Day 126

The AC went out in the van. The van that has 103000 miles and transmission problems. I took it to a repair place and for the bargain price of $60 they told me the a/c is SHOT & will be at least $2000 to fix. ACK!!!

Scott & I went looking for new vans. We found a few bargains (given the economy & the auto market, I was expecting ALOT more!) and one van we LOVED. We talked turkey with the dealer and for $2000 and our van, we could pay $500 a month or the next 5-6 years! ACK

Given that they wanted $2000 for the joy of a car payment, we decided it was worth the $$$ to fix the van we have (and love more than the $1000 they were going to give us!) If we "pay" the savings $500 for 5 months, we've paid for the repairs. Any more months of use we get out of it are "free" (If anyone can follow what I'm saying here, I applaud you. And fear you as your mind works the same as mine!! Scary!!!)

So, we took the van to Wood River (you'll have to ask Scott why there instead of the dealer her in Alton) and for $2411.69, the repaired the AC, the transmission (just a leak), checked everything else over with a fine tooth comb and gave us a loaner car to use while they did the repairs. SWEET!! They pronounced the car in EXCELLENT shape after the repairs and they say we should get another 100000 miles out of it, easy!

So this is the loaner they gave us. While it's nice to drive a new car and play w/the toys I don't have (the kids loved the power rear windows!) I HATED this car!!! It's ugly, it's ORANGE and it's impossible to gracefully get in & out of. There are blind spots the size of Cleveland in it and the "cockpit" is way too confining! I'm soooooo glad to have my van back. Grimy steering wheel & door handles not withstanding. I think I'll take it for a good bath!!