2001 Kia Rio starts to go downhill last year (thousands of dollars of repairs later, I find out that it has a transmission issue that needs to be fixed in order to pass the emission test). Clearly went to the junk!
In arly April, I buy my parent's 2000 Kia Sephia (which had no issues for them to date). Four days after I got the Sephia, it magically turns into a bumble bee which means the front converter and some ball joint needed repairing (ummmm....can you believe the quote was $1000). Yikes! Thank goodness my mom's high school has a mechanic shop and the shop teacher likes her. He decided to make this a teachable moment for the students. All I had to pay was for some donuts and coffee for the class. FTW!
A week after I got the car back, I get into a car accident at work. JUST SHOOT ME! It was totally my fault...stupid me. So in it went to the shop.
Maybe two weeks after I got the car back, I'm running around at one of our May events mentioned in the earlier blog. Well, wouldn't you know.....the car stalls once on me. I'm thinking maybe it's a fluke since it turned back on. I keep going to my destination and it stalls again! So now I know I should turn around and at least bring it closer to work. Hmmmmm....if only things would go according to plan. Stupid Kia Sephia starts to overheat (well the radiator temperature starts to go up). Ugh...there is clearly no way I'm going to make it home.
So, I take the car into the mechanic by work to find out that I had to have the belts and radiator replaced. Ummmm....that was another $1100 in repairs. Are you kidding me? I had no choice but to approve the repairs if I wanted to get home.
2 days later, I pick up my car (did I mention they had to order the part cuz Kia parts are crazy to find). It is now Monday. That Friday, my brakes start squeaking. I think I need break pads (no biggie), but NO....not with my luck...I need new routers! Fine. I pay for the new routers. I'm thinking there is no way possible that anything else could happen to the car, right?
That Sunday (2 days later) I'm driving my car around and the check engine light turns on. OF COURSE it did! I hope you're laughing now...cuz that all I could do by then. I take it in and the diagnostic says it was something with the coolant temperature. So I take it back to the chop by work where I had the radiator work done cuz of course they didn't do something right so they are gonna fix my car for free.
Well.....turns out the sensors were failing and I now needed a new Coolant and Oxygen sensor. That's another $500!
That's when I decided that enough was enough. I picked up my car and prayed that it didn't explode on me for the remainder of the week cuz I needed to make it to Friday (when I purchased my new car).
So now ladies and gentleman, I am a proud owner of Certified Pre-Owned (can someone say Warranty! Cheers all around!) 2009 Chevy Cobalt. It's white and beautiful. Finally! Say hello to my little friend:
Though I wasn't totally ready to buy a new car right now, it was definitely time. It's the best thing ever. I now actually have power locks and windows! Ha ha ha! I know this sounds basic to most folks, but I've never had them.
Also, I'm on the hunt for the right name for it. Contenders right now:
CASPER - it made all my bad car mojo go away!
STORM TROOPER - just cuz it's funny!
I welcome any further suggestions and/or votes :)
