I was raised to believe that the best cars are used cars. More specifically, used cars that are functional enough to get from Point A to Point B until they completely die and you are forced to find another used car that will work until it dies...and so it goes.
So, it makes sense that my first car was a 1985 Mercury Lynx hatchback with rusted out wheelwells, for which I paid $100 and drove for 6 months. Then, a 1991 Ford Tempo that blew its transmission within a week of purchase and decorated my parents' driveway for nearly two years.
You can see where I'm going with this.
Used cars are fantastic at the onset; getting a great deal on new-to-you wheels that will take you where you need to get when you need to get there. However, after a few weeks, months, years...they start to take a financial toll for repairs.
With my 98 Hyuandai accent (an amazing college grad present from my dad) I paid for new brakes, a transmission flush, 4 new tires, new struts, a new tie-rod, new bearings and various engine work that resulted in about $3,000 worth of repairs over the course of three years. And now, in my 94 Olds Cutlass Cruiser (read as: station wagon) I'm completely over it.
The car came cheap through the love of family members and I take better care of it than any other car I've ever had. It's actually the nicest car I've ever had and the first time I've ever had power locks, windows, cruise control and working AC. I want it to stick around for awhile. And when the window on my driver side got stuck completely down, I nearly puked when the mechanic told me it would take at least $200 to fix.
My initial reaction? "You must be joking."
But no, the part (assumed by the mechanic to be a faulty window motor) was around $70.
Labor (to take off the door and whatever) would round out the rest.
I got similar estimates from two places before I decided to just see what the part really costs through Napa.
Window motors are actually only $32 directly from the store. When the clerk told me this, my spirits rose slightly (cause come on, I don't have $200 to blow on anything, let alone a stupid window) because I thought maybe I could find someone to put it in for me.
Long story short...through 12 hours of my own work (plus the amazing work of a naval engineer friend) I came to several conclusions:
-Removing a door panel is not as easy as it looks
-Engineers put car doors together in a preposterously unmanageable fashion
-My window motor was working just fine, it was actually just loose wiring connections
-A mechanic would have charged me hundreds of dollars just to plug something back in
-Doing stuff yourself provides a feeling of serious accomplishment
-Saving $200 in the process makes the victory taste even sweeter
The window's back up, it's staying up and that loose connection has been gorilla glued, duct taped and zip-tied in place. Bottom line, I really got a charge out of fixing a major problem through my own blood sweat and tears instead of just paying it out to someone else.
Ladies, listen up...if you think you know nothing about cars, it's so easy to learn. Next time you find out you need new brakes or an oil change or a new spark plug...pay $25 for a Hayne's manual, ask a couple handy guys you know for advice and do it yourself. Not only will you save money, you'll feel amazing about a new accomplishment.
No comments:
Post a Comment