My car breakdown/saying good bye to my car on I-10E
So I called my brother whose been stuck in the middle of nowhere by Coalinga, CA before, for advice. Then I called AAA for a tow truck (the car didn't start, it just cranked the engine). Apparently AAA had no idea where I was, and saying I'm stuck 31 miles outside of Blythe, CA on I-10E doesn't really help. I ended up walking a little over a mile to the nearest call box to read those tiny numbers on it (by myself in the middle of nowhere). Turns out those numbers say what interstate/FWY you’re on and what part from the beginning you’re located at. So it said 10 1231 (as in I-10, 1,231 miles from the start of I-10). Then my reception cut off, so I called 911-to let the cops know what happened. Thank GOD, I did, so I cop could wait the 75 min. with me, till the tow truck came. Later then the tow truck guy put my car up, we ended up making a detour to the state prison (which was literally 2 miles south of where I broke down, which explains what those pointy buildings where). Apparently the tow truck company picks up lab work from the state prison for the local hospital, so I got to look at the state prison for about 10 min. I got to see the part of the yard, and the entrance from the tow truck.
Eventually, I realized I'm going to be stuck in Blythe, CA (on the California/Arizona border, Pop. 12,500) for the weekend since I broke down on a Saturday afternoon. I found a motel, and luckily I'm only 4.5 hours from Irvine, CA so my brother was kind enough to drive out to help me. So I spent the weekend up at this tiny agricultural town, that actually only has two streets as its main part of town. There was an Albertsons, Quiznos, three repair shops, a ford dealership, and a movie theater in town. Literally that and four motels in the town. The movie theater also doubles up, as the same building for the local arcade and ice-cream shop. Talk about a small town.
Still I'm thinking I just lost the weekend and I can fix this on Monday, just the engine overheated, and I have radiator fluid. No problem right? NOPE! Luckily my brother had gone through this headache two years ago, with his old car, so we saw the mechanic on Sunday, so we could be the first people to see seen at the repair shop on Monday. Anyway, Monday comes and an hour later, the mechanic comes back with the gas head is blown in the car, and the pistons need to be looked at/possibility repaired. To replace the gas head, the engine needs to be removed which is 9 hours of labor (at $80/hour), totaling to a bit over $1,000 to fix the car. Plus the mechanic still had to check the radiator, and that could be more expensive problems. The car is only worth 2,200 in perfect condition, with all its millage and age. I don’t how a spare $1,000 to spend. So I had the decision to fix it and sell it for two grand or sell it as is (worth $400).
Well, the hassle to go back to this tiny town, combined with the possibility to lose more money in repairs let me without any alternatives, but to sell it as is for possibly $200. Actually I ended up selling it for $100 (well $140 if you count the diagnostic fee) to a buddy of the mechanics. I’m not happy about practically giving away my car, when I could have sold it a few days earlier for more in SoCal. Then again, I didn’t think I was going to break down two miles from the state prison, 31 miles from the nearest town on the California/Arizona border. The cost of the motel for two days was more than what I got for my car. I said my goodbyes’ to my car, unloaded my stuff to my brother’s rental car and left town. In hindsight I’m grateful my brother drove out to help me, otherwise I would have to have a U-Haul back to Texas. Instead I’m flying out of Irvine, CA, and my brother’s going have to take some of my stuff in the plane later. Plus the cost of the U-Haul would be most likely cost the same or more than the car is worth. Also I’m grateful; I didn’t get stuck forty miles east of my location, just over the Arizona border in Quazite. That town only has one mechanic and is about half the size of the town I was stuck in.
Well that and I learned a few lessons from my experience, like NEVER buy Ford cars. Also maintain your car well, as in take it to every scheduled maintenance by the dealership, only use deanship/manual approved brands from radiator fluid (is specific per car module and make - and be careful when using the 50/50 stuff- it’s mostly water), or car oil.Well, it looks like I’m going to have a deeper connection to the bus and Train system of Houston, TX. The weird thing is now, I just deal with life, minimum complaining, no bitching or like I say, “no point crying over spilled milk, just get over it and deal with the sh*t life gives you, and move on”.
Eventually, I realized I'm going to be stuck in Blythe, CA (on the California/Arizona border, Pop. 12,500) for the weekend since I broke down on a Saturday afternoon. I found a motel, and luckily I'm only 4.5 hours from Irvine, CA so my brother was kind enough to drive out to help me. So I spent the weekend up at this tiny agricultural town, that actually only has two streets as its main part of town. There was an Albertsons, Quiznos, three repair shops, a ford dealership, and a movie theater in town. Literally that and four motels in the town. The movie theater also doubles up, as the same building for the local arcade and ice-cream shop. Talk about a small town.
Still I'm thinking I just lost the weekend and I can fix this on Monday, just the engine overheated, and I have radiator fluid. No problem right? NOPE! Luckily my brother had gone through this headache two years ago, with his old car, so we saw the mechanic on Sunday, so we could be the first people to see seen at the repair shop on Monday. Anyway, Monday comes and an hour later, the mechanic comes back with the gas head is blown in the car, and the pistons need to be looked at/possibility repaired. To replace the gas head, the engine needs to be removed which is 9 hours of labor (at $80/hour), totaling to a bit over $1,000 to fix the car. Plus the mechanic still had to check the radiator, and that could be more expensive problems. The car is only worth 2,200 in perfect condition, with all its millage and age. I don’t how a spare $1,000 to spend. So I had the decision to fix it and sell it for two grand or sell it as is (worth $400).
Well, the hassle to go back to this tiny town, combined with the possibility to lose more money in repairs let me without any alternatives, but to sell it as is for possibly $200. Actually I ended up selling it for $100 (well $140 if you count the diagnostic fee) to a buddy of the mechanics. I’m not happy about practically giving away my car, when I could have sold it a few days earlier for more in SoCal. Then again, I didn’t think I was going to break down two miles from the state prison, 31 miles from the nearest town on the California/Arizona border. The cost of the motel for two days was more than what I got for my car. I said my goodbyes’ to my car, unloaded my stuff to my brother’s rental car and left town. In hindsight I’m grateful my brother drove out to help me, otherwise I would have to have a U-Haul back to Texas. Instead I’m flying out of Irvine, CA, and my brother’s going have to take some of my stuff in the plane later. Plus the cost of the U-Haul would be most likely cost the same or more than the car is worth. Also I’m grateful; I didn’t get stuck forty miles east of my location, just over the Arizona border in Quazite. That town only has one mechanic and is about half the size of the town I was stuck in.
Well that and I learned a few lessons from my experience, like NEVER buy Ford cars. Also maintain your car well, as in take it to every scheduled maintenance by the dealership, only use deanship/manual approved brands from radiator fluid (is specific per car module and make - and be careful when using the 50/50 stuff- it’s mostly water), or car oil.Well, it looks like I’m going to have a deeper connection to the bus and Train system of Houston, TX. The weird thing is now, I just deal with life, minimum complaining, no bitching or like I say, “no point crying over spilled milk, just get over it and deal with the sh*t life gives you, and move on”.