Reliability – Is It Just A Feeling?
I have a Saturn. A 2001 Saturn L300 that we bought used in 2004, to be exact. The Saturn is completely paid off.
And there ends my list of nice things I have to say about it.
Those who have been long-time readers of the blog know that we have a long list of problems we’ve had with the car in the past three years. There’s the fact that it is impossible to keep in alignment and therefore eats tires. There’s the time the engine self destructed. There’s the time we had to abandon it 200 miles into an 800 mile trip when it kept shutting itself off and rent a car to finish the trip. And so on.
Why do we still have the car? Because we’re dumb. 
Well, that’s debatable, but the fact of the matter is, I want to be out of debt so badly that I decided it’d be better to keep the devil we know instead of taking out a loan to get a different car. The wisdom of that is, as I said, highly debatable.
Among the list of small (and not so small) crises the car has contributed to was the time we were stranded at one of my son’s soccer practices because we couldn’t get the key to turn in the ignition. That required a locksmith to repair and actually, all told, wasn’t so bad after all from a financial perspective. However – two years later, and the problem has returned. Yesterday, when preparing to drive to my son’s bus stop to pick him up (he goes to school in a different district than the one we live so his bus stop is a few miles away) I couldn’t turn the key. Eventually I did manage to get the car started and got there just in time to meet the bus (I followed the bus in, in fact) but the fact remains – the car has decided to drive me crazy yet again.
So another locksmith visit, another round of staring at the Saturn in my garage thinking - what price am I willing to pay for reliability? At what cost does dependability come, and even if I did decide to replace it, how do I know I won’t end up with another stupid lemon that claims it isn’t technically a lemon? All this is starting to make me want a brand new car with a warranty. Must. Resist. Stupid. Car. Ugh.
What I wouldn’t do for my little GEO Tracker back. That car was 14 years old when we replaced it with the Saturn and in those 14 years I owned it, I spent less on it in maintenance than I have in the 5 years I’ve owned the Saturn.
Bah.
September 15th, 2009 at 8:50 pm
In February 2008 I paid $2300 cash for a 1997 Ford Escort with 60k miles and it runs quite decently. In the 19 months I’ve had it I’ve spent about $600 in repairs (muffler welded twice, something to do with the brake boots(?), and something to do with the automatic steering). Although when I look at those numbers like that, it makes it sound like a junker! It runs just fine at the moment though.
September 16th, 2009 at 12:03 am
OMG, this is my exact same situation! Even down to the beloved Geo (I lost it in a fight with a Range Rover) which was 15 years old, but amazingly reliable.
I, too, am fighting to be debt free and have decided to keep the VW Golf I’ve had for the last two years and $5,000 in repairs.
Stupid devil you know wins again, I guess.
September 16th, 2009 at 8:15 am
That’s when I get rid of a car…. when I feel like I cannot depend on it anymore. Like you said tho, if you know the quirks of it, then sometimes you can put up with it… but this seems to be coming up with new ones.
If you go looking for a used car, may I suggest an older subaru forester…my 2001 is still going strong at 116,000 and the ONLY repair has been one rear hub bearing (which seems to be common in the 2001).
September 16th, 2009 at 8:39 am
I may be lame, but I’d definitely get rid of it. I hate cars that fail (although I might sacrifice a lot at this point to have it paid off). I feel the same way about my old Ford Escort ($700!) as you about the GEO Tracker. I traded it in for a Saturn that somehow I just hated.
I think an older Subaru, Volvo, or Toyota could do the trick. I know more about Toyota — they tend to go well over 200k. You might also consider a certified pre-owned vehicle. I think the warranty on those is usually BETTER than on new cars. Sometimes you get more out of a car that ticks you off by trading it in….
September 16th, 2009 at 9:36 am
When my key wouldn’t turn in the ignition I’d stick my foot out the door and push the car back and forth. Somehow that unlocked it. Leave it in Park when you do this. We had that car for ten years and never had that problem repaired.
September 16th, 2009 at 11:47 am
I had the same problem with a … well, let’s just say high priced German sports sedan. I loved that car because (when it worked) it looked cool and drove amazingly well. Well… it was in the shop EVERY MONTH. It was about an extra 5 grand in less than a year in regards to maintenance costs. Even though I was still paying on the car, I finally sold it, and bought a new one. Though it probably wasn’t a great financial decision, my new car (now 2 years old) has not broken down or failed me in any way. I understand about not wanting to be tied down to a car payment, but as far as I’m concerned my sanity is worth it.
September 16th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
I loved my Geo, too, but I had the 1992 Metro. Awesome car! I had it for 13 years and easily put over 200,000 miles on the original engine. The biggest repair I ever had was replacing the transmission, and considering I’m so not a maintenance diva, I think that’s pretty good.
Even though I know it’s not the wisest decision, I did replace it with a new car in 2005. I decided to go new because the car I ended up buying has a high resale value, and the used ones I was looking at were nearly as much as new, so I figured I’d go new. It’s not new anymore, but I still love my Subbie.
September 16th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
So what did you do? Did you fix the lock? Buy a new car? I’ve been rooting for you to finish the SL before the car goes!
September 16th, 2009 at 9:10 pm
I once had a Tracker too. Her name was Trudy – we loved her so much we named her. We eventually traded her in for a Camry, which is very reliable and nice, but I miss her sometimes!!
September 17th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
yes, a reliable car IS important – especially when you have kids. sounds like an old clunker would be better than that one! are you saving toward the purchase of a new one? how are you going to get one when this one totally becomes unusable … i am curious to know your plan!?
also, VERY impressed with your accomplishment. i have started snowflaking and have seen an additional $120 paid toward debt in the last 3 months!!!
please keep sharing!
September 18th, 2009 at 6:33 am
I had a car that also had a key problem. Turns out that as it aged, it needed to have the steering wheel completely straight before I could turn it off. If I forgot and turned it off with the wheels turned, the key would go in the ignition but not turn. My mechanic taught me to jerk the wheel (very hard!) towards the proper straight position. Holding it in this position with my left hand (and body sometimes!) I was able to turn the key with my right hand. Worth a try if it happens again!
September 18th, 2009 at 11:54 am
We had a 1997 Dodge Grand Caravan that we loved – and loved [even more] the fact that it was paid for! We had the transmission rebuilt in 2005 and the car continued to be in great shape except for one thing – in 2008, it began failing to start. There was no rhyme or reason to the car doing this; our mechanic couldn’t find anything wrong. After eight months of enduring this, I finally gave in and we bought a used 2007 Toyota Sienna. I hate having car payments again but am relieved to know I have a dependable vehicle. And reliability is of GREAT VALUE for my peace of mind.
September 18th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
I have the same issue – my husband’s truck is very reliable and paid for but it’s UGLY and needs non-critical repairs. I wanted to “Clunk” it but he says that even if he puts $10,000 into it it’s still less than a new truck. And my husband’s theory is that it’s got over 200,000 miles on it so everything that normally goes wrong has already been dealt with so it’s good for another 150,000 miles!* (*Disclaimer: this is MAN logic)
My logic is this: As the mom I am usually the one running around with the kids doing all the doctor’s appts, school functions, extra-curricular, shopping, etc. My car is also the vehicle we use for all big family trips. Therefore (this is MOM logic) I feel that my car should be RELIABLE and under some type of warranty. I can’t say I like having payments….I CAN say that my car starts every time I need it to. I’ll pay for peace of mind every time.
September 18th, 2009 at 8:26 pm
This is a timely post for me. I am dealing with just such an issue now. My 20 year old needs a reliable, safe vehicle for highway driving to get to her college or work every day. Her 1993 Accord died this week and we aren’t putting anymore money into it. She bought it 3 years ago for a few thousand and it gave her good service until a few months ago. I found a 2005 Toyota Corolla with only 40,000 miles that looks and drives like new. I do have to finance it, which I don’t like. I do not need another loan, but peace of mind sometimes comes with a price tag attached.
September 19th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
I had a very unreliable car. I was spending at least $3000 a year in cash (that I could have been using to pay down very high % rate debt) to keep this car on the road and this was before regular maintenance which was also very expensive on this car. I decided to trade it for a new Camry and I haven’t been disappointed. Yes, I hate having a car payment, but knowing with certainty exactly how much money I needed to pay each month was better than having to guess when the other shoe was going to drop. It also freed up money to pay down our debts which we have done quite successfully. It was the best decision we ever made.
September 20th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
We have the same thing with our van. It’s paid off but…
AND it did the same key thing. The key WOULD NOT turn in the ignition. I was stuck at the grocery store and wouldn’t you know it I left the cell phone at home.
I did some online research, and it may be the keyhole is dirty.
Then, spend $5 on electronic parts cleaner, and spray it in the hole. You may also need to blow the hole out with canned air afterward.
You can insert key and slightly whack the end of the key to dislodge dirt if you’re stuck again, as a “quick fix”. I’m told a locksmith can also disassemble it and clean/replace the tumblers.
We’re in the same fix, though. Which new problem will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back? How much good money will we throw after bad? Right now, our van’s AC hasn’t worked for over a year. Then the driver’s side window broke and won’t go down. Yesterday, the passenger window broke and won’t go down. No AC AND I can’t roll down the windows.
September 21st, 2009 at 11:38 pm
For me, a reliable car is a must. Our solution, a used car from CarMax that came with an option to buy the warranty. When the transmission went out less than a year after we bought, we were covered. It was awesome. We’ve done the same thing with Superman’s last car, too. Never regretted it. Someone else took the depreciation and we got a reliable car!
September 24th, 2009 at 1:53 pm
Try a very recent model certified pre-owned domestic. The domestics have closed the dependability gap but still depreciate faster than the imports. General Motors CPO vehicles get a great warranty.
As for the Saturn L300, please don’t judge the domestics by this car. It was one of the worst domestics in regards to reliability in the past 10 years. It is a bastard child of Opel and Saturn. It is based on the Opel Vectra platform from Germany but tweaked to American tastes and then built in Wilmington DE. The 4 cylinder model got the corporate Ecotec engine, but the V6 got the notoriously unreliable Opel 3 liter. This was the same engine that gave the Cadillac Catera it’s horrible reliability rating.
You can pick up a CPO Chevy Malibu, Ford Fusion, or Mercury Milan 4 cylinder for a song. All 3 are tops in crash test ratings and reliability.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:28 pm
We just bit the bullet on a new car. I’m in France and my car is nine years old and the cheapest car you could buy at the time. Yes I could have put 3K towards it, it would have been cheaper than a new car, but I couldn’t see doing it for a car that was worth 1.5K max. That’s my rule: if the repair is more expensive than the value of the car, nyet.
I looked for a used car to our specs for four months, and couldn’t find one (DH wanted a sunroof).
I can justify this purchase till I’m blue in the face. We couldn’t find a used car, we got 15% off because the car industry here is suffering and offering great incentives, we got the “cash for clunkers” deal, yada yada yada. I am 49, DH is 53, this is our second new car, and first car loan, ever.
But I’m not happy or excited at all, frankly I’m just depressed at the idea of a car loan.
We are not great earners, but our house is finally paid off, and we have paid for many home improvements over the past three years. Our only debt besides rental debt (which doesn’t bother me because we regard it as an investment in our future and our kids’ futures) is a 5K boiler loan at 2.5%.
And now the car.
September 30th, 2009 at 6:38 pm
ETA: I reread your post. My Suzuki was also a 2001 that we bought new. Once the battery died at a very inopportune moment, but apart from that, she has NEVER let us down, bless her. She is definitely ailing big time now, the new car won’t arrive for two months, I hope she holds out. But rereading your post, maybe there is something to be said for buying new (and driving till the wheels fall off).
I bought a lemon once, a Fiat, my mechanic and I used to joke about how we shared the car (except I was the only one paying). After a year of this my dad sent me some money to help me sell the Fiat and buy something reliable. I bought a used Ford Escort that was about three or four years old. I was a single mom at the time.
DH and I traded that Escort in at a good price to buy the Suzuki in 2001.
All this to say, sometimes you need to cut your losses. It was only when I finally sold the Fiat (I still feel guilty about selling that car) that I finally started to get on firmer financially footing.
October 1st, 2009 at 5:46 pm
Oh, that dratted Saturn! It makes sense to hold off on getting another vehicle until you can climb out from under the existing debt. But it’s taking a gamble: if the dratted Saturn really craps out big time, a repair bill could cost as much as replacing it.
My son just got a nice 2004 Honda Civic for $5,000. Because of the economy, a lot of reliable second-hand cars (ohh…let’s call them “house-trained and socialized”) are on the market for less than Blue Book prices. If, as Goodsnake points out, you end up footing annual bills amounting to $3,000 for just a couple of years, you’d be better off getting a vehicle that costs less to keep running and doesn’t drive you nuts.
October 4th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
Maybe that is why they are shutting down Saturn…I tried keeping a Dodge Intrepid running for a year. It cost me $5000 in repairs, and I had my own personal tow truck operator. He finally told me to get a toyota or a honda. I bought a used toyota corolla for about $6500 that had about 60,000 miles on it. I put another 100,000 miles on it with no repairs and then I totaled it and my insurance company gave me $5000 for it!
October 19th, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Hi Snowflaker
I know you don’t update often anymore but I was hoping for a monthly update.
Best to you and your family.
October 19th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
I’m a member of the WIRR at the MSN boards. The mods there always quip, “Life is what happens while you’re busy paying off debt.” As I’ve stated before, we’re about to take on a car loan for the first time in our lives.
All this to say, even if you did have to finance a new or used car, you should not give up and stop giving updates, you should finish and “win” your initial race. The way I look at it is, at least you’d be finished paying for the “past”, and only paying for the present and future.
All the best to you!
October 31st, 2009 at 6:31 pm
We had a 1994 Saturn that we bought in 1997. Boy, did we have problems with that car. Sun roof leaking, hard to turn keys. One day the electrical went out on the highway, leaving me to walk off the road to a gas station, and eventually get the car pushed off by a police car.
And the best: when it rained, it wouldn’t start. Some loose connection in the battery? The battery would drain. Then we’d get it checked. It would work. Until the rainy season (luckily I live in So. Cal, with a short rainy season). Then one day I was driving it (instead of my spouse), and I decided to treat him, and I ran it through the car wash.
On the way home, the thing started shutting down. The power steering went out. Then the power brakes. I couldn’t stop at stop signs, or the car would stop. So I rolled through the traffic lights and stop signs (3 of them), on the way home. On the final ascent up our hill, the radio stopped (now that’s bad!)
The next day, we replaced it. After charging up the battery. We drove 40 miles to just look at cars (with a little bit of research). We spent a day haggling (with a 4-month old in tow). We felt lucky to get $450 on the trade in on the 12 year old car (sight unseen -we’d dropped it off at the Saturn dealer for maintenance on the way).
The next day, the dealer was chomping at the bit to get the trade in car on their lot (understandably, we’d gotten a great deal on the Toyota, they were hoping to make money on the Saturn). My spouse again drove 40 miles to pick up the Saturn at the dealer. Yep, it was again dead. They jumped it, spouse drove the car across the street to Toyota, handed off the keys and said “good luck”.
Toyotas and Hondas for me from now on.
November 8th, 2009 at 1:57 am
i had a thirty year old vw beetle for eight years.
i paid cash for it.
then i spent eight years paying cash for repairs.
it was a nonstop nightmare that seemed like it would never end.
it was our sole car and we live in a place with non-existent public transport.
one morning, just after christmas, seven years ago, the car broke down YET AGAIN as we were setting off to the market to sell our soap.
we were pushing the car at 5am….in the rain…and i snapped.
by jan 1st, we had a small brand new honda, that we paid cash for.
we spent NOTHING on that car, apart from tires, a new battery, and a clutch replacement, over the next six years.
it ran like a dream.
it never ever let us down.
we drove it around australia.
we clocked up incredible mileage attending far flung markets.
we sold it for good money and we bought another one, exactly the same.
i cannot describe to you the general lifting of stress in our lives.
worrying about the vw had become this huge invisible energy sucker. we just couldn’t depend on it for anything, ever. the stress of it was always in the background humming along and colouring all decisions we made.
and whenever it was in the shop, yet again, we’d be car-less and stranded for weeks on end, while obscure antique parts were sourced internationally.
having a reliable car has been immensely good for our business and ourselves.
so good, that i frankly cannot put a value on it.
and we didn’t get the biggest car we could afford: we got something very small, very zippy, very economical on fuel.
November 27th, 2009 at 8:15 am
Are you ever going to write again on your blog? I miss it!
November 28th, 2009 at 11:18 am
I was wondering the same thing. Have you stopped blogging and I’m the last to know?
I hope all is well with your wonderful family. Please let us know that all is ok with you.
November 29th, 2009 at 9:16 am
I miss it too and hope that all is well with your family.
December 13th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I hope you and your family are well.
December 16th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Thinking of you and hope all is well.
December 20th, 2009 at 10:33 pm
Have a Happy Holiday! Hope all is well, and your silence means all is “boringly” peaceful.
December 30th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
What about a Toyota or a Honda? Those cars are always coming up on the Consumer’s list of most reliable cars. When you can’t depend on your mode of transportation, there’s a problem. What if it was really super important and your key got stuck and you couldn’t get to where you needed to be?
December 31st, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Okay so I don’t deserve to comment – since 1984 I’ve owned my 1984 Honda civic. We all know that R word that comes associated with the name “Honda.” As a girl (which I stll am, haha) I decided to learn auto repair through a 3 month program and have been astounded by the things that suddenly are open to my world. I adopted 5+ other non-running Hondas to teach myself how to fix these things. Sure, it’s very limited specific knowledge, but it allows me to consider refinishing the wood deck on my house for some reason with some degree of confidence, even though I know nothing about it. I think the class (even while taught exceptionally horribly!) taught me How to Learn, How to Find the Information that I Don’t Know (which sure is a lot).
That aside, on my 1989 Civic wagon (different car) the cold weather made my ignition key suddenly unable to turn last week. Not turn ON, but turn all the way OFF. Oh boy (Good thing I keep a 10mm wrench to disconnect the battery if ever this happens again, may it not!)
I had just moved and didn’t have WD40 with me to work into the ignition, so we used olive oil from the cooking stuff we had just brought to eat. Not sure this would ever be recommended by the manufacturer, but it did the trick. In the future, I plan to WD40 all exterior locks (spray the key wetly, work it into the lock an turn it back and forth to distribute the oil) and ignition – you’d be surprised at how nicely something so simple can work. My boyfriend fought his apartment mailbox key/lock for months before we tried that and it was solved in a few seconds.
My point here is not to make you feel bad (hell no, I’m sorry!) but to say that perhaps you have more than just the two choices 1) Buy another car, 2) Keep stinker car. The third invisible option is to learn a bit more about how to maintain/problem-solve.
One thing I was thrilld and surprised to learn is that each model/year of car has its own quirks that tend to occur in other cars like it. So if you went to a good mechanic you could say, without even bringing in the car, “For my year/make of car, what are the most common design/engineering problems with it and what can I do to prevent them before something costlier happens?”
For instance with 1980s Hondas the most common reasons I’ve found that kill these cars are a snapped timing belt (due to age – this has the strong possibility of killing the engine right on the highway – $2315 of damage to mine) and a blown head gasket (which really is just an overheated car that melts the sandwich layer of “ham” (the gasket) between the top layer and bottom layer of the engine (the bread in the sandwich). Replacing a head gasket tends to retail around $1800, more than the cost of the car
The timing belt I don’t know enough about yet, but with the blown head gasket, if the car hasn’t been tooooo badly overheated and abused, I had the surprise fix of a $10 bottle of Bar’s Stop Leak that I ran through the cooling system, took about a day and a few scraped knuckles removing that thermostat the first time, but in the end, the gal gave me a free car that I fixed for $10 once I figured out what was going on.
So basically two ideas here. I know nothing about Saturns, maybe they are the devil incarnate. But maybe picking up a manual and keeping an eye out for troubleshooting with tiny stuff like WD40 before something becomes a locksmith issue will get you to answer #3. Or maybe knowing this about 19802 Hondas might entice you to pick up a $500 or less car to solve the problem. I know they’re not the latest sassiset things, but I’ve heard the CRX gas mileage is better than a Hybrid….in which case, why spend the money on the new car to get a similar effect? Not sure ifthe emissions are compatible but just saying that not all the newest and brightest are the always the best. I still get around just fine without a car that can park itself or talk to me
Yes, probably the luddite of the car world, but..! 
Hope this helps. Wish I knew more about Saturns. But you might have more choices than you think, open doors to new worlds?
Thanks for the lively post!
- S.
December 31st, 2009 at 6:16 pm
The problem with your tires sounds exactly like what was wrong with our 2000 Voyager. My wife had a seizure while driving and before my son could get control of the van they drove over 6 curbs. We replaced the blown front tires and then it started eating tires. Turns out the K frame was cracked ( the first mechanic missed it). The K frame is a big piece of cast aluminum at the rear of engine of front wheel cars that holds the transmission in place, that the front wheel struts attach to and that provides rigidity. If cracked, bent or warped it allows the front to flex and prevents the wheels from staying in alignment. And being cast aluminum they cannot be fixed, they have to be replaced. My friend and mechanic did it at a substancial discount (like half off) and it was $1800 and took 2 weeks.
We poured $4000 into that van after we paid it off,about the last year we had it. We have a Toyota Sienna van now, used from Carmax and never will buy an American made car again.
I would have gotten rid of the Saturn the second time it made me walk. I would have started saving money to replace it the first time it stranded me.
January 4th, 2010 at 2:05 am
I had a ’91 corsica that I got rid of in…2008. For the most part it was a great car and I couldn’t see borrowing money for a new one. There at the end though…the a/c quit, it would overheat if it wasn’t moving, everytime it rained the floor board stood with water (never found where the leak was) and when I used the blinkers I got correct signal on the front,emergency flashers on the back and smoke would curl up out of the steering column. I was forced to get a new car. so we bought a 2008 dodge avenger with a $450 payment. this past July we couldn’t shift it into any gear and had to have it towed off to be repaired. The broken part was not covered by waranty and we had to spend $400 for repairs. It took five days. Kinda missed my old corsica there for a minute.
January 11th, 2010 at 10:57 am
Hope you are doing well. We all miss your updates!
Take care of yourself and your family—truly hope things are okay with you all.
January 12th, 2010 at 12:48 am
I hope all is well. I certainly miss your writing, and I hope you’ll be back at some point.
January 17th, 2010 at 9:39 pm
Hey-
Hope everything’s all right. Miss you in the blogosphere!
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:45 am
Sure am feeling a “paid twice” deficit! Really do hope all is well with your family and self. Have followed your blog for a long time.
January 22nd, 2010 at 6:42 pm
I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s worried about you. I hope all is well and miss your writing.
February 1st, 2010 at 8:38 pm
I have a feeling that something happened to her. I hope not, though.
February 16th, 2010 at 10:49 am
This is one of my favorite blogs – and certain has the best name! Does anyone know why she stopped posting?
March 27th, 2010 at 9:54 pm
Sell the Saturn and buy a $3000 to $4000 Honda Accord or Toyota Corolla.
I drive a 92 Accord 5 speed that has never ever failed on me in any significant way. I do have to put the average person’s equivalent of $600 of repairs in it per year (costs me a lot less because I do almost all my own work), but you have to do that with any car.
I intend to keep it another 5 to possibly 10 years, and I intend to “buy up” another 10ish-year-old car for 2000-3000 dollars when the time comes for replacement.
March 29th, 2010 at 11:05 am
A few months ago I sent her an email…no response either. I, too, think something has happened. Sending positive thoughts her way.
April 2nd, 2010 at 1:12 pm
I hope she’s okay…
May 19th, 2010 at 5:54 pm
We all miss you and worry about you. We all wish you’d come back. Our thoughts are with you.
May 24th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
When I turned 16 my dad acquired a new “toy” explaining it to my mother that I was so I would learn to drive a manual and not be scared of it. My mother agreed with him (amazing that Dad logic worked). My dad said later they got the 3rd car for them because they wanted me driving something reliable ( 6 year old Pontiac that my dad babied) instead of a cheap clunker that he would have to worry about and/or rescue me from all the time. That pontiac served us very well but when she started leaking anti freeze into the passenger foot compartment, it was time for her to move on. Family we sold her to drove her for 5 more years after fixing the antifreeze problem. My point is I guess a car you can trust to get you or your kid home is worth the extra pennies.
June 15th, 2010 at 4:47 pm
What, Oh What, has happened?
June 29th, 2010 at 3:36 pm
I tried Googling “Paid Twice” and variations of that to see if there was anything, but I can’t find it. But I can see that she hasn’t updated her Twitter for as long as she hasn’t updated her blog.
She was having a bad run what with her dad suddenly passing away–it’s just too awful if something happened to her, too.
Somebody must know something.
July 24th, 2010 at 1:46 am
I was just thinking the other day that I should check and see what Paid Twice is up to, and to my astonishment see that she has not posted in months here nor at her personal blog hugtwice.com. Seems really odd that she wouldn’t post for such a long time.
August 22nd, 2010 at 7:56 pm
Hey Paid Twice! Thinking of you and hoping all is well. Hope to see you posting again one of these days.
September 12th, 2010 at 9:03 pm
Hello to everyone, I wanted to let you all know I was able to get in contact with paidtwice. She gave me her permission for me to submit this comment and let everyone know she is alive and well and hopes to be blogging again eventually.
September 14th, 2010 at 12:08 pm
@ Mrs. Accountability – thank you so much for letting us know she is okay!! I still check in from time to time hoping for something new but just soooo relieved to know all is well. Please wish her TONS AND TONS of good luck and wishes.
September 15th, 2010 at 8:20 pm
Great! Sending you good thoughts, PT, and hope to see you in my RSS reader again soon!
September 17th, 2010 at 7:00 am
Yay! Thank goodness she is all right! I had visions of a car crash or some other horrendous accident………will keep checking for her return.
September 21st, 2010 at 12:14 pm
YAY!!! I’ve missed her so much – of all the blogs I follow, Paid Twice is the one I enjoyed the most. SO GLAD she’s ok. Wish you all the best, Paid Twice… hope to read you again soon!
October 12th, 2010 at 7:09 pm
Well…why’d she disappear like that? She just abruptly stopped posting for over a year.
November 1st, 2010 at 12:01 am
Hey! Just checked back: Thanks Mrs Accountability! Wish PaidTwice had taken the few moments to officially sign off. Life gets complicated.
November 19th, 2010 at 12:18 am
Financing cars through the bank, makes the bank happy. Paying cash doesn’t really help either. There are better ways to buy cars.
November 21st, 2010 at 3:42 pm
Whew! Glad she’s okay!
December 6th, 2010 at 3:43 pm
My name is Corina, and I have a blog http://www.moneymommablog.com.
I am starting to connect with other like-minded bloggers like you and just wanted to reach out and say hello.
Thanks and best wishes for a happy holiday season.
Corina McCoy
Moneymommablog.com
@moneymomma
February 15th, 2011 at 5:22 pm
Pick up a 20 year old BMW and it won’t let you down. I have a 1989 525i with 270,000 miles on it and it hasn’t let me down once.
Find an independent shop and parts/labor are not expensive.
Get a manual transmission model and it’ll run forever.