Glad To Have Donk Back...

 Last October, while driving home from my Halloween gig, my trusty Subaru (we've lovingly called, "Donk,"...) began to sound a little funny...

And not in a good way.

We decided to park Donk. Thankfully, I only worked that gig on the weekends and I was able to borrow the family minivan to finish out the season. Donk sat in the garage waiting for an opening at our favorite mechanic's shop. The date came and we took in the car. The result? Pretty much what we suspected.

The transmission was shot.

Bummer.

I was especially bummed because I really liked that car. I bought it two months before covid hit and it served us well giving us a second vehicle and one we felt confident driving in the snow. Plus, the cost of replacing the transmission eclipsed the value of the car. We resigned ourselves in saying good-bye to Donk and we started looking for another car. I snapped a picture of Donk and lamented on social media that I was sad because I really liked that car.

Many of my friends saw the photo and some offered condolences. But one, went a step further. He asked what was wrong with Donk. I told him. He then said he'd check out something and get back to me. The fact that my friend is a master auto mechanic with decades of experience.

We saw a glimmer of hope in a dark space.

Fast forward four months and Donk once again sits lovingly in our garage, but it no longer makes the horrible sound, it no longer worries me that it'll leave me stranded on the side of the road. No, Donk has a new transmission and the ride is ever-so smooth, as smooth as a manual transmission can be.

After something like this happens, you look back at the things you've learned. I learned that the used car market is full of cars that--to me--don't seem worth the asking price. But, if people buy the cars, then I guess they are worth the asking price. Some people out there are extremely good and will go the extra mile to make other's people's lives less crappy. I've learned that we live in an incredible time and country. I've learned how important it is to have a vehicle you can trust parked in the garage.

Thanks go out to my friend for the support. The car is running just fine.

With Used Cars...Timing Is Everything

 Something arrived in the mail today...something most people look forward to getting, something they love to receive.

The title to my car.

It's all ours.

And, it's all broken.

Usually, our car is driven sparingly. We use it when I need to go somewhere and my wife needs the van, and perhaps most importantly, it's great in the snow. I drive the car mostly in the fall to go back and forth to my side gig. I was driving back from working down south last month then a noise--a very unpleasant and sad noise--came from the back end of the car. It was so loud we parked the car and made an appointment to have it checked out.

We drove the car to the shop, they gave it the once-over, and concluded the bad sound came from bad things. The transmission was dying. 

Funny how timing is everything.

The week in which we find the car is inoperable is the week in which we made our final payment.

I knew when I bought it three years ago that we were taking a chance. We also knew we wouldn't be driving the car much. Plus, it's a Subaru--a brand noted for its dependability. I've never had a car drop a transmission before so I didn't see/hear/feel the signs. Maybe it's been going out for some time--I wouldn't know.

My wife and I test drove a few cars to replace Donk, the Subaru. We found that many--costing over $10k--were in worse shape than mine, well...except for the transmission, of course. We're going to try and save it, give it not a new heart, but new muscles.

I'll keep you posted on the progress. But, there's one good thing, we at least own the car.