Stupid cars...

I hate cars.  I hate that we have to rely on them for transportation.  I hate that every 3-5,000 miles we have to take them in to get the oil changed.  And gas prices?  Seriously.  It's more than my feeble mind can handle. 

Just last year we upgraded from a Taurus to a mini-van.  It was delightful.  The space, the sliding doors, the sun roof.  Ahhh...bliss.  We promised to always keep it clean.  Well, apparently the kids didn't get that memo as daily I find sippy cups (please, not milk!), toys and crumbs galore.  At least the outside still looks nice. 

Joel's car is a piece of c.r.a.p.  We knew this.  We've known this for a while.  It's a 1998 Ford Contour with 147,000 miles on it.  We got it right after we got married in 2001 when both of our cars bit the dust and we needed to replace them.  The contour was a mere 3 years old with only 22,000 miles on it.  Boy have we gotten our money's worth out of that thing.  But it's been showing it's age recently.  The headlights are very dim, like they're tired.  No amount of cleaner or new light bulbs would wake them up.  The interior light rarely works.  The trunk release buttons works on occasion.  More times than not, you have to actually turn off the car and use the key to open the trunk.  One of the door rubber things keeps falling down.  But, there was barely a spot of rust on it and it still ran...until recently.

Dum, dum, dddduuuummmm....

I bought 2 of those Groupon coupon things a few months back for a Car-X deal.  Get an oil change and 41-point inspection for dirt cheap.  So I figured the next time our cars needed an oil change, we'd just take them there.  Good deal.  The van was fine.  A few minor maintenence deals but nothing earth shattering.  Then the contour's turn.  Seriously it's like when you take your child to the dentist.  You know you've done everything right.  Brushing and flossing, avoid sugary things.  Still,  you wait with baited breath while the dentist pokes and prods, hoping no cavities are found. 

Cavities were found in the contour.  BIG cavities!  Big, Expensive Cavities!! 

As the mechanic listed off all the things wrong with the car and all it would cost, Joel and I just stared silently.  Huh.  So what to do?  The car isn't worth that much.  We've been saving for a new one but aren't "there" yet.  Cars never seem to die when you want them to!  Nope, they wait until you're thinking of going on vacation or buying a new outfit.  Then BAM!  Dead.  Stupid cars.  So now what? 

Do what anyone does when a dentist tells you every tooth in your mouth needs to be yanked!  Get a 2nd opinion! 

So that's what we did.  We took our baby car to our mechanic.  He called us with the news.  Not only did he confirm everything Car-X found, but he also found more wrong with the car.  And that was just the beginning!  The damage to the engine was so extensive that it was possible we could fix everything he listed then be back in a month to fix more.

Decision made.  Sorry contour, your days as a Jernstad are over.

So the search begins...