The Black Pit Of Despair
My Unique Rapport With Vehicles Continues As Usual...
I knew it was a mistake to keep the Caddy in the driveway. It was an even bigger mistake to park the truck next to it. It gave 'em a chance to compare notes late at night...
Following the Caddy's lead, the truck has decided to take an unscheduled vacation. It started the same way as the Caddy, with minor things going out of whack... little needles to poke me and test my threshold for pain. First the cruise control. Then the driver's side window. Next the driver's side door lock switch.
When I ignored or adapted to those breakages, it got sulky and decided to drop the big one. Fortunately no flaming engine compartments or long distance blogtrips were involved, but it is sufficiently close to next month's blogmeet to make me wonder about whether or not somebody sprinkled me with some Bad Bad Juju after I made a crack about heisting his hound...
In the parlance of the Rolls Royce automotive wonks, the truck has "failed to proceed". Pressure may be applied to the accelerator, but forward motion only randomly occurs. The transmission has always had a hard bump in between 2nd and 3rd gear, but that hiccup has spread into other areas, it seems.
Normally, hanging out with the tranny crowd is good for collecting wild stories and pictures of questionable taste. In this morning's case, the tranny guys worked for AAMCO, and started off by quoting a $1200 minimum.
I've since spent most of the morning on the phone, seeking other options on The Man's time, and have realized that $1200 would be letting me off easy. And life never EVER lets me off easy.
Nope, it's easily $1800, and probably $2400 to get things set right. I knew I was fucked when one guy told me to sell the truck and look for something cheaper than the repair would cost. I won't be taking his advice, I've driven much more than my share of $500 cars. Also, the engine's in strong shape, and the body and interior are remarkably good for an 8 year old vehicle.
Needless to say, it's all I can do to avoid puking in the wastebasket behind my desk out of sheer horror and emotional distress. This makes Buy A Gun Day a complete write-off, and calls into question my ability to afford the Blogfest or the other trip in May that I had scheduled. Christ, I'll be back to eating ramen until July to get this paid for.
Forgive me if I fail to blog on schedule this week. With any luck I'll get through this without having to pawn my iMac...
I knew it was a mistake to keep the Caddy in the driveway. It was an even bigger mistake to park the truck next to it. It gave 'em a chance to compare notes late at night...
Following the Caddy's lead, the truck has decided to take an unscheduled vacation. It started the same way as the Caddy, with minor things going out of whack... little needles to poke me and test my threshold for pain. First the cruise control. Then the driver's side window. Next the driver's side door lock switch.
When I ignored or adapted to those breakages, it got sulky and decided to drop the big one. Fortunately no flaming engine compartments or long distance blogtrips were involved, but it is sufficiently close to next month's blogmeet to make me wonder about whether or not somebody sprinkled me with some Bad Bad Juju after I made a crack about heisting his hound...
In the parlance of the Rolls Royce automotive wonks, the truck has "failed to proceed". Pressure may be applied to the accelerator, but forward motion only randomly occurs. The transmission has always had a hard bump in between 2nd and 3rd gear, but that hiccup has spread into other areas, it seems.
Normally, hanging out with the tranny crowd is good for collecting wild stories and pictures of questionable taste. In this morning's case, the tranny guys worked for AAMCO, and started off by quoting a $1200 minimum.
I've since spent most of the morning on the phone, seeking other options on The Man's time, and have realized that $1200 would be letting me off easy. And life never EVER lets me off easy.
Nope, it's easily $1800, and probably $2400 to get things set right. I knew I was fucked when one guy told me to sell the truck and look for something cheaper than the repair would cost. I won't be taking his advice, I've driven much more than my share of $500 cars. Also, the engine's in strong shape, and the body and interior are remarkably good for an 8 year old vehicle.
Needless to say, it's all I can do to avoid puking in the wastebasket behind my desk out of sheer horror and emotional distress. This makes Buy A Gun Day a complete write-off, and calls into question my ability to afford the Blogfest or the other trip in May that I had scheduled. Christ, I'll be back to eating ramen until July to get this paid for.
Forgive me if I fail to blog on schedule this week. With any luck I'll get through this without having to pawn my iMac...
posted by El Capitan | 11:25 AM
<< Home