The Summer of the Car(Windshield More Specifically)

This Summer is turning out to be all about the Cars here at Chez Sluggy.

Since May we've spent $1,153.01 on car repair and maintenance.
May-new tires, belts, tune-up and oil change on Hubs car.
June-windshield repair, new windshield on Hub's car.  Mystery problem on College Boy's car.
July-another windshield repair on Hub's car.
Can I say Ugh here?

The one that irks me the most is the windshield issues.

While passing through Pascagoula MS on our Louisiana road trip in May on I-10 a truck through up a rock(pebble sized)that hit our windshield and put a nice hole into it near the driver's side edge.

When we returned to PA Hubs went and had the glass place fix it but they thought it just needed filling.
We have $100 deductible for glass replacement on the cars so we paid $79.50 OOP for that repair.
Two weeks later we get into the car to take Hubs to his favorite brewpub during Father's Day weekend.
I mentioned that it looked like the crack had gotten a bit bigger.....maybe 1/2 and inch on one of the lines emanating from the hole that was filled.
Hubs said I was hallucinationg.
Right...........

So we go to the brewpub and when we went out to the car 2 hours later the crack, that Hubs said was NOT betting worse/longer, is now snaking halfway across the windshield........

I know it's difficult to see in this photo under those fluffy cloud reflections but it is there nonetheless.

So Hubs takes it back to the glass place and we pay another $25 to get the windshield replaced this time.  Same "repair event" so they only charge us the difference between what we paid for the fill and the balance of our deductible......except they charged us $25 instead off the actual difference which was $20.50.
sigh.

The windshield replacement was on June 22nd.
Not even two weeks later Hubs is going down the mountain to get to the Interstate here to go to work on July 5th and another pebble hits his windshield and puts a hole into it.
WTF?!?

So as of this past Monday we have another filled hole and we are out another $79.50.
And don't even mention that he should have bought a kit and fixed it himself.
I mentioned that both times the glass company were just going to fill the hole and he REFUSES to even consider doing it.
Men.
Can't live with them,
Can't kill them.
;-)

CB's car is going to be the death of me.  It keeps throwing Check Engine codes.  The dealership had the car last month for almost a week running diagnostics on it and driving it around and pulling things apart and putting them back together.  After a bill of $551+ they still can't figure it out!  They even called Corporate or whatever.  This car is now famous(or should that be infamous?)at this dealership.  They "think" it's a bad oxygen sensor.  I told Hubs if he takes it back in there will be no more extended "look see"by the dealership, just replace the sensor and we are DONE!  I am not putting that kind of money into this POS car again only to have no solution or fix to the problem.

It kills me that Hubs is so eager to throw money at a car problem(because he knows nothing about them when it makes no sense to dump good money after bad.

Have I ever said how much I detest cars and the $ they suck out of my wallet?

Sluggy

I Need a Shower

Why?
Because we went car shopping today.
And I feel dirty. lolz

I may not have mentioned this but I HATE shopping for cars.

We went to see if I could fit my fat ass in drive a Chevy Spark.
I haven't driven a compact car in years!

My timeline of cars Hubs and I have owner so far in our lives......

Chevette(new), Dodge Omni(new), Ford Escort(used), Chevy Caprice(used), Chevy Lumina APV(new), Ford Tempo(used), Kia Spectra(used), Dodge Caravan(new), Chevy Malibu(used), Toyota Corolla(used), Buick Century(used), Hyundai Elantra(used).

My cars have been the Chevette(1981), Caprice(1991), Lumina APV(1995) and the Caravan(2003).
I haven't driven/owned a compact car since 1990.

So we hiked over to a local dealer.

The Good news-I can fit in the Spark and can reach the pedals and everything.
Rah.
The Bad news-they only have 2.....a pale yellow one with a manual tranny and a black one with a automatic tranny.
I am not doing manual tranny here in the mountains and I don't want a black car so both of those are out.

We found out that no, you can't order one in a different color(a color they make it in)and no, they don't do dealer trades(find a car at a different dealer and they trade it to your dealer for something else that dealer needs for a customer).

Now I don't know if he was handing us a line or if this is how they do things in 2014.
We haven't bought a new car since 2003 so we are unfamiliar with standard practices nowadays at dealerships.

So I can't get my "Grape Ice" Spark, at least not from them.

But this dealer does have the next car up(in size), a Chevy Sonic in stock in a limited release color of Magenta.
It's no Lavender but it's close to Purple but on the pink side.

So we look at that one.
A bit roomier inside(not much)but there are lots more features to adjust the driver's seat and steering column.  There is more room in the backseat and the hatchback trunk area.
Same size engine, same number of cylinders and the gas mileage is marginally less than the Spark.

I could drive this one too.
But it does have a sun roof, which I don't like.
Those are just another electronic thing to break and somewhere the car can leak(and with my luck, it WILL! lolz)

I crinkle my nose at the salesman as he goes on and on about the sunroof.
Get a clue guy....you are losing me the more you go on about this "feature".

Here is the Sonic in question.....I think I would have to name it "Hedgehog" even though it's not royal blue.....lol

Then they started the ol' hard sell back in the office.
2 trips out to "confer" with the manager and we get a bottom line price of $18,445 cash out the door with tax and tags.

We walked out of there without a new car.
I just wasn't sold on this one.
He kept saying it's the only one and they don't make this color anymore trying to get me to take the deal NOW.

Nope.

So we get home and I go on the dealers website and guess what I see?

A Grape Ice(lavender) Spark for $14,445(before t&t).

Either they lied about not having the car in the color I wanted or they seriously need to update their website.
It was too late to call them on it since they were closed for the day by the time we got home.

So I went on the Chevy dealers website in a city 45 minutes from here and they are showing a Grape Ice Spark for an internet special price of $14,070(before t&t-which should add another $1300 or so).

I'll be calling them tomorrow morning to see if this car is actually on their lot.
If so, we'll be riding down there to see what we can get it for.

Or I could just buy this little number I found in the model showroom at the local dealer.......

This Camaro Convertible just screams ME, doesn't it?
Not a very frugal price though at $36K+ and with horrible gas mileage........ouch.
But oh, wouldn't I look HAWT driving this thing?

Did I mention how I HATE buying cars yet?

Sluggy