Busy
Just dropping a rather quick line to let you know I am busy.
What is keeping me busy?
I am researching the probablity of buying a new car.
No, not for me - for tygrr.
It is an unfortunate truth that I am sometimes a little too good at picking a good car. Mine, although old, is not falling apart.
Tygrr's is... :(
I can honestly say no one's more shocked about it than me. She has a Suzuki Grand Vitara. It's supposed to be one of their best cars. It 'is' 14 years old, but that should be nothing in the life of a suzuki. They are supposed to be really reliable, but I suppose any manufacturer can get it wrong from time to time.
We have spent a lot of money on repairing her car over time, and this has not always been successful. There are ongoing problems with it which seem to mysteriously have no solution - other than doing something major like replacing the damn engine. And lots of little things have gone wrong with it. The door internal release handles have all lost springs so need to be clicked 'just so' or they won't open the doors (or you wind down the window and use the outside handles). We spent just over $3000 on it 18 months ago - tyres, shockies, timing chain, waterpump, head gastket etc. Have spent just over $500 on it at the end of last year with all the drama about the clutch dying.
Now the engine has a 'whirr' which is going to cost close to $500 to fix. And the brake lights have gone on it. No, it's not the globes. It's not the fuse. It's not the switch. It's something wrong in the wiring between the fuse and the switch. Have no CLUE what that is going to cost at the autoelectricians tomorrow. Yes, we are fixing that, as no brake lights = no insurance. It also means the car could be 'defected' by the police if they should pull it over. That would mean ALL the things wrong with it would have to be fixed before it was allowed back on the road.
So, with much regret and some excitement we are researching a new car. We figure we will have to borrow money to buy it and the last thing we want is having to repay the loan AND have to pay for repairs, which is highly likely should we buy second hand. So, we are looking at new cars that offer a 5 year warrantee - which would cover the term of the loan.
So, during the last couple of days I have been reading lots of car reviews, lots of performance reports and readng lots of sales deals to narrow down our options. I even test drove a couple of small cars to see what I thought of them before suggesting them to tygrr. Have even rung the bank and talked about finance with them. I have really been a busy dragon.
Tomorrow after she gets home from work we will go pick up my car which has been in having two new tyres put on it. Then we take her car to the auto-electricians. Then we just might go test drive some cars.
*grins*
It was suggested to me that we might consider replacing both cars. I mean, mine IS older than tygrr's even. But the truth is, my car usually only gets used to run troll to school (which will be stopping after the end of this year when she will be catching a bus to school); to go shopping and sometimes for a jaunt down town. Tygrr's car, on the other hand, does lots of miles every night to take her to work - at night. She needs something reliable.
Now it was suggested to me 'what if yours breaks down'. Well, if it breaks down I will kick it! No...lol.. if it breaks down then it will be fixed. It had a new engine three years ago. It's like a little indestructo tank actually, which is why I bought it. It doesn't look that glamourous, but it does what it has to. And, what it has to do does not justify spending $14,000 to buy a car to do the same thing.
The other good thing about tygrr working night shift is she goes to work as we are going to bed. I don't need my car after she goes. If there's a medical emergency, then we have ambulance cover. She is home an hour before troll needs to go to school and during the day when I do need a car, she sleeps - so if the worst came to the worst her new car would do the job.
You see, I have this debt phobia. I hate owing money. I know we have to in order to get tygrr a new car. It would cost us money if we waited. But I can't see the point of more than doubling the debt just because it would be 'nice' to have a new car, when we can make do easily with just one reliable new car in the household.
So, looks like tygrr is going to get a new car. And no, I won't fret that I don't have one too. I mean, I can still drive her new one when she sleeping, right?... *evil grin*
Nah, seriously, I like my old tank and honestly, I really don't need to replace it just yet. I'd like to see how we handle paying off one debt before we take on any others.
But still, even if it won't be 'mine' a part of me's pretty excited about it all.. *grins*
It will be nice to have a new car to drive places in when we go out as a family, or my girl takes me out on a date....:)
In other news, my son arrived from queensland yesterday and is exuding attitude. Unfortunately for him it's tending have the same effect on me as water on a duck's back! I will NOT be bullied in my home and if he does not pull his head in soon, he's going to find himself, his tent and his sleeping bag out on the street. He's only supposed to be here until monday week when he next gets paid. Trust me, he will not be staying here past that, no matter where he goes.
I had to laugh though - when I was leaving to pick him up from the airport, troll pouted and said, 'now i won't be able to walk around topless any more'!!! The priorities of a teenager are really interesting....lol
Ok, I'm off to bed - tomorrow car shopping!
What is keeping me busy?
I am researching the probablity of buying a new car.
No, not for me - for tygrr.
It is an unfortunate truth that I am sometimes a little too good at picking a good car. Mine, although old, is not falling apart.
Tygrr's is... :(
I can honestly say no one's more shocked about it than me. She has a Suzuki Grand Vitara. It's supposed to be one of their best cars. It 'is' 14 years old, but that should be nothing in the life of a suzuki. They are supposed to be really reliable, but I suppose any manufacturer can get it wrong from time to time.
We have spent a lot of money on repairing her car over time, and this has not always been successful. There are ongoing problems with it which seem to mysteriously have no solution - other than doing something major like replacing the damn engine. And lots of little things have gone wrong with it. The door internal release handles have all lost springs so need to be clicked 'just so' or they won't open the doors (or you wind down the window and use the outside handles). We spent just over $3000 on it 18 months ago - tyres, shockies, timing chain, waterpump, head gastket etc. Have spent just over $500 on it at the end of last year with all the drama about the clutch dying.
Now the engine has a 'whirr' which is going to cost close to $500 to fix. And the brake lights have gone on it. No, it's not the globes. It's not the fuse. It's not the switch. It's something wrong in the wiring between the fuse and the switch. Have no CLUE what that is going to cost at the autoelectricians tomorrow. Yes, we are fixing that, as no brake lights = no insurance. It also means the car could be 'defected' by the police if they should pull it over. That would mean ALL the things wrong with it would have to be fixed before it was allowed back on the road.
So, with much regret and some excitement we are researching a new car. We figure we will have to borrow money to buy it and the last thing we want is having to repay the loan AND have to pay for repairs, which is highly likely should we buy second hand. So, we are looking at new cars that offer a 5 year warrantee - which would cover the term of the loan.
So, during the last couple of days I have been reading lots of car reviews, lots of performance reports and readng lots of sales deals to narrow down our options. I even test drove a couple of small cars to see what I thought of them before suggesting them to tygrr. Have even rung the bank and talked about finance with them. I have really been a busy dragon.
Tomorrow after she gets home from work we will go pick up my car which has been in having two new tyres put on it. Then we take her car to the auto-electricians. Then we just might go test drive some cars.
*grins*
It was suggested to me that we might consider replacing both cars. I mean, mine IS older than tygrr's even. But the truth is, my car usually only gets used to run troll to school (which will be stopping after the end of this year when she will be catching a bus to school); to go shopping and sometimes for a jaunt down town. Tygrr's car, on the other hand, does lots of miles every night to take her to work - at night. She needs something reliable.
Now it was suggested to me 'what if yours breaks down'. Well, if it breaks down I will kick it! No...lol.. if it breaks down then it will be fixed. It had a new engine three years ago. It's like a little indestructo tank actually, which is why I bought it. It doesn't look that glamourous, but it does what it has to. And, what it has to do does not justify spending $14,000 to buy a car to do the same thing.
The other good thing about tygrr working night shift is she goes to work as we are going to bed. I don't need my car after she goes. If there's a medical emergency, then we have ambulance cover. She is home an hour before troll needs to go to school and during the day when I do need a car, she sleeps - so if the worst came to the worst her new car would do the job.
You see, I have this debt phobia. I hate owing money. I know we have to in order to get tygrr a new car. It would cost us money if we waited. But I can't see the point of more than doubling the debt just because it would be 'nice' to have a new car, when we can make do easily with just one reliable new car in the household.
So, looks like tygrr is going to get a new car. And no, I won't fret that I don't have one too. I mean, I can still drive her new one when she sleeping, right?... *evil grin*
Nah, seriously, I like my old tank and honestly, I really don't need to replace it just yet. I'd like to see how we handle paying off one debt before we take on any others.
But still, even if it won't be 'mine' a part of me's pretty excited about it all.. *grins*
It will be nice to have a new car to drive places in when we go out as a family, or my girl takes me out on a date....:)
In other news, my son arrived from queensland yesterday and is exuding attitude. Unfortunately for him it's tending have the same effect on me as water on a duck's back! I will NOT be bullied in my home and if he does not pull his head in soon, he's going to find himself, his tent and his sleeping bag out on the street. He's only supposed to be here until monday week when he next gets paid. Trust me, he will not be staying here past that, no matter where he goes.
I had to laugh though - when I was leaving to pick him up from the airport, troll pouted and said, 'now i won't be able to walk around topless any more'!!! The priorities of a teenager are really interesting....lol
Ok, I'm off to bed - tomorrow car shopping!