my parents and we'd figure out a way that everyone could get to work when we were down one or two cars. And it's not like when I lived within walking distance of the train station, or with Cara, when yeah, it was a pain for her, but not an impossibility, for a few days at a time she could drive me to the station when my car was in the shop. And my mechanic uncle really can't help me at all at this distance. Unlike my other broken possessions, this can neither be cheaply fixed nor lived with. Really, I can deal with the stereo having... Issues.
So the dealership initially didn't even give me a price quote for fixing it. Their recommendation would be that I trade it in. I'm resistant to this for several reasons... one is that really, really, I don't have the money. I mean, money is more than tight at the moment. It's non-existent. I make a decent salary, but I can't afford to buy groceries regularly or have cable (yeah, I know, really that's a luxury), never mind buy a new freaking car. And the other, and more important reason, not to trade in my car is that I hope to NEVER EVER EVER own a Saturn again. Yes, this car served me well, but I think replacing most of the engine before it reaches 75,000 miles is kind of a not good sign. I want something reliable, perhaps like my parents' old toyota, the one that drove to Florida and back once or twice, that was past 150K when my brother totalled it in a head-on collision (which, incidentally, wasn't his fault, and the car still turned over and sounded okay though you couldn't make it go anywhere). So basically, if someone came along and said, "Yes, I know Saturns suck, but here, you can have this one for free." I would take it, but otherwise... no.
I have the money to fix it. Or rather, I actually don't, but I will, because of the generousity of my parents, who were going to pay the remainder of what I owed on it as a post-Christmas/pre-birthday gift, and will now pay to rebuild what is left of the podmobile so that I can continue to work and possibly sink into debt at a slightly slower rate. So now I have to find a mechanic. Or let Saturn have their way with my car. In the meantime, I'm probably going to rent a car to prevent utter annihilation.
Now, yesterday, I was nigh ready to commit suicide (for about 2 minutes) then decided that I must live at least until the ski trip to Vermont, which is already pre-paid. All in all, I was pretty whiny and sorry for myself (and you're wondering how that's different from now, aren't you? heh) and depressive. At work, when I found out, it was kind of like a freak-out fest for me. I even called Rico at his work (which I've done, like, 5 times in my entire life). Today, on the other hand, I've had time to process it all, and it is going to get taken care of, and while I'm still not happy, I'm now a different kind of not happy. So. It's all good. Or it will be. Somehow. I still feel like my future hangs on threads, but that's not that unusual. The plan is back in place, just altered. Like I said, all good.
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no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 08:27 am (UTC)Good. I would miss you.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 10:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 02:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 08:46 am (UTC)The trading in thing is probably a dealership way of getting more money out of you... Do you have anyone who can recommend a good mechanic? Anything you have done at a dealership will cost 2-3 times as much as if an independent mechanic does it, over here at least. And, is there an auto breaker in the area where you can maybe get cheap second hand parts? Though I *think* that with cylinder heads, it's the labour that makes up most of the cost.
My sister's been going through all this sort of thing - she had to have the engine replaced in a car that's really too old to warrant it, because the extra £500 to get a different ancient car was too much for her to manage. It's miserable.
And my car is stuttering more and more at the low end of the gear ranges... guess I'd better get my local mechanic to check it out. You've worried me just enough :(
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 09:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 09:03 am (UTC)that fucking car! (no offense podmobile) They are trying to scam more money out of you, but seriously as soon as you think you can afford it I'd buy a used Toyota (preferrably on another no-interest loan from your godfather).
It does sound manageable for now, and you do indeed sound pretty calm given the circumstances.
I need to find a mechanic myself, to fix that whole leak in my exhaust that could kill me and my passengers any day now (for the past six months...) But still putting it off, since Mike has a car...
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 10:42 am (UTC)My boss thinks I should take the money from my dad, pay my uncle, sell the podmobile and buy or lease a used toyota. It's sounding more and more like a good plan, but I'll have to talk to my dad tonight. In the meantime, I have a lead on renting a car for a week to give me some breathing room. South Brunswick has a handy dandy website (which, I've just noticed, has job opportunities...hmmn) Anyway. So that's $160/week. owie.
And sure I sound calm now. Yesterday, not so much. I cried at work even (briefly, though where no one could see me). Even staring at the seaport from the sky bridge didn't cheer me. But really, it's just another enormous issue to deal with (though time-sensitive). Plus, I kind of look at it like I originally looked at my school loan... too big to deal with, stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, STOP THINKING ABOUT IT!!! So. I think part of the mind-numbingness is just from having that other car self-destruct in a similar way, and not having a car after that for 4 years. And that's not an option here, so yeah.
So I guess you drive with the windows open? Heh. Sorry, I know it's not funny. That was the easiest to fix of the issues the pontiac had, actually. It's not so bad. Good to see that it hasn't killed you yet (otherwise, the terrorists will have won!!!). Fix your exhaust girl.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 11:49 am (UTC)Hang in there, maybe you'll get a non-suicidal car out of this.
And yes, I do drive with the windows open. Fixing the car has moved up towards the top of the list, right behind replacing my passport so I can actually go to Chile in February.
no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 12:52 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-01-07 08:11 pm (UTC)