We waited and waited as long as we could, but whether we get to refinance or not, we needed to get a new car. About a month ago, Wife's car kind of burnt up its oil or that is what we were told. It was not clearly explained to us in any clear fashion how an engine would do that, but believe me, it was our fault. So, in wanting to get things moving along, we agreed to their suggestion of installing a new "used" motor so we could keep the car running. The idea cost us $5800 or so, and for a minute or two I thought "hmm, we might be ok." After Wife ran down to La Pryor for a week and back and there were no problems, I said to myself "we dodged a bullet, the car might be alright." Then we had spring break for Wife last week and she came up and once she parked the car, we did not move it all week, thinking the less we drive it, the better.
Well, this morning she went back to work but only made it halfway there. I was downstairs when she left at 5:00am, but felt a disturbance in the force (I am a jedi after all). I went upstairs to check on my phone and to put away the clothes I washed throughout the night only to see my phone flashing like it was in a panic around 7:00am. I picked it up to call Wife but she called me back just then. She said she was at a gas station and the service engine light came on. I asked her what she was going to do and she said she was already headed back. She got back by 8:30am and we both headed straight to Kia. The poor guy who was with us through the engine replacement was already helping Wife in the service bay when I got there. He had already plugged the computer to it and determined it was probably just a loose wire and not a real problem. That is exactly what I didn't want to hear. I think it is better to have a definite bad "alternator" or other engine component than "well, the service engine light went away, so we're good now." How long before the intermittent problem comes back? What if it's another sign the engine is about to "burn up"? I lost complete faith in the poor car, and with Wife running around in isolated places so much, can we take the risk of just accepting the car back and saying "Oh, thank you for not charging us, this time."
We have been toying with the idea of a new car for some time and if not for us trying to refinance, I think ew would have already done it. Of course, the truth is I was going to get a new car for me once Boy started paying for his own bills and vehicle, but I realize the Excursion is still running strong, so I can wait, if need be. I was still stuck on bringing Wife back over to Ford, I know not everyone likes the brand, but it has never led me astray. The vehicles I have had have all been solid and reliable. Still, I was not getting that vibe from Wife like she was in agreement with me. As much as I would like to make that decision, I remember her making a big stink about me choosing all our other vehicles since we have been married. When we got married, she came in driving an old Pathfinder, which I never liked because it had a removable roof, but she would not let me remove it. As soon as we were able to, I went and chose an F-150 for her, not very girlie, but she was working a job where she carried a lot of materials to the schools and to presentations, so the truck was not a horrible idea. I had leased a truck and the plan was I would return mine and take hers after a year and she would get another new vehicle. After this, we got a black Expedition with the small area in the back, she drove that for two years, then we got the Excursion, which I wanted one before they stopped selling them and she drove that for two years, followed by the PT Cruiser, which I decided I wanted a convertible and she wanted something smaller. That did not last long once the brakes started whining all the time. We then got the Chrysler 300, loaded and bad ass, which she drove for a few years until she got it to 150,000 miles and then the transmission problems started. She then drove the VW bug for a little while and then she decided she liked the Kia Soul and she would pick out the one she did. That gets us to the present. con't.
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