Transmissions are expensive

Image by vtengr4047 via Flickr

This post has been included in the Carnival of Money Stories. Head on over to find out how other people are coping with debt and other matters financial.

You know the stereotype.  People who are in debt are that way because they are irresponsible and do things like buy expensive sports cars on credit. Right?

Right. My "expensive sports car" is a 10-year old Ford minivan. And the transmission needed to be replaced this week. $2300, thank you very much.

I got a lot of advice from people who don't know about my dire financial situation. Don't put money into the old car, they say. Suck it up and get a new car.

Not gonna happen. I still have another year to pay on our other car. The mileage on this beast is only 62.5K. We've had very few repairs so far.

So we fixed it. Sigh. BTW, in the course of the investigations this week, I learned that it is typical for Ford transmissions to go at 50K.

How'd we pay for it?  $1000 from the checking account. Guess it will be ramen for the next two weeks. $1300 on the credit card.

Yeah, I really splurge, don't I?

Samaritan with a Shovel

Photo by Andrew Macgill

One of the problems with being without money is that you have to wait until you have money to do the Christmas shopping. (How's that for an excuse to procrastinate?)

So there we were at the mall today, the entire Poorhouse family, in a blizzard nobody with any sense was braving. No sweat, says Mr. Poorhouse, our little fuel efficient car can do anything in the snow.

So we shopped. And went back to the car. The access roads throughout the parking lot had been plowed. But not the aisles. The snow ruts were taller than the tires. We were stuck. The plows kept driving by on the access roads every few minutes, but they didn't seem to notice us, S-T-U-C-K.

Until the guy with more generosity than hair came out to his minivan, saw the situation, reached into his car for a full-sized shovel, went to work on all four tires, and then helped Mr. Poorhouse push the blasted fuel-efficient car to the access road with me flooring the accelerator and spinning the wheels the whole way.

Then he hopped into his car, and drove out with no problem.

I ran back to him before he left the lot and dropped a gift certificate in his hand.

Thanks guy. You good.