Carmella's Hang Out

Today, I took my car in to have it looked at. We have done allot of our repairs at the shop before, and we trust them to do a good job, and not cheat us. {Another garage I took my car to last year, trashed my battery then told me I had done it and said they would not fix it. They also told me a bunch of junk about how the car should not be even driving, and tried to get us to pay thousands of dollars to have them fix it. This place, when I took my car in back in June of this year, told me over the phone, that it would be  $700 for the repair work they had done. When they called us back later, the price had jumped to 2,000, but when my Father told them how I had been told only 700, they stuck with that price. Ok, so while I know that may sound a bit fishy, we do trust them, and they have done good work for us in the past. The first place had done pretty much the same thing, told me one price over the phone, then jacked it up…..only they made us pay the huge price.}

Anyhoo….I was pretty sure it was the water pump, a bad part I figured since they had just replaced it in June. After waiting an hour and a half for the tow truck to get there, even when they told me tops 45 minutes, my car was in the shop and put up right away. I was late in getting to the shop, and found that they had already begun work on it. $100 worth of work….which sent me into tears since I had not ok’ed that and it was not me paying for it {if it had been the water pump, it would have been covered by them, so I had not worried about it….they had found something else though, and began to fix it} I was not pleased with that, but let my Dad deal with them since it was his money!! He ok’ed the job, since it was not the pump but the thermostat. It had gotten stuck they tell me, and was not allowing any water to cycle.

Half an hour after I had my Dad call them to talk about the $100, they called back to talk to him. The man with whom I had spoken to at the shop as the one calling, and told my Dad he wanted to talk to him instead of me, since he had seen how much I cried at the garage and knew what he had to say would break my heart.

Mandie is beyond our repair. *tears* {really….this is my first car…..and I’m a girl….I love that car….and hate having to give it up}

When it overheated, she blew a head gasket. There is no way that my Dad and I can afford to pay for the repair…..so I have to give her up.

I can not really tell you how sad this makes me feel. I really love my car, even though so many people have told me that a Neon is a rotten car!

I purchased this car with my own hard earned cash! I have babied her as much as I could…..and when you see her, there is just no doubt that she is my car!!! Allot of time, effort, work, and money has gone into that car in the two years since I bought her.

Her name is Mandie. Why? Because not long before I got her, my Grandad had to put down his little puppy named Mandy. I grew up knowing that dog, and it was a very hard time for him and many of us Grandkids when he had to let her go due to cancer. The first time I drove around in the car, she made this sound. The very same sound Mandy use to make. This neon is smaller than many cars…..Mandy was a tiny puppy. My car was already nearly 10 years old…..Mandy was a very old dog. The first time I drove my car to my grandparents house, I told Grampa that I had named the car Mandie after his dog, and his face lit up. He seemed very pleased that I would try and pay that honour to him.

And now, my Mandie has to be put down too.

Tomorrow, I have to go to the shop to clean all my stuff out. Where I am going to put all the things I stored in that car, I don’t know. I hope I can get the bumper stickers off it too. One was a gift from Mum for my last birthday and reads “Caution:Stunt Driver”. The other was a gift from Grant when I was in Texas and reads: “I’m a Pepper. Waco TX”

The car is covered in stickers, including one on the back of a fire ball: A sticker I had saved for years to be placed on my first car. The inside has little aliens, and a neopets Tiger from Tara super glued to the dash. My pin collection litters the ceiling. There are flame themed touches all over the place, showing off my pyro tendencies. Stuffed toys, gifts from some of the baggers that use to work at Meijer when I was an SC sit in the back seat, along with PJ my old puppy stuff toy from my Canadian Grandma. The lighter never worked, but I still got a little Teddy bear insert to stick in there, so there would not be that hole.

Today, while Kade and I sat inside the car waiting for the tow truck, I took some photos on my camera phone. One of the humming bird that hangs from the rear view mirror. Another one was of my reflection in the outside rear view,looking out of the driver side window. Kinda fitting that I made the humming bird photo the screensaver for my phone……and that I took them as black and whites!!

I have to wonder what I am to do next. I do trust that all is in God’s hands. He has never failed to take care of me…..and my car situation, in the past.

My family is now down to two vehicles. Three of us need to drive to work often to everyday, plus Mum and the kids need to go places sometimes also. We shall see how this goes at Christmas time! heh. We have done it before though, we can do it again.

The garage offered to buy the car from me, and I have to take them up on it. There is no other choice. Just to get it down there it cost $50, and I cant pay another $50 and hope I get the $200 back from all this.

Goodbye Mandie

 

{photo from 2004, right after I first got her}