So today, I was going to a work outing at a local park about a half hour away. My coworker & I were in my car on a very major highway (I-95) with lots of traffic when my car suddenly died. There was a loud bang, something MAY have fell off the bottom and tons of smoke started pouring out. We were able to get safely to the shoulder & as we did, a guy on a motorcyle (who had been behind us) yelled "your car is on fire!"
We hopped out of the car. I did not see flames, but there was a LOT of smoke. I called 911 and received help from the fire dept & the police. I called another coworker & asked them to stop & pick up my friend that had been riding with me.
The policeman gave me a ride home, I used my limited AAA membership to have the car towed. (extra miles since I wanted it towed more locally probably will cost about $30).
The tow truck took the car to the wrong repair place (they were right next to each other). So they fixed their mistake - but it meant the repair place couldnt look at the car today.
My car insurance wanted to start a claim, but it wasn't an accident, so I don't know that they will help me out at all. I will find out tomorrow what the issue is. But what I do know, is that the car is most likely a goner.
I do not have the savings to be able to buy a new to me car outright. So I am going to look into my options. I certainly do not want a car payment, but to get any kind of reliable vehicle, I may have to get a small one. I will take my time figuring it out.
My parents very nicely let me borrow one of their cars for tomorrow. I had plans to work 7am to 2pm & then meet friends to go to a Dave Matthews Band concert. We're tailgating & I'm bringing some beer from the fridge, but the tickets are already taken care of, so I shouldnt have much out of pocket.
My friends are driving, so I will bring the car back to my moms & my friends will pick me up there. They live in the same neighborhood as my parents, so they will drop me back there after the concert & I will crash on my parents couch.
Tonight when I got home, there was a problem with my kitchen sink. Its been tempermental since there's a problem with the garbage disposal. My dad is nice enough to volunteer to come over Friday morning (I already had the day off planned) and help me try to fix it.
So ugh, I have a bunch of extra expenses now. I'm going to emergency superfrugal mode and plan to spend AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE. Wish me luck!
Plans Change - My Car is probably dead
July 1st, 2010 at 01:00 am
July 1st, 2010 at 04:11 pm 1277997086
July 1st, 2010 at 04:38 pm 1277998737
July 1st, 2010 at 06:47 pm 1278006465
July 2nd, 2010 at 01:13 am 1278029614
July 2nd, 2010 at 09:06 pm 1278101187