The Saturn Is Dead
I probably should have waited until tomorrow to publish that goals post, huh?
My inlaws picked up the Saturn for us this morning, they were going to drive it halfway to Indiana and meet my spouse. On their way from Saturn to the rental car place (so my MIL could be added as a driver on our rental) the car died.
The two places are 1.7 miles apart on the same road.
To say I am angry right now is an understatement.
No clue what I am going to do. Sigh.
Added as of 1:32 PM EST - Supposedly, for third time today, is fixed, and is heading towards meeting my spouse in Western NY. Crank sensor was at fault, they claim. Newest repair done for free so there’s that. Car may come back to Indiana by tonight after all.
And as of 1:52 AM EST on Saturday - it is in my garage. I never thought I would see it again, honestly. ;) Night!
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January 2nd, 2009 at 10:26 am
Oh geez. That’s awful… Deep breaths… Don’t forget to exhale… This is all going to work out somehow. You probably won’t be able to stick to that really cool 2009 debt and savings strategy you posted, but it’ll be something close… The guy at the bakery informed me this morning that spring would be the best time to buy a new vehicle. I have no idea why he told me that or what makes him an expert on the matter, but that’s what he said… maybe it’s a sign?
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:29 am
That sucks. The worst part is they keep telling you it’s fixed and… nope, not so much. I’m sorry you’re dealing with all of this, but I know you will come up with something!
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:31 am
So sorry about the Saturn. I have a ‘99 Saturn and when it exhibited the problems that yours seems to have it turned out to the be the alternator. I had it towed to the Saturn dealership twice, they were unable to fix it. The third time I had it towed to the mechanic our family has used for years, he replaced the alternator and it has been fine since (several years).
Hope this helps. I really enjoy your blog and admire how much progress you have made in such a short amount of time.
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:33 am
I’m right there with ya sister, although our 98 Escort hasn’t officially died yet, we are in for some major repairs in the near future. Do we repair or try to sell it and buy something new (to us)?
I love your blog. We also have student debt we are chipping away at. We have 4 kids and that is weighing heavy on the finances. Kids are expensive!
Any whoo, good luck and I know you will make good decisions on what to do.
January 2nd, 2009 at 11:09 am
Argh! I am so sorry!!! I know it’s hard to do right now but try and focus on something positive. If you do get a new vehicle at least you know it will be a working one, one that hopefully will be MUCH more reliable than your Saturn was. Try and hang in there.
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:05 pm
That really really sucks! Have you called Saturn again?
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:13 pm
We had a Saturn we had to get rid of - it was killing us in repair costs. I hope you find a solution soon!
Blessings!
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:22 pm
Yes, I called Saturn corporate and talked to my “case manager” there. She is very sympathetic and all, but not really helpful. they should just give me a new car and be done with it
January 2nd, 2009 at 12:43 pm
Oh, I’m sorry. So frustrating, and disappointing!
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
I’m so sorry to hear that. And sorry that it took a bad post to finally get me to comment.
I’ve been reading your blog a lot these past few months, and it’s really helpful. We, too, are trying to save for a new-to-us car before one dies–a 99 Honda and a 94 Ford. It’s an uphill struggle when you’re trying to keep one running until you can afford another one. We’re here with you!
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
You know, I have always heard some people say it is almost always less expensive to fix a car than replace one. I think it would be worth you going through the numbers, making some notes on how much you spent on the Saturn in the last year, and see how much that compares to the current value of the car and how new of a car one could buy for that price.
My suggestion would be to not include tow or rental car fees because those would have been incurred even if you had decided not to get the repairs done.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Also, btw, this depends on dealerships, but if you complain enough that they said they fixed it but did not, some dealerships will give you more repairs for free (at least the labor if not parts).
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
@Brandon - I know the old adage of it being less expensive to fix a car than replace it. I have decided the *almost* part is the key one here. The Saturn, with its multiple problems, is becoming the exception that proves the rule, to me.
(and if we had a car that didn’t self destruct we wouldn’t have to be towed or pay for a rental, so in my head those costs get chalked up to the Saturn too. But still over $6K in 2008 even without those.)
The fact that it took 4 tries to fix what was actually wrong with the car before it was fixed (supposedly, again, it is now fixed) is um… well… is not a mark in its favor.
The car is on its way to western NY to meet up with my spouse and the rental car right now, where he drives it the rest of the way back to here.
Supposedly it was something called a crank sensor that was broken/malfunctioning/whatever. The dealership did fix that for free. Which balances out with the battery that we did pay to fix that wasn’t actually the problem, I guess
(The two repairs cost about the same)
We’ll see if it gets to Buffalo. Then if it gets to Indiana. Then we decide what’s next.
January 2nd, 2009 at 1:35 pm
I am so sorry to hear about this. My spouse’s car died recently on a work trip out of town/out of state (2001 Dodge Intrepid w/155,000 miles) and after determining that the cost to fix would be a $5-$7K new engine (more than the value of the car), we ended up having to say goodbye to the car, leaving it in that state. We were trying to stretch it 1-2 more years to finish saving for a new to us car, while still actively working on debt elimination.
We ended up calling junkyards in the area that the car died and ended up w/$200 + a “free” tow to the junkyard. If the Saturn is truly dead, this may be the only way to dispose of long distance (you will need to mail them your title) since you can’t donate a car to charity (tax write off) if it’s not running.
Best of luck!
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:01 pm
You have my sympathy. There are few things in life as frustrating as car trouble. Maybe something great will come out of it :-/
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
@ Melissa #2
- thanks for the info! Good to know I can just dump it if need be.
The car is still on its way to indiana, at the moment. I figure the closer it gets to here, the better. If it was the engine that was the problem, at least we have a warranty on that still. Well, for another two weeks
I am at peace with the idea of a car payment if need be. NOT pleased, but at peace. Hopefully it hasn’t yet come to that (although I am becoming resigned to the idea that it, in fact, has)
Hey I’ll get to write posts about car shopping. lol.
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:19 pm
Oh my goodness! This is ridiculous! You poor thing, I would be extremely frustrated.
We once had a car and we kept pouring money into it. The last couple of years of it’s “life” the money towards it escalated. We put about $500 toward it one year (this was years ago). Then the next year was another $500.
Then the following year we were faced with about $1200, which we did because we thought it would take care of it….. it didn’t. When faced with another big repair bill (if we repaired it), we had put so much money into it for years that my hubby decided enough was enough and we bought another car. That one was much better.
Good luck with your decision!
January 2nd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Awww, that’s so awful! That would make me feel nuts and I’d want to get rid of the thing, even though I’m in the camp to keep a car forever, if possible.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:46 pm
The title of this post reminds me of the Flight of the Conchords song “The Humans Are Dead”. If you haven’t heard of this song, or this group, you have to check out this video and hopefully you’ll find them as funny as I do. Some levity for you on a day where it sounds like you might need some:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGoi1MSGu64
Hope your car adventure turns out ok and your husband makes it home safely.
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:52 pm
What bad luck! This said, if it does make it back home, it could give you more problems tomorrow (I hope not!) or it could be fine for a while, even a long while. I would hang onto it for as long as it runs, but I agree, I wouldn’t pour any more money into it. If it does last even another six months, you’ll be much further along your road. But don’t take it on another long trip! You’ve been doing SO great, it would be wonderful if you could put off a new car purchase for now. But if you can’t, you can’t. Life happens even when you’re getting out of debt. Best of luck, and I hope the Saturn behaves!
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:09 pm
Wow! I’m shocked at all of the car troubles. I hope you are paying for the repairs with a credit card actually so you can dispute the charges if the repairs don’t last as long as the dealer/repair shop says they will. I hate debt myself but I’d rather have a car loan than a car that keeps breaking down .. especially with two young children.
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:15 pm
#$$!$#!!!!!!!! Sheesh.
The only thing I could add would be is there ANY chance it’s the Saturn service people who are diagnostic/repair idiots?
January 2nd, 2009 at 4:50 pm
oh there is always the chance of that. lol.
January 2nd, 2009 at 9:05 pm
Car has left NY! Car is in PA! Spouse calls and says “only took 6 days to get car out of NY”
Lol. I love that man.
Waiting to hear that car is in Ohio. :crossesfingers:
January 2nd, 2009 at 10:50 pm
It amuses me to continue updating via comment so I do.
Car is well into Ohio and about 3 hrs from here. Spouse still going strong. As long as he doesn’t get too tired he will be home (late) tonight. With Saturn. That has four rooms of furniture for my daughter’s dollhouse in the trunk I was forced to leave behind when we had to change cars.
Sadly I am looking more forward to the dollhouse furniture than the car.
Must. Start. Aggressive. Saving. Want. Reliable. Car.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:05 am
A.Men.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:17 am
Car should be in Indiana by now. Spouse’s cell phone was dying so he has to charge it. Hopefully home in less than an hour last I heard. One can dream.
Daughter thinks she should stay up til daddy gets home, she is wearing me out with her craziness. Son is long asleep. lol.
January 3rd, 2009 at 1:26 am
Long night!!
January 3rd, 2009 at 10:36 am
Dependablility…once that is gone one never feels once can trust the car again. Good luck with trust - don’t think that will happen.
About the junkyard - yes, this summer we would have paid about $180 for your car…but the price of scrap metals took a nose dive starting in August, and has not made it back up yet. Right now we’d only give you $40 for the car… big difference - all due to the price of scrap metal!
Hope it made it home ok! and spouse with it!