The car was up on the hoist. Matt was underneath. The mechanic turned to him and said, “What are your intentions with this car?”
Never a good question when you’re standing under a 12 year old vehicle.
There had been signs that not everything was right: warning lights, new noises, a dozen years on the road, the 262,000+km on the odometer.
Driving home, the car broke down three times on the side of the road. Jumper cables were required.
I was at work and unaware all of this was happening, so my question when I got home of “How did the appointment with the mechanic go?” was met with an answer I didn’t entirely expect.
“Ummm… I hope you don’t mind, but I bought a car today.”
To roll out the red carpet for Matt’s new car, we pushed the old car out of the way of the front door (the dealership sent someone to pick it up… with a tow truck), and we patched the potholes in the driveway.
We can’t have new suspension and steering put to the test by the obstacle course that is the usual access path for the farm.
What state is your driveway in? How old is your car? Have you ever had to buy a car urgently? Who else thinks I should have got to drive the tractor while Matt handled the rake?
Home on 129 Acres 
Oh dear! I hope you love your new car. At least the driveway repairs are done. 🙂
Our 2003 Honda Odyssey turned over for the last time in April. It had about 205,000 miles on it. We had received warnings that it was on its last leg, so while getting a new vehicle was urgent, it did not feel as rushed. We had prepared ourselves for the financial inevitability.
As for the tractor, I do think you should get a chance to drive. 🙂
It sounds like your philosophy for cards is the same as ours. Good for you for making yours last as long as you did and being prepared for the new one.
Oh no! That’s never something you want to hear from your mechanic!
My vehicle is a 2004. It is a brand that repair parts will be extremely expensive once things start breaking. So we have been debating an upgrade for a while now. I just really really really like not having car payments!
I really love your long driveway with a gate at the end! Very cozy and secluded!
I agree with you on the payments. That’s why I’d say hang on as long as you can!
Since Matt gets the new car, you DEFINITELY should have gotten to drive Wiley while he wielded the rake. 😉
Our car is in rough shape. It stalls a bunch, and idles really roughly. We are waiting till I start teaching in September to take it in (if it makes it till then…) and hoping it can be repaired as there’s no fund for replacing it. O_O
My fingers are crossed that it keeps rolling for you.
Thank you! We need all the wish-power we can get…