RIP Acadia

We bought our last new car just before Nick was born.  That was 8 years ago for those keeping track.  It was under conditions of extreme duress.  I was still a resident but only 6 weeks from becoming an attending (and receiving an attending's salary).  Our standby car had just blown its engine and then the other car blew its transmission.  Yes, we went to buy a new car in a rental car.  You know you don't have much negotiating power when you show up in a rental.  That whole situation left a searing imprint in my mind and I have no plans to ever repeat it.

Fast forward to the present.  The wonderful new car that we bought 8 years ago now has an oil leak and 150K miles.  "You know," I said to Tom, "I am an attending, we don't have to drive our cars until they die any longer.  We can maybe sell it and get a new one before it becomes an emergency."  No, said in a very gruff and ornery voice was Tom's reply.

We had a few heated discussions about the topic and then Tom proposed a deal.  We drive the car until November, put away all those months of car payments into savings and then buy a new one.  Tom will take care of all the maintenance, including adding oil when necessary.  OK, fine, I agreed because I was tired of fighting about it.

A few months later, while Tom was out of town on business I was driving the kids to school when the oil light went on.  Doh!!!!  By the terms of our agreement I should have let the engine seize but since Tom was out of town and I am a responsible person I stopped, bought oil and filled it up.  But you better believe I let Tom know that the agreement was broken and we needed a new car, NOW!

Old Car

Tom put me off and put me off. We had plenty of "discussions" about it but he is a stubborn one and evidently had an emotional attachment to this car that I didn't understand.  Finally, a few months ago it began acting weird, first when I was driving in reverse.  I got home from work and told him the car was acting up.  He, of course, dismissed my concern.  "You just want a new one.  It is fine."  He drove it around and told me that it was all in my head.  Hmm, I know what I experienced.  Of course he was leaving town again.  I am an old hand at taking care of the house while Tom is out of town and I also know that is the prime time for things to go wrong.  Under no circumstances will you leave me home alone with the broken car as my only transportation.  Ha, ha, Tom said. Fine you crazy lady.  I will take the car to the airport and you can shuttle the kids around in the small car for the week.  You are one dumb lady.  My response, Whatever, dude!

We enjoyed our week of close family bonding in the small car that actually works while the other, dangerous car sat in the airport parking lot.  Tom got home very late on Friday night.  In the morning when I looked outside the window, the car was parked halfway up the driveway.  Why isn't the car in the garage? I asked.  Well, Tom was behaving very sheepishly.  It might have died as I was driving home from the airport.  HA!!!!!

Yes, this car had blown its transmission and was now a hunk of rusting metal stuck in our driveway.  Oh boy, did I have a hayday with this one.  Not only was I right, but now we had to pay to have the car towed and then pay to have the transmission rebuilt so that we could sell it.  All the money we saved plus more went to the new transmission and now we have added pain and suffering to the mix as well.

Tom knew he no longer had a leg to stand on so meekly took his lumps and we finally bought a new car.  Just in time for our summer vacation road trip.  Whew!

New car.  Yes, it looks almost identical.