Flawed Life: Car Woes

My friend Brooke laughs at me because sometimes it seems we have the worst luck. 2009 was the year of the leaky ceiling caused by a pinhole in the bathtub, another leaky ceiling (right over the previously fixed ceiling) due to an overflowing toilet, exploding bowls and scared floors, falling in Kmart parking lots, and many other Eads mishaps. But it helps to look at the humor. Even if it is after the fact.

So yet another reason life sucks sometimes.

We paid off our "family vehicle" early last November. Not extremely early but about six months early. It was a plan to help up stick to our new 2010 budget goals. I was so happy to be down to one car payment. I saw breathing room from daycare payments, bills, and just life. We have been fairly lucky with this car and besides tires and oil changes had only dropped about 1500 dollars in maintenance on our 2003 Pathfinder.

My 2010 plan was to pay my car (you know the adorable, and gas efficient convertible that I bought a few months prior to Lily's conception) off by November 2010. This would be really early for this car. About 2.5 years early to be exact. That way when Baby #2 graced our lives we would be down to zero car payment and could shop for a larger family vehicle and maybe just maybe retain my convertible that I sometimes claim I love more than my stunningly handsome husband. But only during the months of April to September. The rest of the year he is number one in my book!

But alas the best made plan goes awry every once in awhile.

Once we paid off the car in November we immediately had to put it in to get new tires

:Cha-Ching: $1000

The week of Christmas it started messing up due to engine sludge (You are imagining those car commercials where the totally relaxed family is sitting on the couch chilling before WHAM! they get covered in sludge...that is us right now).

:Cha-Ching: $300

In January after only 900 miles the same problem arose.

:Cha-Ching: $2000

WHOOOOOAAAA! That is were I draw the line. I finally had enough. So we only got $500 dollars of maintenance done to try and solve the problem. With the agreement that if this doesn't work the car is going bye bye with a quickness. It is really not in our budget to get a new car this year, but that is usually the way it goes. We cannot keep dumping money into the clunker though. If I knew we could drop $2000 dollars and it run for another year or two it may be worth it but at this point I think we are spiralling down a drain of repairs.

Meanwhile we were down a car for a week. Carpooled for a week. All. Three. Of. Us. I think I should mention I don't like to talk in the morning prior to my daily caffeine intake. It was rough.

But while our car was in the shop and we only had my convertible to get us by. Once again. All. Three. Of. Us. In. My. Tiny. Car. I went to do my weekly Sunday grocery shopping. I gladly took Lily with me. Got her bundled up...it was raining! Got in the car. Stuck my key in the ignition. Turned the key....

Nothing.

Not even a click.

Seriously?

Well my battery was dead. But of course we didn't have another car to jump it off. Luckily our neighbor was home and graciously jumped the car off fairly easily. So I let it run for a while to get it charged up and ready to go.

Went grocery shopping. Came back out. Got in the car. Stuck my key in the ignition. Turned the key....

Nothing.

Not even a click.

AGAIN??? I CAN'T FREAKING TAKE IT!!!!!

I reach for my cell phone, fuming but almost on the edge of tears by this point thinking how we were going to be car less and get fired for not coming to work, and then become homeless....yes I know a bit crazy. But this all happened within a two week time span. A woman can only take so much.

But of course my cell phone was no where to be found. Oh wait yes it was...on the counter at home. So I unload Lily, consider taking the carton of ice cream out of the trunk and eating it right then but resist and head over to Papa Johns to call Michael.

By now it is pouring, my ice cream is melting, but Michael comes to get us with the neighbor. Thank god. It took about twenty minutes to get it charged up. Twenty minutes of a monsoon! But we got it started.

We took it to Advanced Auto and it ended up being a bad battery and nothing major just bad timing on this emotionally exhausted mom. And it was still under warranty through them so score it was a free replacement.

We finally got the Pathfinder back last week and we are back to happily commuting separately, with my cup of soda to keep me company. But I have to admit I miss riding with them in the morning. Just a bit....

We may have to do a carpool a couple times a week, just for old times sake.