Driven to Distraction

My poor car has been falling apart all year and I got another $530 blow this afternoon. This is just one thing to fix before finding out the actual bill for the exhaust system will be. Needless to say I don't have $500 just lying around in ready cash. I found someone who will do the same work for $260 but not until Jan 2nd.

I don't want to buy another car. I love my car! I just want it to freaking WORK. I have poured money into it this year and am still admiring the shine of the paint on my brand new rear end. It is just the right size, has all the right gadgets, and every inch of if has a memory of some kind. The trunk? Full of memories of faires gone by. The back seats? Visions of hauling stock to soap shows for 4 years. The passenger seat? Dozer's perfect perch. The driver's seat? Memories of 110,000 miles traveling in CA, AZ and NV over the last 7 years.

On the other hand, the window doesn't roll up, the sunroof doesn't work right, the front axle needs to be replaced, the entire exhaust system is shot, I have never replaced any of the mysterious belts and now the intanke manifold has two leaky gaskets. I can't fix things before something else goes down.

I just want to burst into tears. I don't want a car payment, don't want to feel crap about my credit score, don't want to feel like I am being taken advantage of at the car dealership OR the mechanic. If only there was a train between home and work, I would switch to commuting! But it takes a bus (or two), a train, another bus and some walking to get from here to there, and takes about 4 hours each way.