(Warning: Contains Language)
So the garage finally got back to calling me today about the car. I put it in last Friday and they only got back to me this morning. I should be grumpy, but between a weekend, a blizzard and the fact that the place looked very busy when I dropped the car off, I shouldn't complain too much.
Anyway, they got back to me this morning. "Yeah, sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you're going to need a transmission."
Shit.
"I'm assuming you don't want a new transmission because honestly it's probably going to cost more than what the car is worth."
Oh Christ.
"So we're going to get a used one if that's all right with you. Should be around $1,500."
Shit. Fuck. Goddamn mother fucking cock-sucking son of a bitch. Fuck!
That wasn't the end of it, by the way. That was just the cost of a used transmission. It didn't include little things like shipping to get it up here ($400) and labour (six hours at $110 an hour). Oh, and taxes.
So by the time we throw in an oil change and possibly get new wiper blade motors, let's say $3,000. It's a 2001 Hyundai Accent so I'll let you figure out if the transmission is worth more than the car.
Ironically enough, $3,000 is about what a nice all-inclusive vacation to St. Lucia would have cost. See, I said the mechanic was going to get a good vacation out of this.
Out of curiosity I asked my boss today if she thought anyone would have a problem with me putting the car out in the middle of Frobisher Bay and selling tickets on the day and time it would go through the ice in the Spring. "Yeah," she said after a moment's thought, "might have to fire you if you did that."
So that option is right out. Pity. If I could get half the action on that as the average bingo game does around here we would have made enough money to buy a half decent new vehicle.
Sigh. We should have it back by early next week. With some luck I might have stopped cursing by then.
4 comments:
Warning: Contains bad fucking language!
I bought a '92 Camry last year for $2000 and was a little pissed that I had to put $900 bucks into getting the struts and power steering lines put in.
Question: Would you even *buy* a 2001 Accent for $3000? Debatable. I hope the rest of the car is worth it.
G'luck!
Sigh. Craig, good luck with it.
I had the same think happen with my Mazda van last April. I had just moved back from Thunder Bay, to Grand Falls Windsor (yes bucking the trend) when the transmission went, $1200 later it was fixed so ya a few fuck words were spoken around here too.
Well, Cathy bought the car new back in 2001 and we brought up here with us.
As for anybody paying that much now for the Accent, well, it's possible as cars go for different prices up here. Because of the cost of shipping them up, which starts around $1500 to get an Accent sized car out of Montreal to Iqaluit, a lot of people would just as soon buy something already up here. Which means you can get more than book price for them.
We're still hoping to get another few years out of it yet with luck and then either sell her or put her in the grave. We'll see.
Post a Comment