So, I got a new car

I've managed to avoid blogging about my car situation for awhile. Up until this weekend, I'd been driving a Chevy Trailblazer. They came out in 2004, and we bought one the first year they came out. I loved that car. It was a good sized SUV - big enough to make me feel safe on the road, but not as big as a boat either. It had some great features too and I really did love driving it.

But, a couple of months ago, things changed. I'd gone to meet some friends and their kids downtown for lunch. On the way back, I noticed that my car was acting funny. Being a long way from home, and having 2 kids who were ready for their nap, I was very annoyed. Still, I was worried about what was wrong, so I called the car dealer to see if I could swing by and get my car checked out. They were all booked up for the day, so I made an appointment for the next morning, and started home. Just in case though, I decided to stay off of the freeway, which made my drive even longer, but I figured it would be best to avoid breaking down on the freeway.

I made the right choice. I stopped at a stoplight about 5 miles from home, and my car wouldn't go when the light changed. I called Hubby from work to come and help, and then I called OnStar.

I suppose I should post an aside now about OnStar. GM offers it on all their vehicles, and I suppose the 24-hour roadside assistance is nice (I used it twice in 3 years). But I do think it is funny now, in retrospect, that some car manufacturers offer 100,000 mile warranties, etc, but GM just promises that if you have car trouble, they'll be there to help you (with a small monthly fee). Its almost as if they're saying "hey, are cars are crap. But if (er, when) you do break down, we're just a push of a button away".

Anyway, back to my story. My car got towed to the dealer. It turned out that my transmission was shot (did I mention there was only 47,000 miles on the car?). So, 10 days and almost $4,000 later, I got my car back. The first time I drove it, I knew something wasn't right. I called the repairman, and he towed my car in for free. He checked it out, and said nothing was wrong - although he cleaned the pistons for free, because they were misfiring (or something like that). I had my car back the next day.

I drove it for about 2 months, and the transmission still never felt right to me. Finally, hubby drove the car, and he too admitted that the transmission wasn't right. So, back to the repair shop we went. This time, at least the transmission was under warranty. After 10 more days and our 3rd transmission, we got the vehicle back.

Hubby wanted to drive over to the Acura dealer that night and trade in the Trailblazer. I told him that I felt we should keep the car for awhile and just "wait and see". The thought of a car payment made me sick. So, after a heated discussion (big fat fight) we decided to keep the car. Until the next day when I tried to go to the store and my car wouldn't start. AGAIN.

I had to call hubby at work, tell him the car was broken again, and wait for an "I told ya so".

{{SIGH}}

We actually got the car going by jump-starting it. It sat and idled for an hour in the driveway (we were afraid to turn it off) and then hubby drove the car to trade it in. I didn't even go, and I told him that I trusted him to pick out my car - I just wanted something reliable.

Which I got!

He came home with a sweet, fully-loaded, Acura MDX. It has more features than I can figure out - navigation system, DVD player, heated seats. It even has a back-up camera (mounted on the back fender so I don't hit anything when I back up). Its way more car than I have ever needed or wanted, but I LOVE it.