January 17th, 2017

This is my car. Isn't she is a cutie?  In case you are wondering, a 2004 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland. Yes, she has a few years on her, but mileage is still only in the low 70,000 range.   Like I have said before, I don't drive a lot. But when I do, this is my automobile. It's just the right size for me.  Not too big, not too small.  I'm high up enough to be able to see what the heck I'm doing and more importantly what the heck other people are doing.  And since I don't drive often, the miles-per-gallon issue really doesn't apply to me. In fact, most of the usual car maintenance rules don't apply.   Oh I still manage to get it to a garage once a year-ish to make sure everything checks out. But usually, everything is A-OK.

So imagine my surprise one day last week when I went out, intending to go to the farm market, jumped in the car and.....nothing. Turned the key and..nothing. Dang! Called Triple A and they were at the house within a half hour, (one of the reasons we still have AAA), and learned that it wasn't the battery but the alternator.   Dang again.  Called AAA again, they send a tow truck to take the car to the garage. 

Anytime a car of mine has to go to the garage, it's a nailbiter.  I tend to keep cars long past their expiration dates which often means expensive repairs.  I was surprised and pleased to hear back fairly quickly and that the Triple A guys, in this case, were mistaken and it was just the battery. Whew!  They replaced the battery. Yay!  Not so bad money-wise.  But then also learned that the Air Conditioning,  which has been sketchy for a while, is now DOA. Damn.  I knew that was coming but was hoping to hold out awhile longer. (we asked them to check it out  while it was there)

Worse, it's not just a matter of recharging or refilling (which is the Band-Aid I'd been using). They found that the evaporator is as holey as swiss cheee which explains the continual refills.  Now usually I'd say, "roll down the windows and drive faster" as opposed to repairing it. But this is Florida people. The humidity here in July and August feels like another circle of hell.  By summer, I am going to need that AC up and functional.  "So what's the damage?" I ask.  They gave me a number that is probably more than the current actual bluebook value of the car.

Gulp!  So I have postponed that repair for a bit.  Going to do a little research see if I can't find a place with a better pricetag for that little job.  Right now, the temperature and humidity are perfectly fine. The weather is spectacular.  No need to address this issue, yet. But eventually it's gotta be done. I'll have to bite the bullet.

See that's the thing with cars.  There is a point where decisions have to be made that I might not be ready to make. Decisions like, is this car worth putting more money into it?  If it's just this once, probably yes. I've had no other problems with the car and with the low mileage, it doesn't act 13 years old. But of course, I have no crystal bal. so I have no real way of knowing if the wheels are going to fall off next.  And not having a car payment is pretty sweet to me. I'd like to continue to not have a car payment as long as possible.

So I'm a little bummed.  And not only that, but the garage technician changed my radio station!  Worse, I don't remember what the dial numbers were so I have to look for it all over again.  Like adding insult to injury.

Cars are a necessary evil!  Dang!