So Bug is dead. Apparently he is not a fan of Dave Matthews Band because, on our way home from the concert on Tuesday night, Bug started smoking and died. He needs an engine transplant, but it doesn't seem worth it to put that much money into a 13 year old car (Sorry, dude. You were an awesome car, second only to Kitt from Night Rider). I don't feel like paying thousands of dollars to fix Bug and I don't feel like buying a new car either (well, new to me. I wouldn't buy a brand new car).
Actually, I'm sort of disillusioned by the whole car thing. Having a car is definitely convenient, but it's basically a financial sinkhole. I enjoy driving and Bug was my buddy. We had many adventures getting lost and breaking down and getting into smash ups and calling AAA. But sometimes I wish I lived somewhere with better public transportation or year-round warm weather so that I wouldn't have to own a car. When Bug died, I had a moment (ok, way longer that a moment) of panic - I'm getting a new roof on my house at the end of the month and now I need a new car and even though I have more than enough savings to pay for both of those things, I still freak out whenever I have to spend a significant amount of money and automatically assume I'm going to end up destitute and living in a cardboard box. You know, because that is the most logical sequence of events.
But after I freaked out, I sort of felt relieved at the prospect of not having a car for a while. It will be like a mini vacation from buying gas and paying for car repairs and sitting in traffic and rushing everywhere just because I can. As much as it may seem like it, having a car is not in fact a necessity, at least for me. I can walk or ride my bike to work and most of the other places I go on a regular basis. I may change my mind when it gets cold, but for now I kinda want to see how long I can go without a car.
Lyric of the moment: "Let me present to you my Volkswagen blues. Ready to carry me away. A long way to reach the moon..."
I was anti new car for a long time too, as why pay so much for something that loses value super fast. But my honda I bought brand new for 17,000 which was actually pretty close to what I'd paid for some used cars. I felt safer (its not going to break down) driving it long distances and it was kind of nice having something that I knew everything about (it was not totaled and rebuilt by the previous owner). I'm only saying, yes, take your car vacation, esp during the summer when it's actually nice to walk everywhere. But when you need lots of groceries or it starts to snow and you decide you need a car, a new one isn't the end of the world.
ReplyDeleteI agree with ESF only due to warranty issues because I know nothing about fixing cars... I would LOVE to see how long I could go... I wish our Public trans was better.. imagine trying to take the bus from greece to pittsford... it takes 45 minutes for me to go 5 miles down Mt Read... no joke... If you need a ride somewhere, give us a call!!!
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