Car, redux

[azurelunatic]

Well fuckity-darn. I was at work and then I was headed out from work and I was headed for the car to go home and he wouldn't turn over. So after a good few goes I ran back upstairs to double-check the spreadsheet I made of the last possible transit connection home. Thankfully I was okay. I headed for the bus stop in quite a state. Fortunately I was generally prepared with a nice full iPod. I've been listening to podcasts. I sort of went through iTunes and picked up several.

I got home okay. The thought of waking up a fuck o'clock again tomorrow fills me with great resignation and woe (at least the couch in the quiet room is cozy and if I get desperate for sleep I can nap there) and I'm just hoping that a jumpstart from security will get me and Vash on the road so I can drop him off again at the mechanic.

Fuck fuck fuck.

I don't want to have to get another car; I don't want another car's stupid quirks; I don't want another car payment; I am terrified about whether I'd be able to get a car loan at all; I'm still terrified that my apartment complex will jack rent up by another $100 this year; if they're going to keep doing that like they've been doing I'll have to move but --

It could always be worse, but I'm not excessively calm about the current situation.

(I want something sensible and modern and electric. I want a car that fits in tiny spaces. I also want to be able to haul around cargo and people. I want a commute that doesn't suck. I want a better connection to Caltrain on the home end. I want public transit that doesn't hate my body. I want so many things, so many things just for myself, and apparently tonight I'm yelling about them on the internet.)

At least I've been leveling up my stamina. A year ago, this week would have about killed me. I'd have been in serious pain the day after taking the bus commute, let alone two days of transit both ways, and then a second-Thursday capped off by a bus ride home and then a bus ride to work on Friday.

(I'm terrified that if things go very badly wrong, I could miss the open enrollment window for health care that won't leave me to die if something happens, just because I prioritized getting my car fixed first. I know that I would be utterly boned without the various love and support that my family is giving me. I know that there are a lot of things in the past that I should have done differently, and a lot of things in the present that I could be doing differently. I know that when I am spending eight hours of my day commuting, I cannot do a lot of the things that would save me money; I know that if I sprang for the extra $8 and cut it down to 6 hours commuting, I would still be so tired and still trying to subsist on takeout and things that take less than five minutes to heat up from frozen. Can I even do this.)

It could be okay when I go to work tomorrow. A jump might get him running and I can park him with the mechanic and they might notice something quick and stupid and cheap. It could be okay.

Comments

[majoline]

*sends you all the support I have*

[azurelunatic]

<3

I think I have more money than I thought I had, but ... stuff. There's always something that needs it and the worry chips away my ability to cope, and that affects whether I can actually sleep, and that affects my hours at work, and --

[majoline]

*offers hugs* Here's hoping it'll be easily fixable from your end.

[enemyofperfect]

Sympathy. :/

[azurelunatic]

Thank you.

Nora is suggesting it may be time for me to think about a car that isn't sucking up a car payment's worth of repairs every ~2 out of ~3 months. :|

[mathsnerd]

*hugs and fishpile*

I am sending you love and all the spoons and cope I can spare. Here's hoping the mechanic can find something basic and easy and cheap to fix that makes Car reliable again for a while. I wish I could build a cage/trap for your worryweasels.

Why the fear of missing out on the healthcare enrolment? Can't you just sign up once it opens up? Or am I missing something here? *clueless*

Love you, FishMummy.

[azurelunatic]

It has opened up. It costs money.

[siderea]

Have you had the opportunity yet (it sounds like you've been too busy) to find out how much money?

[azurelunatic]

Nope.

[mathsnerd]

Oh. Gotcha. Here's hoping it doesn't close before you sort out the money thing. *hugs and fishpiles*

[ofearthandstars]

*hugs* As someone with an old, high-mileage car, I can sympathize on the fear of losing that transportation and the drain the car's issues have on things. Did the car's starter turn at all, or did turning the key do nothing? If it's turning, it may just be that the battery is low on water, or that you just need a jump, or that the battery has reached the end of its life. You can also try just turning the key to 2nd position and seeing if the radio/air system works. (If it's not turning at all, that could mean the battery's just totally gone.) If the weather's gotten colder, too, this can affect battery performance.

Also (to think about shiny things!), would you be willing to share some of the podcasts you're enjoying lately? I've been trying to get into these since they're a good way to pass my long commute.

[azurelunatic]

His battery has fucked up on me enough times for me to wonder if he's got lurking alternator problems, but nobody's ever found any. The Thursday night dead stop smelled like a battery problem: starter turned, radio and air went, but he didn't actually get going within 2-3x as long as I usually try, and I have a fear of burning out starter motors with extensive ree-oo-ree-oo-ree-oo.

A jump got him running again, but poorly. See next-ish entry.

[silveradept]

Here's hoping it's a simple and cheap fix to get everything running again.

[azurelunatic]

IT WOULD BE LESS FRUSTRATING IF THE MECHANICS HADN'T GIVEN HIM BACK TO ME LITERALLY WEDNESDAY NIGHT.

[silveradept]

...that's not kosher.

[azurelunatic]

They couldn't duplicate, so they didn't charge the usual $140 diagnostic few, just for the oil change. I am frustrated that they didn't find it, but when I brought him in it was intermittent. And they didn't charge me for troubleshooting time.

[silveradept]

Okay, that's better, but still not great for the car to not show the problems when there is someone ready to fix them.

[cleverthylacine]

Oh no! I am so sorry this is happening to you. Good thoughts for you and Vash! I hope it is okay. I will pray for quick and stupid and cheap.

[azurelunatic]

Thank you.

[aedifica]

Money worries suck. I am hoping that Vash just needs some small, easily-discovered and easily-afforded thing done!

[azurelunatic]

He needs ~$600 of non-negotiable work before December. This is possibly on top of that.