Thursday, October 11, 2018

My Car: Still Not Fixed

The dealer couldn't fix my car. I found my favorite mechanic after he quit the garage near me. I called his sister and he's not that far away. Today, I had a friend take me to the dealership, thinking I could drive my car home and do some errands before taking it to my friend's garage. I left my phone at home too and felt quite lost without it. She waited until I waved her on and then the man I had been dealing with on the phone said he wasn't sure the car would start. Too late, my friend was long gone. Then I had to call AAA from their office phone to arrange for another tow truck. I was hoping the driver could take me home first and then take my car to the shop. Wrong. He said he couldn't. Luckily, I had befriended the men in the repair department and they allowed their driver to take me home. And guess how much my total bill was? Zero. $0.00. That was the best surprise ever. The driver was so nice too. I was so encouraged by all the kindness shown to me today.

I found the money car on Getty Images when I was researching which is better, leasing vs. buying a car. I have never leased. I am hoping I don't have to do either and the source of my problem can be fixed. My friend Greg is an absolute genius and if it can be fixed, he's the one that can do it. He seemed confident when I called him this morning. Fingers crossed.

It rained quite hard today and I got soaked outside while my car was being flat bedded. AAA man was very nice too. Will keep you posted on what transpires tomorrow.
xo

20 comments:

RedSkyeAtNight said...

Rosemary,

Best of luck getting the car repaired as that is your optimal situation.

After many years in the automotive business, these types of "planned obsolesce" by the manufacturers are still so annoying.

Think of Leasing as long-term renting. You are paying for the use of said automobile except,
differing from rental companies who handle all the maintenance,
you are responsible for all service & repairs (i.e. oil changes, flat/new tires or alarm issues after warranty period 😉).

Here's to your favorite mechanic🍻!
Skye

annette said...

Rosemary,I am sending lots of love your way.I do not know if car or plumbing problems are a worse nightmare. In the end it's only money! xo

Pam said...

Rosemary, I'm sorry about your car, but I believe your friend will come up with a solution. I so appreciated hearing about the kindness of the man from the garage who drove you home. There are many, many fine people in our world. Hoping you hear good news about the car very soon!

Beth said...

So sorry for the car woes! I've had some, too, and am lucky to also have a fabulous mechanic.

As for Internet research, I know it can get overwhelming so I don't want to pile on too much more but if you're not hip to Mr. Money Mustache, he's SO great!

This post may be useful for your purposes: http://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/04/19/how-to-come-out-way-ahead-when-buying-a-used-car/

When I was shopping for my next car, I went to CarMax so I could sit in all kinds of cars in one place. I thought I'd buy a used car but ended up buying new because I was going to have a long commute each day (about 100 miles roundtrip) and figured I should start from as close to 0 on the odometer as possible.

That was in 2002. I bought a 2003. Here we are in 2018. I'm still driving it. It's had some challenges but in the grand scheme of things, I haven't put much money into it. And I had a five-year loan. (Which was larger than it really should have been because the week after I bought the car, the dealer went to 0 percent financing for 2003s, but I'd financed through a bank, not through the dealer, so I couldn't refinance the loan. Believe me, I asked!) So it's been nice to not have car payments for so many years.

And Scotty, my wundermechanic, once told me that it's reasonable to get 300,000 miles out of a car with proper maintenance. I don't expect to get to that milestone but I'd love to get to 200,000, at least. I'm coming up on 140,000.

Good luck with everything! Hope you're mobile again soon.

Linda said...

Oh, dear, Rosemary, somehow you managed to literally stay above water through the twists and turns of this on-going saga while demonstrating that kindness does return favors. Standing by for the next chapter.

Betty said...

One of my pet peeves is a car that won't do what it's supposed to do. My car is,11 years old and never missed a beat but I know I will need to replace it before too long.
Hope yours is fixed soon!

Content in a Cottage said...

Betty -- I wish you and your car many more years of not missing a beat. Sounds as if you got a good one.
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

Linda -- I still haven't hear back from the garage. I am thinking this is good news rather than bad. I somehow got myself together after a few sleepless nights and a lot of pacing back and forth. I decided to have my car repaired since I was incapable of buying another. I still might have to though. I will depend on my friend's recommendation from the garage after the problem is revealed.
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

Beth -- Thank you for your great recommendations based on your own experience. I will investigate your links just in case. I have only about 115,000 miles on mine. I too would love to get 200,000.
The driver of the flatbed tow truck yesterday yesterday said there was something going on with my car and he thought it might be a short. He recommended ripping out the alarm system!
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

Pam -- It is always good to hear about the kindness of strangers, isn't it? I always think about that wonderful sign hanging up in Shakespeare Used Book Shop in Paris.
"Be not inhospitable to strangers lest they be angels in disguise."
I always try to be helpful and kind to people and I try to smile at people when there is eye contact. Yes, the world is full of wonderful, kind people and I met quite a few yesterday.
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

Annette -- You are so right. Car problems and plumbing problems. I dislike both and couldn't possibly pick my least favorite one. I am still waiting and have heard nothing, so I wait. I washed and ironed my bedroom curtains today as a diversion. Washed by hand, hung them outside to day in the sun. One more item off my list.
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

Annette -- You are so right. Car problems and plumbing problems. I dislike both and couldn't possibly pick my least favorite one. I am still waiting and have heard nothing, so I wait. I washed and ironed my bedroom curtains today as a diversion. Washed by hand, hung them outside to day in the sun. One more item off my list.
xo, Rosemary

Content in a Cottage said...

RedSkyeAtNight -- I am rooting for a satisfactory repair too. I really dislike trading cars. Mine is like an old friend. I don't like that planned obsolescence either in cars and machines. I know all the bells and whistles in the newer cars are nice but I'm fine without bluetooth and my phone is an excellent GPS device. I do like those backup cameras though. Fingers crossed with a happy outcome.
xo, Rosemary

Beth said...

The flatbed driver may be right. When in doubt: disconnect!

I've seen folks in forums discussing how to disconnect the stupid PassLock feature in the steering column. And when I was having trouble with my battery draining if I opened my trunk and closed it, Scotty just disconnected the trunk light. It wasn't staying on – which I know because one of my brothers got in my trunk and had me close it - but something between the light and my battery wasn't shutting off and who really needs a light in their trunk anyway?

Here's hoping the next post from you has good news about your car!

Content in a Cottage said...

Beth -- I have no idea what a PassLock feature is. My car doesn't have any bells and whistles. You are right, sometimes things just have to be disconnected rather than looking for the problem. Thanks for all of your help and suggestions. You really know a lot about cars!!!
I should know more about mine on Monday.
Have a great weekend.
xo, Rosemary

Beth said...

Oh, PassLock is just GM's stupid anti-theft feature that sometimes means I can't start my car until I do the magic sequence of crap to override it.

I don't really know a lot about cars but my parents owned two auto-parts businesses so perhaps something rubbed off. Also, my mechanic likes to talk a lot, so I've probably gleaned stuff from him.

Have a great weekend, too.

JudyMac said...

Rosemary, I always resent the car ads I see on TV at ridiculously low monthly payments, because when you look at the fine print (if you can see it on the screen) you find that it is a monthly lease payment. I’ve leased a couple in my time, but learned that for an individual who wants to have a car that they will keep, for example, at least 8-10 years or more, they need to buy, not lease. Leasing is for folks who want to have a new car to drive, turn it in at end of lease for another new one, and write it off as a business expense. Leasing does require some sort of down payment up front, or a trade-in, and if when the lease ends you decide you want to buy the car, there is a lump sum buyout payment. A lot of fine print goes with leasing. If you decide you want to buy a car, but not necessarily a new one, there are some good buys on 2-3 year old pre-owned cars, but in that case you need to look for a brand that has a good record overall, high trade-in value and the other usual considerations such as comfort level, mpg, safety, etc. Good luck!

Content in a Cottage said...

JudyMac --

Judy, Everything you said is very good advice. I don't want a new car, or a different car, I want mine fixed. I am hopeful and will know more on Monday. I have only had one brand new car in my life and that was a VW Beetle that cost $3,000 in 1973. I have never been a car person and don't visit while I am driving because I don't recognize people in their cars and couldn't tell you what most of them drive. I just want a car that starts with a radio that gets NPR with no static. No bluetooth.no CD player, no cellphone through the speakers, etc. and I would actually prefer roll down windows too but I guess that's asking too much.
I agree that leasing is a bad idea for me since getting a new car every few years is not enticing to me. Buying a good used one that has already depreciated is a better idea. I want something simple in a complicated world i guess but I think I will get it.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend.
xo, Rosemary

Unknown said...

Hi Rosemary, sorry for all your car troubles. I leased a car once, in truth because it allowed me to drive a car I really couldn’t afford. Never again. It sobers you up at the end of the lease when you have no car to show for it. Plus the interest rate is somewhere in the 18% range although they don’t quote you the interest rate because it is considered a rental. Best of luck finding a new car. I just bought one on Saturday with the help of the Edmunds app. Plug in the car you’re looking for and it tells you where to find it in your area at the best price. Highly recommend it. Good luck!

The Queen Vee said...

Car shopping is the worst, hope you don't have to endure that. No matter what, used or new, I always fell like I've been taken to the cleaners. Still hoping that the powers that be, mechanics, can find a fix for yours. Lots of good advice in this comment thread and lots of people concerned for you all trying to be helpful from afar....hope you feel the love.