I own a car. Nothing fancy or even remotely new. But, it's for getting me from A to B and back to A again, so as long as it keeps doing that, it's fine.
I do not happen to be a girl that knows nothing about cars. I've been changing my own oil/oil filter/air filter/tires/even did a brake job once for over 10 years. I am thankful that I have this knowledge. It is awesome growing up with all boys in some manners.
Also, not a ditz. I know that cars need maintenance and such. That maintenance, though, doesn't always correspond with my budget.
The ROCO-mobile, to people not knowing her name, would be identified as a '94 Honda Accord EX. Hooray moonroof! She runs like the wind. Sure she needed an ignition switch not that long ago, but she's 14! Well, madame 14 year old is over in the shop today. I thought she simply needed one gasket replaced. Oh how wrong I was.
The people at the shop are super nice. I know they aren't ripping me off or talking to me like I'm an idiot simply because I'm female. They actually offered to drop me off at home after I dropped off the ROCO-mobile yesterday.
Well, my good buddies called me this morning to let me know the status. Ouch. Needed are:
- Replacement of the oil pan gasket – $140
- Resealing of the V-Tech – $95
- Replacement of the valve cover – $95
- Rear brake pads (totally shot) – $140
- New muffler (current one has a hole, which I figured because ROCO-mobile's been pretty noisy lately) – $220
- Rack and pinion boots – $150 ($75 per side)
- And the kicker: timing belt replacement – $480
Grand total, OMG I seriously only just now added it up: $1320
Do I have that sort of spare cash sitting around? Well, technically, yes, but that's in the vacation fund. So, I asked my good buddies to prioritize the repairs. They asked me how much I could afford to spend today and would get as much in with that amount as they could. Fair enough. This was at 8:30 this morning, by the way.
I just got a call that the ROCO-mobile is ready to ROCO. (Noon! They are quick!) I took care of the first four items on the list (and included an oil change) and I get to go pick her up after I take a couple busses to get home. Good buddies suggested that I save up for the timing belt at my earliest convenience. Said the muffler wasn't a priority (since there isn't much of a rust problem here, I get that one. I've had 2 mufflers FALL OFF in PA because of rust.) Rack and pinion is important but not more than the other things.
And so, my pocket is a lot lighter now. Or, I should say that my credit card bill is a lot heavier now. Ugh. No little fun things for a while. Boo. But, I've got wheels.
Now, my main decision is coming to light. Do I: a) set a limit at how much more I will spend on the car before giving up on it and buying another or b) just scrap it and move forward. My brother says that the ROCO-mobile really should go for at least another 50K miles if not more. Oh, what to do, what to do…