pagsz's Journal: Transportation Woes

So, on Sunday afternoon, my car broke down in the back parking lot of the Fall River Wal-Mart. It was fun, standing out in the cold waiting for a tow truck for an hour. After working an eight-hour shift. Fun stuff.

I dropped the car off to be checked out, to see if its worth repairing, but left the wrong keys. So, they couldn't get to it on Monday. I should hear something about it today.

Today, I took the bus for the first time since getting my car last November. Except I didn't know that the route had changed. Oh, well. Everything ended up working out. I got to class on time, and none the worse. After class, I have to take the bus from the campus back into Fall River to go to work today. Just what I want to do. Go to work.
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The question is, is the car worth repairing? Let's weigh some facts:

1. > 193,000 miles on it
2. No heat
3. Recurring brake problems
4. Blown struts in the back, resulting in essentially a half-lowrider
5. Stripped ceiling (mmmm ... metal)
6. Roof leaks
7. Smells funny
8. No radio, no cassette player
9. Mismatched tires (P205 75R14 in front, P205 70R14 in back
10. No visor on the driver's side (mmmm. . .blinded)
11. Plus . . . I frelling hate it!!!!!

Then again . .

1. One year of use for less than $400 (not including gas and insurance)
2. Good on oil, only needing the regular oil changes
3. Good on gas, ~20 MPG
4. Ran pretty well for the year

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Oh, well . . . I figure if I can squeeze a few more miles out of the sucker I'll be all right. That way, I can save up a little bit of money so my next car isn't another temporary-solution-junker.

Still, I can't wait to get a nice car. I've never had one before. I've had four pieces of crap in four years. I want something better, something I can admit to driving without qualifying it with "until I find something better." Unfortunately, I just don't have enough money to make that dream come true at the moment.

Update: 11:19 AM -- Friday November 1 2002

Well, on Wednesday night I found out what was wrong with the car (timing chain had gone, along with some collateral damage to the pistons). The repairs were likely to cost in the $300 - $1,000 range; meaning it wouldn't really be worth it to repair (considering that would only cover that critical problem; the heat, tires and brakes notwithstanding). So, it was obvious I was going to need a new set of wheels. Yesterday, my father picked me up and we looked around. He had been planning to get a new car sometime anyway, so the way we figured it was if we found something in my price range, I'd buy it. If we couldn't find anything decent in my range, but found something in his, he'd buy it and I'd get his old car (a 1992 Oldsmobile in very good condition; ~118,000 miles on it) for $800 (which is what he would have gotten had he traded it in). The latter ended up working out, although I was tempted by a 1995 Grand Am. Unfortunately, it was a little bit more than I can afford, so I ultimately decided to go with Plan B.

By the middle of next week, I should be on the road again. Then I can move my attention to other concerns: school, work, and getting laid.