Hooptie Grumbles
Today, I took my car into the shop. Last week, my driver’s side door handle stopped working. Having gotten spanked at DMV on Friday, I took the car into the shop to see what a new door handle was going to cost.
After disassembling my door, the mechanic at my local shop told me, at first, that the new handle would be $55 plus labor. The local Chevy dealer (my car is such a beast) would have ordered the part, slapped on the new door handle, and let me drive it home only to find it not working. This mechanic double-checked the inside of the door and determined that the door latch would have to be replaced, too. Parts: $300. This mechanic gets extra points for being far more thorough.
Many of you have ridden in my car. I drive a purple (yeah, about the same color as my header) 1994 Chevy Cavalier Z24. After today’s news, the list of things that need repaired on the car are extensive. Off the top of my head:
- Driver’s side door latch and handle.
- Driver’s side window motor (it takes about half an hour to roll the window up, an inch at a time with 40 second pauses between each inch).
- Passenger side mirror (I hate it when they put columns in parking garages).
- Main intake manifold (so says the dealer).
- Starboard (heh) front axle bearing.
- Turn signal flasher (after the fuckers at the local Chevy dealer replaced it three times, soaking me with a large bill each subsequent time).
Each item on this list will cost $300 to repair, at minimum. According to Edmunds.com, in mint condition, my car is worth about $1500. In the condition it’s currently in, it’s worth about $500. Continuing to pour money to constantly repair a $500 car is stupid. It’s time to find something new. I’ve driven the Z24 130,000 miles over the 11 years I’ve owned it.
I think the easiest course of action will be to donate the car. I’ll probably get a tax write-off worth more than what I’d get if I sold the car. What charities do we like?
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