Summer of car trouble

"The Summer of Car Trouble" may be the title I'd choose for Summer of 2016. Although maybe that's a bit extreme. It makes it sound like I kept having car breakdowns, week after week. I've only actually had one break down. Problem is...that breakdown came at a bad time when I simply do not have the cash to pursue repairs, not even cheap and cheerful fixes. (Maybe it's a Murphy's Law type law—the chances of car breakdowns are inversely proportional to your ability to pay for repairs!) So I've been without a car since June.

It has been a pain, but I try to tell myself that I could be worse.  The car broke down on my driveway, and not some random parking lot, which saved a towing bill and a ton of stress. There is public transportation—while service is limited, at least I can get do everything I currently need to do.

Things could be worse. Far worse.

Of course things could also be better. Far better.

A big pain is the question of what to do next. This car was a rock bottom used car. It is now 20 years old, and has nearly 300,000 miles. This car is the sort you buy as a local puddle hopper, and that you drive without making too many long term plans that involve that car. So...it may be time to bid farewell. (Even though, as I stated before, I like the idea of repairing rather than replacing things. But at some point, it's time to move on.) Then, again, it might not be time to move on.

It's very likely the current issue is reasonably simple. But there are other issues facing the car. And it's anyone's guess how much it will cost to address everything. It may be cheap. It may be prohibitively expensive. And given the age and miles, more problems may be coming my way.

I keep see-sawing on whether or not I want to pursue repairs. I think the following regularly: This car is the best I've ever owned! But there are some things I don't like! Practically, it could easily be cheaper to repair than replace! But it could also cost more to repair than replace. But repairing might still be better—it's the devil I know. Any car I can afford any time soon will be old, and will likely have issues. I wish the day would come that I could have a car that would be good enough to be more than a local puddle hopper. Something I could take, without thinking, on a long road trip! Cheap cars can be stressful. Maybe I should just forget cars, and just plan to use buses for the rest of my life. But that's easier said than done, at least if you live where I do.

I never come to any hard and firm conclusions, no matter how many times I run this dialog through my mind.

Perhaps fall will bring some answers...