My car is going to die!
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
August 7, 2008 4:31pm CST
Bit of background here... for the past 5 years my husband and I have been sharing 1 little car that doesn't even fit our whole family. The car he is currently using isn't even ours, but was given to him by his mother when someone crashed into his car.
Well back in May when we were expecting our stimulus check, we decided we're buying a van for our family. We argued for awhile over whether to buy one off the street or make payments on one from a dealer. I decided it was cheaper to buy off the street, but he argued that we may end up paying more for repairs in the long run.
Well I got my way and we bought a van off the street. Now, only a few months later, the van was due for inspection. It wouldn't pass inspection because the head gasket is busted. Right now it's just leaking, but soon it will die completely, making my van useless.
So now we're back in the same boat we were in. We have only 1 car that we can't all fit into, and that car is on it's last legs as well. We can't afford to get another car at the moment for either of us. We can't afford a down payment now to get a van from a dealership either. Basically we're stuck! And needless to say, I'm stressing!
1 person likes this
4 responses
@gemini_rose (16264)
•
8 Aug 08
This is the only trouble with buying private, we have always been pretty lucky when we have bought a car this way in that we never had much trouble. Last year though my hubby bought my son his first moped when he passed his test, it was sound on the outside but had a few problems on the inside and it has cost my son quite a bit to put it right.
Head gaskets are really expensive to replace we had one go once in our van and it was just cheaper to go and buy a new one. So I really sympathise with your situation. I am lucky in that I do not drive and so we only need to have one car. Could you get some money for scrapping the van? Or sell it for spares and repairs, sometimes people buy them to do other things up or they might buy it to do up themselves?
We did that once, we put it on ebay and got a lot more than we thought we would.
1 person likes this
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
8 Aug 08
Actually we're looking at fixing it. Hopefully after that it will stay in good working order for awhile. We just cannot afford to add another bill right now.
1 person likes this
@greenglitterturtle (2750)
• United States
7 Aug 08
hey kat.....that is so bad to have you lose your newly bought van. i went thru a series of car trouble and i know the downs and lows of it. so disheartening. i do hope that something on the upswing will come your way.
1 person likes this
@1grnthmb (2055)
• United States
8 Aug 08
Do you have a friend who knows how to fix cars? If so you might be able to talk them into helping you. If they are single they might even do it for as little as being feed dinner. A head gasket is not that hard to replace.
You might not have been any better off buying a car from a used car dealer. They often just buy cars and resell and unless you purchase an extended warranty which really only covers the major problems you might be in the same boat you are in now. I have friends who bought cars from used car dealers and then had problems with them and when they went back they were told it was an as is sale so there was nothing that the dealer would do for them.
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
8 Aug 08
My husband does know a mechanic who has done a few favors for us. Even this guy says it's going to be an expensive fix, because you need to grind down the head to make sure the gasket fits right, otherwise it will continue to leak. That alone costs a good 4-500 dollars.
@1grnthmb (2055)
• United States
9 Aug 08
So the gasket warped. That is a complete different story and you are right that it is expensive. Yu can almost buy a new engine at Kragin's for a cheaper price. The last car I had that done to it cost me $2200 while I can get an engine for $998 at Kragen's.
@LouiseKnittel (4764)
• United States
10 Aug 08
Hi Katsmeow1213, there is a none profit organization that I know of that might be able to help you to either get your van fixed ot help you to get a new one. If your interested send me a private message I will send you there link. I just dont want to put it here as they will be bombarded by others.
I am just trying to help out where I can. Whoever I can. That is what I do!
