Car fun, car fun, yhea, yhea, yhea...

So, we put some money aside from our refund to enable us to get two running cars again. We were originally looking at getting the clutch for the 1991 Stanza fixed and putting some money toward the 92 Taurus to keep it going another year. We also had the possibility of 97 Jetta that we were looking at. The Stanza we though would be $500 to $1000 at the most. The Taurus had some work that I though would be $500ish as well. The Jetta was looking good at $800.

IT should happen like this:
1. Stanza gets fixed
2. we check out the Jetta
3. We get the Jetta or fix the Taurus
4. Everybody is happy and unstressed.

Now the fun starts!

Of course nothing happens in an order that would leave time for proper thinking to take place...

We take the Stanza to the place up the street from us. It will drive in third, fourth and 5th and will go in reverse. So we wait while the garage takes its good old time. We take it in Thursday... On Monday I give them a call. they quote $1500!!! We thought they said $500 when the problem originally occurred last year. They grumbled about it not being worth fixing...

We decide to take it to an AAMCO to have it checked out. Still hoping that it can be fixed enough to let us get the Jetta if we like it for $800.

I though we could save some money on towing the Stanza to the AAMCO and would try to drive it to the shop (5 miles). As I started out I though to myself, wow I could have been driving this to work the whole time... That though changed as starting at lights go harder and harder... I then though that it was a bad idea to try to drive the car as I started to slow down people behind me... Then i knew I was in trouble and it would come down to how many times I had to stop/ start. I tried to slow down way before red lights and keep rolling to lessen the stress on the clutch. I had to zip through a yellow at 309 leaving Sarah to stop and we were separated. That inter section has a little hill that I would never have gotten started again from... I hit a couple lights and started to back up traffic. I knew I only had one or two more starts left in the clutch. After one of the lights I got started and then somebody in front of me stopped to turn left. I had to come to a dead stop. I knew this would be the last start... I was on a down slope so at least I got some help there... i made two more green lights and my GPS called out "In 2000 feet, destination on the left." What I could see was one light and then a hill. I was still on a bit of a downslope before the light. I decided to give it gas and cruz through the light up the hill and hope to roll into the AAMCO. I went to accelerate and was meet with nothing... no gears connected... the light was closing and it was green. I decided I wouldn't make it up the hill and made a left at the light and turned into a car wash and it died in the lot... not quite a safe place yet. OK, now quick... i have to flag down Sarah. I Run out to the light to watch for a car with one headlight out (yep). Hmm... maybe she passed by me and my line of traffic. I look up the road toward the AAMCO (2000 freaking feet away) I see a one head lighted car turning left and then going back toward the AAMCO. I took off so that I could try to get there before she decided to leave... Awesome huh... The perfect way to spend a Thursday night!!!

So I made it there. We go back to the Stanza and push it into a parking spot and leave some notes on it. I call and have the AAMCO guy tow it down the next day. We leave it that they will check it out and let me know if it is going to go over a Grand.

We find out that the Jetta owners have fixed the muffler and inspected the car bringing the new price up to $1400... we still go and look at it hoping the stanza might come in under or at $1000. We still had some extra monies if we wanted to go over our budget.

We look at the Jetta and decide that it has gone over our budget and we even toy with getting a used car from the dealer ship that my dad works at.. nothing going there and we resign to putting some money into the Taurus and getting the Stanza fixed.

Ok things seem to have leveled out again...

I call AAMCO on Monday and the guys says the car is almost done and he is just waiting for one part... almost done? But but, I had to go over our conversation and realized that he must have thought I meant start fixing it but we dont want to go much over a thousand and to let us know... Now we were going to get it fixed any but...ugh. So it's $1200 and $1300 something with taxes... fine will pick it up Tuesday.

Part 2 - Taurus

OK, so we will throw the rest of the Money at the Taurus. The next day I call and can drop the Taurus off when we pick up the Stanza. On the way out of my work parking lot I hear a little noise and tell the car that if it can just hold out until tonight we could get it to the shop. The car had come with a bit of a front end problem but nothing to bad. It had developed a mean front wobble though from getting stuck in the ice and hitting some nasty pot holes the last couple years. Anyway I go to accelerate and i hear "POP!" the car starts to run smooth. I thought that I have lost power steering and my battery light is now on. Fearing that I had blown up the battery or something else horrible. I see that the Oil cap is gone, ok well not gone but I had put oil in the other day and left it setting in the engine area and it was still there...I put that back on. I look under the car and don't see anything wrong. maybe I blew a fuse? everything else expect the heater seemed to working normal. I decide to push it and make the ride home and to the shop. When I get home I made the decision to turn the car off. Asecound after I think that was a bad Idea and try to start it up. Blah, nothing. Well it sounds like the battery is dead...what... how... I pop the lid again to check stuff. As I am looking around I seem to remember a big belt is missing. The serpentine belt it turns out to be. The car is going no where now. Ugh. We get a ride to the Stanza and (yea) it works and feels good driving.

The next day I call the shop to have them tow the Taurus. They say it will be $250 to pop the belt on.. wow. and the front end work would at least be $500 (bearings and struts or something or other) ugh now what.... I tell them to hold on for a day as we are getting down low on our car budget. I get the idea to beg. I ask the Jetta owners to consider lettings us give them 800 and pay the rest off. They agree (whew) and I call back AAMCO to pay for the towing and figure out how to scrap the car. The guy says that he put the belt on so he could drive it out and if I could cover that cost I could take the car ($150) you did what... Why do people have to do things to put me confrontations? He wouldn't back down from that weird. just when I though I was liking the guy. Phone calls are made, much stress is built and we decide we will take it and try to sell it for $200 or park it for an 'emergency car'.

So now we sit with getting the Jetta Tomorrow and scraping buy until we get paid on the 15th... weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Up next, pick up the Taurus, get the Jetta and hope the Stanza is as good as it feels.
To be continued...