I *love* my husband
And it's a damn good thing.
Imagine this conversation:
he drives up in his car on Friday night.
Me: What's that noise?
Him: Huh?
Me: That noise. Your car is making a funny noise.
Him: I don't hear anything?
Me: It sounds like the engine is running hard. It's kind of puttering.
Him: Nope. I don't hear it. But now that you mention it, my oil light has been on for about three days.
Me: Three days?!?! Turn it off, turn it off! Open the door and check the little sticker there for the oil your car uses. Take my car down to the gas station, buy two quarts of oil and come back and put it in your poor car!
Him: Okay, honey. Wow, you are such a great wife and so knowledgeable about cars.
imagining it? Good. me too. because it exists only in my imagination.
the actual conversation went like this:
Me: What's that noise?
Him: Huh?
Me: That noise. Your car is making a funny noise.
Him: I don't hear anything?
Me: It sounds like the engine is running hard. It's kind of puttering.
Him: Nope. I don't hear it.
Me: Oh. okay.
Saturday, the car's engine, surprisingly, seized. Total loss. That's right. $1500 to replace the entire engine in a car we had wanted to get rid of in six months. Might as well use the $1500 (which amounts to emptying our savings-for-taxes and the summer when he doesn't get paid accounts and then some) toward a new car rather than dump it into the one we're going to get rid of anyway. It's worth about $100 minus towing costs at the salvage yard.
Husband admits this is his fault. He meant to get the oil changed when the car was inspected, but forgot to ask for that. He noticed the oil light for about three days, but didn't connect that this *might mean the car needed OIL*. He's beating himself up over it.
I must stress that this is very good for our marriage, because is he wasn't giving himself hell for being an idiot, I would have to, and that wouldn't be pretty. I have a way with words, and that's not always a good thing. In addition, I should have really pushed on the sound I heard, but I let it go.
He redeemed himself slightly by taking my advice and going for the Subaru I found, which, while it was $2000 more than the one he found, had 35,000 fewer miles, and I don't care who you are, that's a good deal right there. He also got a few points for doing the male-ego-enhansement bartering thing, and talking the guy down about another thousand. i told him he was brilliant. He asked me to say it again. I told him he was brilliant, but I would just deduct if from his idiot tab, so he shouldn't get too cocky.
So, not that we could afford to add a second car loan until we'd paid off the Ford in six months, but we did anyway. Since we did put $1500 down and the other loan has only $1300 outstanding, I'm going to try to get a new loan at a lower rate through the credit union for the full amount and pay only one slightly larger payment a month rather than double payments for our first six months in Vermont when we're having the hardest time getting back on our financial feet.
One of our best friends, who worked for a small company in Manhattan, lost his job last week when the market went all dead-fish on us, so I know how much more of a financial crisis my family could be in. Still, this was not exactly in my budget. If you hear a strange sound, it is probably me sucking in and tightening my belt. Unless your oil light is on, in which case, for godssake add a quart or two.
Imagine this conversation:
he drives up in his car on Friday night.
Me: What's that noise?
Him: Huh?
Me: That noise. Your car is making a funny noise.
Him: I don't hear anything?
Me: It sounds like the engine is running hard. It's kind of puttering.
Him: Nope. I don't hear it. But now that you mention it, my oil light has been on for about three days.
Me: Three days?!?! Turn it off, turn it off! Open the door and check the little sticker there for the oil your car uses. Take my car down to the gas station, buy two quarts of oil and come back and put it in your poor car!
Him: Okay, honey. Wow, you are such a great wife and so knowledgeable about cars.
imagining it? Good. me too. because it exists only in my imagination.
the actual conversation went like this:
Me: What's that noise?
Him: Huh?
Me: That noise. Your car is making a funny noise.
Him: I don't hear anything?
Me: It sounds like the engine is running hard. It's kind of puttering.
Him: Nope. I don't hear it.
Me: Oh. okay.
Saturday, the car's engine, surprisingly, seized. Total loss. That's right. $1500 to replace the entire engine in a car we had wanted to get rid of in six months. Might as well use the $1500 (which amounts to emptying our savings-for-taxes and the summer when he doesn't get paid accounts and then some) toward a new car rather than dump it into the one we're going to get rid of anyway. It's worth about $100 minus towing costs at the salvage yard.
Husband admits this is his fault. He meant to get the oil changed when the car was inspected, but forgot to ask for that. He noticed the oil light for about three days, but didn't connect that this *might mean the car needed OIL*. He's beating himself up over it.
I must stress that this is very good for our marriage, because is he wasn't giving himself hell for being an idiot, I would have to, and that wouldn't be pretty. I have a way with words, and that's not always a good thing. In addition, I should have really pushed on the sound I heard, but I let it go.
He redeemed himself slightly by taking my advice and going for the Subaru I found, which, while it was $2000 more than the one he found, had 35,000 fewer miles, and I don't care who you are, that's a good deal right there. He also got a few points for doing the male-ego-enhansement bartering thing, and talking the guy down about another thousand. i told him he was brilliant. He asked me to say it again. I told him he was brilliant, but I would just deduct if from his idiot tab, so he shouldn't get too cocky.
So, not that we could afford to add a second car loan until we'd paid off the Ford in six months, but we did anyway. Since we did put $1500 down and the other loan has only $1300 outstanding, I'm going to try to get a new loan at a lower rate through the credit union for the full amount and pay only one slightly larger payment a month rather than double payments for our first six months in Vermont when we're having the hardest time getting back on our financial feet.
One of our best friends, who worked for a small company in Manhattan, lost his job last week when the market went all dead-fish on us, so I know how much more of a financial crisis my family could be in. Still, this was not exactly in my budget. If you hear a strange sound, it is probably me sucking in and tightening my belt. Unless your oil light is on, in which case, for godssake add a quart or two.