My 2006 Mazda3 had recently developed a most unfortunate case of rod knock, and the rock bottom lowest repair quote was $5000+ for a short block replacement, $5400 for a used engine with 60k miles, or $7500 for a new engine. I'd been hoping to keep the car at least ten years and enjoy more than a single year without a car payment, but those repair ( Read more... )

(Well, maybe not the worst, but right up in the top three, certainly.)

So not the week to be out of Zoloft.

As Otto would say: "Aaaaaassssshooooooooooooooole ( Read more... )

Rainfall total for the entire month of May at National Airport: 2.21 inches
Unofficial rainfall total for the 24 hours ending at 7 AM this morning: 7.09 inches
At the time I started writing this, Warrenton was in the middle of another torrential downpour lasting about 20 minutes.

This morning, I'm reminded strongly of Kim Stanley Robinson's Forty ( Read more... )

nminusone and I test drove a car last night, and the dealer came back with a perfectly acceptable out-the-door price. Given that there was zero argument about matching the number we gave him last night, I suspect I *could* get it down a little bit lower if I wanted to spend time and energy on it, but the number is well within the range I wanted to pay and ( Read more... )

If I could shop for and purchase a car completely over the internet and have someone deliver it to my house, I'd be totally happy. At least I've gotten a quote from one of the local dealers for something slightly less than what they claim invoice is, and about $400 less than what Edmunds claimed was their local average. I have requests out to a ( Read more... )

As of probably Tuesday evening, I will have a blank check in hand specifically for the purpose of finding a car where more than one of the four cylinders passes a compression test. We who are about to face pushy car salesmen salute you.

Time for a new engine in my car, to the tune of more than the car is actually worth at this point. My decision now is: 1) drop the money to replace the engine and fix the leaking exhaust manifold into this car and keep driving it; 2) buy a beater for about an equivalent amount of money; or 3) suck it up and just go hunting for a new car and hope ( Read more... )

For those of you who are stumped for birthday present ideas ( Read more... )

Car's been sitting in the office parking lot all weekend because when I went to leave Friday night, it wouldn't start. Chris -- Hero of the Revolution -- brought out a new battery since the jumpstart approach didn't work, and spent an hour or so under the hood of my car in the pouring rain. When that didn't work, we bailed and came home, and he ( Read more... )