The check engine light has to do with a faulty speed sensor. That's what they tell me. The guy also asked if I had changed my transmission fluid recently because it looked too clean. Umm... no. So the speed sensor was going to cost just under $400 for parts and labor. And he expressed some concern over the possibility of the transmission failing again.
That's comforting!
I did a little research and found this article, which sounds a lot like what my car is doing. Maybe I caught it in time and the car will hold out for another few months. We have $1,000 in a 6-month certificate at the bank, and I'd like to wait until that one matures before spending big money. This car has a little over 72,000 miles on it, and I'm starting to think it is going to take a miracle for me to make it to 75k.
That being said, I've started contemplating a new car. I still have some faith in the Accent. The car has been really good to me with the exception of the transmission, which would have been covered by the power train warranty had I stayed up-to-date on all of my preventative maintenance. The gas mileage is excellent - still around 30 mpg. And the car is so small I can parallel park almost anywhere. Of course, I could also handle an Ion. I like Scott's car, and it really is nicer than my car. And the pricing is pretty comparable.
The Hyundai warranty is pretty spectacular, although apparently Saturn now has a 5 year/100,000 mile power train warranty (same distance, half the time). It will probably come down to who will give me a better value on my crappy trade-in with my crappy credit. And while I'm pretty low-maintenance as far as power door locks/windows/etc. go, I do like the fact that the Saturn comes standard with power locks PLUS a year of on-star. Oh - and the new CD player (standard) has an auxiliary jack for an external MP3 player. Sign me up!
For now, my car is ready to go. Of course, I can't pick it up until tomorrow, but at least it's ready. Hopefully this was $400 well-spent and I won't be back spending the same amount for something else next month. For $400/month, I could be driving an Aura hybrid!
1 comment:
I don't know if this sounds like a viable option to you, but we could trade cars ... Frances for Ruthie ... who still has paltry payments. Keep it in the back of your mind for just in case.
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