Coffee Table Declarations
Monday, June 27, 2005
My poor car is at the mechanic at this very instant. This morning, when I started him, the battery light came on and it went off periodically, but mostly stayed on for the entirety of my journey to work. Coaxing my car gently not to die, "you're a good boy, we'll take you to the doctor, such a good brave boy", I made it to the parking garage. Luckily, my mechanic is right down the street and I trust him one hundred percent.
I told him my list of issues: battery light, possible muffler problem, air conditioning not working, oil change needed, and right hand signal needing to be held in position in order to blink. I told him that whatever he could fix without costing a ton would be great. I'm not made of money after all. I know it's hard to believe considering my highly lucrative position. (I hope you understand that the last sentence was sarcastic and not actually true, although it may be true in some alternate universe).
He called me a little while later to tell me that the alternator needed to be replaced and that was the source of the battery light. That would be upwards of $300. Then he told me that my entire exhaust system was in very bad shape (leaks, holes in the muffler, what have you) and that my air conditioning was beyond repair, so much so that he wouldn't even give me a price estimate on it. He said that between the alternator and the exhaust system, I was looking at approximately $1100 worth of work. I don't have $1100, in fact I can barely afford the $300 alternator work. Luckily, he said I could wait on the exhaust system until my next inspection, or the next time I have $700 to spare (ha). In that sense he said, it's a good thing the air conditioning doesn't work because at least I'll be driving around with the windows rolled down instead of asphyxiating myself with carbon dioxide.
The real question is, is my car even worth $1100? It is a 92 Chevy with over 165,000 miles. The air conditioning is allegedly beyond repair, the tape player long since broke, cruise control hasn't worked since the engine-sieze incident of 2002, the right hand signal isn't working, and I could potentially be asphysxiated by hazardous fumes. I hate to say it about a loyal friend, but it may be time for a new car. Oh, and by "new", I mean used but it would be new to me and hopefully a little newer in general. Late 90's wouldn't be bad and I certainly wouldn't complain about a cd player and a moon roof. I'm envisioning something in the range of $2000 - $3000.
Not that I have any thousand mind you. I spoke to my mom about possibly borrowing from the Bank of Mom and Dad and she said, "what would you do if we weren't here?" Hmmmm, actually, that's a good question - what would I do? I guess the answer is, I would keep sinking money into my car as long as possible, or I would buy one of those really, really cheap used cars that is going to need tons of work down the line anyway, or I would sell myself on the street corner for some quick cash. At that suggestion she said, "well, do that then because we don't have any money either."
Does anyone have any ideas? Either how I can get a reliable yet inexpensive used car or how I can make a quick couple thousand (without resorting to anything illegal or demeaning)? Does anyone out there live in the Boston area and want to give me a good deal on a car? Please?
I told him my list of issues: battery light, possible muffler problem, air conditioning not working, oil change needed, and right hand signal needing to be held in position in order to blink. I told him that whatever he could fix without costing a ton would be great. I'm not made of money after all. I know it's hard to believe considering my highly lucrative position. (I hope you understand that the last sentence was sarcastic and not actually true, although it may be true in some alternate universe).
He called me a little while later to tell me that the alternator needed to be replaced and that was the source of the battery light. That would be upwards of $300. Then he told me that my entire exhaust system was in very bad shape (leaks, holes in the muffler, what have you) and that my air conditioning was beyond repair, so much so that he wouldn't even give me a price estimate on it. He said that between the alternator and the exhaust system, I was looking at approximately $1100 worth of work. I don't have $1100, in fact I can barely afford the $300 alternator work. Luckily, he said I could wait on the exhaust system until my next inspection, or the next time I have $700 to spare (ha). In that sense he said, it's a good thing the air conditioning doesn't work because at least I'll be driving around with the windows rolled down instead of asphyxiating myself with carbon dioxide.
The real question is, is my car even worth $1100? It is a 92 Chevy with over 165,000 miles. The air conditioning is allegedly beyond repair, the tape player long since broke, cruise control hasn't worked since the engine-sieze incident of 2002, the right hand signal isn't working, and I could potentially be asphysxiated by hazardous fumes. I hate to say it about a loyal friend, but it may be time for a new car. Oh, and by "new", I mean used but it would be new to me and hopefully a little newer in general. Late 90's wouldn't be bad and I certainly wouldn't complain about a cd player and a moon roof. I'm envisioning something in the range of $2000 - $3000.
Not that I have any thousand mind you. I spoke to my mom about possibly borrowing from the Bank of Mom and Dad and she said, "what would you do if we weren't here?" Hmmmm, actually, that's a good question - what would I do? I guess the answer is, I would keep sinking money into my car as long as possible, or I would buy one of those really, really cheap used cars that is going to need tons of work down the line anyway, or I would sell myself on the street corner for some quick cash. At that suggestion she said, "well, do that then because we don't have any money either."
Does anyone have any ideas? Either how I can get a reliable yet inexpensive used car or how I can make a quick couple thousand (without resorting to anything illegal or demeaning)? Does anyone out there live in the Boston area and want to give me a good deal on a car? Please?
