Gosh, Golly, Dangit!!!!

Well, those brake-lights still aren't working on my car. So the DH is going to take it again this evening when I get home & trace down which wires are bad. Because it comes down to the wiring. He doesn't want to spend the $$ on taking it in to a shop for the same job for 2 reasons.

Reason 1) we don't have that kind of cash to be handing to anybody right now.
Reason 2) he doesn't think my car's going to survive the winter anyway, so he doesn't want to throw a whole lot of money at it when we're probably going to need to replace it when we get our divident checks in Oct. anyway.

So, now I'm rather freaking bummed about the whole danged thing. Also for a couple of reasons.

The more immediate reason being that I'm now not going to be able to go to a fabric-dying class with a couple of coworker/friends tonight. A local organic farm is having a class on dying fabric with local plants. I've been hoping for this for months. BUT, without brake-lights, and given the fact that the class ends at 9 (probably later, once everybody brings themselves to leave), and I don't know where the farm is & don't want to be driving around in the dark with-out brake-lights..... *sigh* And DH REALLY needs tonight to get started tracing those wires (he spent till 9 pm last night checking the fuses & reading the chilton's book to see what else it might be). *sigh* So, no fabric-dying class for me. I feel so bad telling G. that I won't be able to go, also. Because P. might be bowing out as well (has this tonight, as well as an invite to something else she's really amped about), so G. may be going by herself, instead of with her two Pagan-y coworkers like she'd been hoping. So, I'll give G. some $$ to pay for the scarves, and unfortunately bow out of the class this time. I hate to do it. I really do. But I also need to be able to drive safely.

Reason two, for being bummed about my car...... It gets fantastic gas milage (for it's age, I get 24 to 26 miles to the gallon) and the emissions are lower than modern brand-new vehicals right out of the factory. Literally, the last time my car had an IM, the tech was in shock over how low the emissions are on a running vehical, much less a vehical that old. He said that he never even sees emissions that low on NEW vehicals.

My car is my "old faithful" as one of my coworkers put it the other day. She may have issues, but she's a good old thing. And I know that no new car (or a new "slightly used" car) is going to have as good of gas milage & fantastic emissions the way my "Old faithful" does. I'm going to miss my sterio that my hubby got me for my birthday a couple of years ago. I'm going to miss my sun/moon roof. I'm going to miss not being worried about every little new dent & ding & chip because she's so beat up anyway.

I was hoping to be able to wait till at least Jan. 2008 to buy a new (brand new) car, because I know that the manufacturers are supposed to have mid-size cars (like mine is) up to 30 miles-per-gallon or better by then. And I was hoping that it'd give us enough time to be able to afford the payments on a new car as well.

As it stands, we're going to have to take all 3 of the dividend checks instead & put one lump-sum down on a used, couple of years old, car. That means all the usual things that go with used cars: questionable warrenty, questionable previous ownership, questionable reasons for the previous owner's getting rid of it......

I was really wanting a new, 2008 Buick to replace my old '91 buick. I know Buicks are good, if somewhat expensive cars.... But it's a car I'd be driving (baring any major accidents that total the darn thing to undrivability) for another 16 years, Goddess willing, the way this one's been driven for 16 years.

*sigh* Just bummed. I know it's going to be a waste of gas, a waste of metal, and a goodbye to a mostly-faithful old car.

Anyway.... Enough griping, I suppose. I need to get myself something to eat & check some blogs, then get on to the bank, and on to work.

Have a Blessed Day!