Jazz wishing she could drive. Newburyport, MA Yesterday evening I was supposed to finally be getting a newer vehicle. My 2002 Ford Explorer had served me well through many adventures with its tank-like capabilities and manual transmission, but I really wanted something smaller and more fuel efficient. As I live in the country and snow frequents here in the winter time, I really needed something with at least some chance of maneuvering the tricky hills and curves in the winter. So with the help of a friend of a friend, a 2005 Toyota Rav4 was tracked down. It was in great condition with relatively low miles, the prettiest blue color and most importantly, a stick shift. The moment I test drove the little thing I was infatuated! It was so much easier to maneuver than my tank and felt like it had more pickup because it was so much lighter and smaller. Compared to my Explorer it felt like a fun little toy. Alas, the dealer wouldn't give me much for my Explorer and the monthly payments were out of my budget so I gave up on the Rav4...for a while. Then the friend of a friend I was working with offered to sell my Explorer for me and then I could use the cash as a down payment. This idea had appeal. I also knew that my ex-husband had wanted my Explorer since we got divorced so I told him the situation and asked him if he would be interested in buying it off me. He most definitely was and he agreed to pay me what I wanted so I sold it to him. As many issues as the Explorer has given me from brakes, wheel bearings, serpentine belts, etc, it always starts up reliably and I know it's a good, safe car for my daughters to be driven around in. My ex-husband is a Ford guy so he was happy to have the tank back in his corral. Armed with my down payment and the plates I was transferring, I headed to the dealer last night. My mom was nice enough to drive me the hour to the dealer and when we got there the dealer immediately started apologizing. Not a good sign. He said they'd taken the Rav4 to be inspected and it had failed because the check engine light failed to come on. Now I've heard of problems where the check engine light is stuck on but I've never heard of it not being on at all. The Rav4 wouldn't pass inspection because that light failure caused an error to come up when they hooked it up to their diagnostic computers. The solution? Replacing the entire instrument cluster on the vehicle. Umm... As a single woman, I am ever weary and fearful that people will try to take advantage of me, thinking I don't know anything because I don't have a man in my life to consult. Truth is, I do have my ex-husband to talk to and get input from so the fact that we're still amicable comes in very handy. This whole problem at the dealer didn't make me feel very good and I began to wonder if the instrument cluster was having issues, what else was going to break on me down the road? Making a monthly car payment taxes my already tight budged and if that Rav4 becomes un-drivable I'm stuck paying for something I can't even use. The whole thing was setting off huge, loud alarms in my women's intuition. The dealer gave me one of his cars on the lot to drive home because I'd already taken the Explorer to my ex-husband's place. The car the dealer loaned me is a 2012 Honda Accord with around 7k miles and to my surprise, a manual transmission. I haven't driven a car in many years and this thing has all the bells and whistles which is foreign to me because in all the sticks I've driven, stick means bottom of the line. If this Corolla is bottom of the line then the top of the line must drive itself and make you coffee! The throws on the shifter in the Corolla are obviously much shorter than in my tank and I felt like if I sneezed on the clutch it would go down, it was that easy to press. It took me a while driving to figure out where all the controls for mirrors, lights and windshield wipers are and I think it would take me years to figure out the radio, which just so happens to have a 6 disc CD changer. I popped one of my CDs in to listen to and try and calm the nerves that were frazzled from the Rav4 drama and the fact that I was driving a low to the ground car. As I was driving, I began to wonder if I was going deaf because my music seemed to be getting softer and then louder again. I eventually figured out that the volume adjusts to how fast I'm driving and I was utterly bewildered. I imagine that's a convenient feature for some but I actually like having my music remain at a constant volume and the Corolla was trying a bit too hard to think FOR me. I drove the Corolla to dinner with my mother and didn't do the best job parking it because I have no idea where its front and back are when maneuvering. I then drove it home and parked it and practically jumped out of it because it felt so unusual to me. It's a very comfortable vehicle and has a nice smooth ride but it's a car and way too luxurious for someone like me who is used to driving SUVs and trucks. I think I felt it roll its eyes at me as I hurried up the dark steps of my deck and into my house. So I'm now faced with some rather unexpected decisions. I haven't put any money down on the Rav4, nor have I signed any paperwork. My ex-husband hasn't done anything with the title for my Explorer and he's willing to give the tank back to me if I need it which is very handy. Had I sold it to someone else I would be thoroughly stuck and have no choice but to take the Rav4. As much as I liked the Toyota, the last thing I need is more headaches and unless the dealer is willing to work with me a bit more, I will look for a different vehicle. I will be poking around online today and going to a few local dealers to see if there's anything that works into my budget, but right now it appears as though I will be taking the tank back. It is as I always say, the best laid plans...sometimes have to be crumpled up and tossed. The adventure continues!
0 Comments
Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorMy words are like my brush strokes, I'm never quite sure where they'll flow to and when they'll stop. Categories
All
Archives
May 2013
|