Betty Is Back

I finally got my car back on Tuesday after a month. I initially took it to a local shop, but after it sat around for a week with no one doing anything and finding out it took them over a month to do the job on a previous car and realizing this is major engine work, I had it towed to the nearest dealership which is 90 miles away in Clarksville, TN. It took them 2 weeks, but at least they worked on it every day. Since they had to pull the engine, I went ahead and got all the seals replaced, which was good since the overheating created a leak in the rear main seal. That also made the clutch have to be taken apart so I went ahead and replaced that for no labor, but expensive parts.

As far as the cost, the guy I bought it from will pay $750 which is about half (I forgot to add sales tax) of the cost of the gasket work alone, and Subaru is kicking in $500. So $1250 of the $1600-$1700 gasket job is getting paid for. The total cost of everything was $2700, which included a few other things.

Initially I was ticked that the whole thing wasn't going to be paid for, but the more I thought about it, I am fortunate that I am getting as much help as I am. The guy who sold it is not legally obligated to give me anything, but he felt ethically obligated, and splitting the cost is pretty standard on things like that. I'm convinced he had no idea the gasket was bad. And I feel obligated to hold up my end. When I bought it the cruise didn't work, and we agreed that I would get it fixed "as cheaply as possible." Part of the big bill was the $88.00 finding out it was the cruise control computer, which is a $300 part. They rarely go out. I bought a used one from a junkyard in New York for $65 and I am installing it myself if it's not too difficult. The Subaru technical information CD I have has a diagram of how to do it, and it doesn't look very complicated. And a used one won't need to be programmed. He's helping me out when not obligated, I am holding up my end of the deal by making a $500 repair end up costing about $150.

Subaru has even less of an obligation on a 7 year old car. But since they like their customers, they are kicking in some. It really is a very good company.

The sucky part is I had to use a credit card. I had gone all year without using one which was my New Years resolution. But after all the reimbursement checks come through, I will be left with about $500 that I had to borrow, but now I have no Christmas money either, and I was hoping to get buy some cool gifts this year. And it was for something necessary and not just stupidly throwing money out the window which had been my previous spending habit.

As far as Betty, she runs great now, even better than when I test drove her. I fully expect to not have any major problems for a very long time.

On the upside, even with the engine work I had to pay for, I still got a good deal on the car.

If you are buying a car not off a dealer lot, see if you can find out where the dealer got it and why it was put on wholesale (where most used car places get their cars). That would have saved me a lot of trouble. Also, always have a mechanic inspect it. It will help protect you if something does go wrong, even if you really think you know the car. And don't be an overexuberant buyer. I have that problem when I know what I want.

I went for a prayer drive today, it was great.

I think I have a spiritual problem, not having a vehicle of "my own" frustrated me to no end. It represents freedom to me, and I don't like being without it. Or maybe it is because I just expect it. Plus it was one of those petty annoyances that distracted me from things that are much more important. Not having a car made me feel a little "down." I don't think that is healthy. I have been trying to figure out if I really do value my car too much, or if that is just my hobby instead of something else. I don't know.

Thankfully, the church let me use the van for transportation, but I wasn't going to put any miles on it that weren't necessary. And it only got 10-12 miles to the gallon.

--Listening to Robbie Seay Band "Better Days" and Anberlin "Blueprints for the Black Market"