That's something...

I have been fortunate in my life to always have a car when I need one. First there was the trusty Ford Tempo my dad would let me borrow in high school. It was a treat to drive because you had to use two feet, keeping one on the gas at all times so it wouldn't stall out.

Then there was the Dodge Intrepid. I loved that car. We got it used but it was big and comfy and I felt like I owned the road when I drove it. And drive it we did, about into the ground. It kept Ang and I going for years, through college and grad school, through a summer in Tennessee (where she took it literally, over the cliff of a mountain), and on mission trips. It was a good car. Until it started to rot. There were tire issues, there was a transmission issue, I think an alternator issue. And we got screwed several times. How was I supposed to know no one in their right mind needs a $200 "special" oil change. Whatever.

But getting screwed when it comes to cars wasn't new territory. My dad got screwed once when he bought a used car from a friend (see paragraph one). And once, on our way to Disney World for the first time ever when I was ten, our brakes failed. The brand new brakes our neighbor had installed for us. And then there was the transmission that had to be replaced twice because the first guy didn't know what he was doing. Yeah. Long history of being screwed over by mechanics.

So I am leery to take my car to just anyone. When I'm home, it's Mike on the corner. He's been our go to guy for years. He fixes everyone's car in the family, the extended family too. Needless to say I was ecstatic when I bought my first BRAND NEW car out of grad school. And now, that the car's seven years old, it apparently isn't brand new anymore.

There was the battery issue a month or so back, with the infamous tows. And the corrosion in the battery block. Then my friend Michael drove my car a few weeks ago and said I needed to get the routers checked (I don't know what they are but they sound important because I do know they deal with the brakes). And Angela had a hard time stopping on a hill a couple weeks ago. Then there's the back hatch issue - the trunk won't open. Since November. And last time I was in they said I needed tires. So yeah, I knew there were issues. Issues you want to pretend just aren't there.

But I was getting this nagging feeling (God poking me perhaps) that I needed to take care of them. And when Angela's car needed to go into the shop this week for a new battery, I figured we'd go together. So off we went - to the dealership. And yes, I know what everyone says, dealerships rip you off. They're expensive. But you know what, I don't care. They're the only ones besides Mike I trust frankly.

So off we went to the dealership yesterday, in the Valley. Angela's car got done rather quickly, just a battery, checkup and oil change. But I wasn't so lucky. My car has to stay for a while.

Apparently I have brake fluid leaking from the rear brakes. And need all new tires. And a new battery block and connector cord. And an oil change. And a rear opening mechanism. And I might just have it painted purple while I'm there. What the heck, right? Everything else is going to be brand new.

So yeah, my car is still in the Valley. Will be until Saturday most likely. Between my classes, Angela's after school jobs, my internship, traffic, and when they close, we can't get up there before that. But we'll make it this week. We always do. And I'm thankful. Really thankful. Because I have a car. I have a family who helps me take care of it. And the tires didn't fly off when I couldn't stop. So that's something.