I'll start off with a few good things, and move onto the crappy. I'm finally completely finished with undergrad, unless something comes up in applying for Optometry school. It doesn't really feel real; I'm sure come September when I'm not taking classes, then it will finally sink in! Work is still work, except a little hotter since summer started. The A/C in our building doesn't operate too well since it's old. Luckily, the customers don't notice nearly as much as the staff does. I visited home this past week, which was fun and relaxing. I also visited my boyfriend's home which was also fun, albeit a bit less relaxing (we spent Sunday building a grill for his dad--fun times with 4 boys!).
So speaking of that trip (to Cincinnati), we drove back Sunday evening. Now, I knew that my A/C wasn't working, so we drove most of the way back with the windows open. About 20 miles from Columbus we shut the windows and turned on the A/C just to get some air flow in the van. As we got off the highway, we both realized that the van was making a horrible roaring noise. We shut off the A/C, which did nothing. We pulled into a gas station, quickly shut the van off and opened the hood (as if either of us would have SEEN anything). A passerby asked what was
wrong and I told him. He had me turn the van back on and upon hearing it, told me that the clutch on the A/C was stuck. That in turn would break the serpentine belt if allowed to continue, and then all chaos would break loose. So, I had to call AAA (thankfully we have it) and finally at 10:45pm Sunday night my van was towed to the nearest Tuffy Auto Service Center (and the tow truck guy drove us home!) Monday morning my boyfriend and I walked to Tuffy (the van is the only transportation for myself, my boyfriend and my brother) and let them know what was up. Meanwhile, my family came down and picked us up so we could still go home as planned.
So...my van needed a new compressor and the works for the A/C, a grand total of $917.50. OUCH. We're starting to think that maybe it's time to trade in the van and look at a new car for me. I'm scared of that process, because I love my little van a lot. It's only 8 years old, but it's slowly starting to go. Sam thinks the transmission will conk out next, which is uh, NOT GOOD. It's a situation I really don't want to be in :-( Especially because of looking at finances, I would be much better off with a car instead of a van or SUV. I want a bigger vehicle because that's what I've driven since I started with my temporary license. The only cars I've driven are a Ford Taurus (big) and a Buick Century (bigger). Ack. I'm not ready!!! But I also don't want to be stranded if my van finally bites a big one. Again, cars suck!
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3 comments:
Think FUEL EFFICIENCY. If you don't need a bigass car, don't get one! Are you hauling livestock or cargo or a ton of kids? I know you're used to a bigger car--me too--but gas is not cheap, as you know. Unless you can get a hybrid SUV--like I could--now is the logical time for that transition to a smaller car to save bucks (and our environment!)
That's definitely why I'm going to head the car route. I know I can adjust to a smaller vehicle; it's largely a matter of wrapping my brain around that fact! I don't ever haul anything, save moving once a year, and we have other vehicles at my house for that purpose.
Now finding a smaller car that I'm comfortable in since I'm tall (and so is my boyfriend, my most frequent passenger) will be the big issue!
Good luck with the car shopping! I'm sure picking something that expensive that you'll be using so often for such a long time must be stressful. But it's probably better than trying to keep patching up a dying vehicle. And in the grand scheme of things, you're not that tall. I really feel bad for the people who really are too tall for the average car.
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