I have a 1997 Pontiac Grand Am. I’ve had it since 2001. It’s my 3rd car, but the first that I got all on my own. My first car (also a Grand Am) was one that Dad found for me, paid the insurance, and made payments on (I was still in college). My second car (a Chevy Celebrity if memory serves me correctly) that Dad again found and paid insurance on, but I made payments on. This car I found all on my own and had the keys in hand before Dad even saw it (he came up that day to take a look at it, but I just couldn’t wait … LOL). I made all the payments and pay the insurance. It’s completely paid off now.

When I got it, it had around 60,000 miles or so. It now has 113,800 miles. So I’ve put it through its paces. For the most part, it’s been a good car. But for the past couple of years, it’s been slowly driving me crazy, and I call it a POS quite often. The biggest thing has been starting it. Some times it would start great, but when I started driving, it would die. And some times it just didn’t seem to want to start, but once I got it going, it was all fine and dandy. I knew it had to be something with the fuel system, but I just never had the money to get it taken care of.

Now that I have this new (but old) job, I have more money. And I didn’t spend all of my tax refund. So I had a good amount stored up in my checking and a good amount in my savings. Since it’s warmed up again, I decided to take it in (since the shop is within walking distance). I needed an oil change anyways, and the last time I got an oil change, they told me that the transmission fluid needed to be flushed (apparently it was getting pretty icky). I also told them to check things out and figure out what was causing the rough idle (if replacing the spark plugs didn’t take care of it).

The repair shop guy called me mid-morning to let me know what was up. Apparently the fuel pressure regulator was leaking. That’s what was causing the issues I was having. It was kinda spendy, but it needed to be done. And I had the funds to do it. So I told him to go ahead and replace it.

So, all said and done, I had the oil changed, the transmission fluid exchanged (total fluid exchange), spark plugs replaced, fuel filter replaced, and fuel pressure regulator replaced. He said it would cost me $401.08, but since I’ve got AAA (it’s on Dad’s account, but I pay him the dues), I got a 10% discount. All told, it cost me $357.81. So my car should be happy now. It did start really nice when I got in it. I didn’t even have to hit the accelerator to get it started like I’ve had to in the past.

The only thing remaining (well, hopefully the only thing) is the brakes. The repair shop told me that the front brake rotors were warped. So, I need to replace the rotors and pads. He said that would cost around $200, so I didn’t do it right now. But I plan to get that taken care of within the next 2 weeks. I get paid on Thursday, and I should get my rebate next Friday or around that time. So I’ll have the money to get the brakes taken care of. Then all will be happy with my car.

On Sunday mornings, I usually go out and get a Sunday paper … mainly for the store ads. When I went this morning, I had a little surprise. There’s a parking spot next to my garage. While walking to my garage, I noticed something on the ground in that spot that didn’t look right. It was black, but it wasn’t fluid. It was glass. The vehicle parked in the spot had it’s back window busted out. I decided that when I got home from the store, I’d call and report it. It turns out that the owner of the vehicle has to report the vandalism. I have no idea who’s car that is. If I did, I’d knock on their door and let them know. I tried to do a good deed, but failed. Oh well. At least I tried and didn’t ignore it.

I’m not sure if it was a random thing or not. None of the other vehicles in the lot appear to be vandalized. But I can’t get a good look at some from my balcony … at least not the backs of them. But this hit WAY to close to home. That’s right next to my garage. What if it had been some crazy person who had managed to break into my garage? My car could have been trashed too (not that it’s the best car, but it’s still getting me where I go … most of the time … LOL). I just don’t know why people do shit like that. But I’m definitely glad that I have a garage.

Now that I have my laptop, the next thing I need to start saving for is my car. No … not a new car. Maintenance on my car. I just took it in for an oil change. They told me that it has a rough idle (duh … I’ve noticed … LOL) and that the transmission fluid is rather dirty and needs a flush. I think he said that runs about $150. Didn’t say anything about cost for the rough idle problem. And the window on the driver’s side doesn’t always like to keep working. I guess they rolled it down for whatever reason and couldn’t get it back up. But it always eventually goes back up (at least so far it has). When I got in, it rolled right up. He mentioned the regulator, I believe it was, and said that runs like $500. For a frickin’ window in a car door. Damn. Now I wish I had manual windows.

I had been planning on storing away money for a house. I know that I’m a long way from being able to get one, but I really wanted to start saving now. I would so love to get out of apartment living. But I guess that will have to go on the back burner for a little while. Gotta make sure I have a running car. It’s a good thing that I work from home now … less wear and tear on the car.

There’s always something waiting to take that extra cash. When do I get to stop living paycheck to paycheck?

When I got my oil changed last, I went to a different location (got sick of Jiffy Lube). They’ve got a car wash there, and they gave me a card for a free car wash (the cheapest one, but still … it’s a free car wash). I was a little leery about going through it. I went through it only one other time. And it broke down that time with my car IN the car wash. They sent me across town to a sister store to finish my car wash. By that time the soap had dried on my roof and left nice marks. I think they’re FINALLY gone (this happened a couple years ago).

But my car was a little dirty. After parking at the fair grounds during the fair, my car needed a bath. So I decided to stop on my way home from work (since I drive past it on the way). I went in to get my code and then drove around back to go through. I punched in my code and rolled up my window. I rolled up my window. WHY THE HELL WON’T MY WINDOW GO UP??

I’ve mentioned previously that my driver’s side window sometimes just dies. But it’s been fine for quite some time. And it picks today of all days to die. When I’m waiting to go through a car wash. A car wash that throws water all over my car. If the window doesn’t go up … I’M GONNA GET WET!!

Luckily it was only about 1 inch to 3/4 inch from being closed. I pushed it up and kept trying to roll it up. By the time the soapy water hit, it was only open a crack. And I managed to get it completely closed before the water rushed faster. Only a little soap and water leaked in. Thank goodness for that. I really thought I was gonna get soaked. Damn gremlins.

It is so gorgeous outside today. I ran some errands right after dinner. I wore my coat when I left, but took it off and left it in the car after I left Walmart. Weather Pulse (the program I use for weather updates) says its 59° outside. But according to the thermometer I have out on my balcony, it’s about 67° out. Whichever one is correct, I don’t care. It’s just frickin’ nice out.

I hate running errands on Saturdays in this town. Everyone else and their dog is out (and I can say that today because I saw someone with a dog in the parking lot of Gordmans when I went there). I get stuck behind someone who doesn’t know how to drive. And Walmart is a mad house. It’s not as bad when I go around 10am, but I was watching Busch Series qualifying this morning (I actually got up at 8am or so … so I WAS up early), so I waited ’til after dinner to go. I’m gonna wait ’til Monday after work to do the rest of my shopping.

Who needs a man? Not me. Okay … maybe there are some things I need one for (and I’ll let you use your imagination on that one … but then again, maybe that’s not a good thing either … LOL), but I don’t need one to change the air filter in my car. I can do that all by myself. But I had to run all over to get the damn air filter. The first place I went doesn’t carry Fram air filters … they only have the Fram oil filters. I have no idea why. The second place had it though, and that’s where I got it. I came home, parked outside, popped open the hood and went to work. Good thing I’ve got my toolbox in my trunk ‘cuz I needed my screwdriver. Very simple to change in my car. The old one was dirty, but no too terribly bad.

Keeping on the subject of my car … I still have no idea what the hell is up with the window on the driver’s side. It worked perfectly fine today. I rolled it down just a little bit when I was going from place to place. But I decided to stop at the ATM to get some cash, so I needed to roll down the window. I rolled it almost all the way down (didn’t want to push my luck) and then back up with absolutely no problem. No noise, no hesitation, nothing. So I don’t know. I probably won’t take it in anywhere until it acts up again. Hey … if it works, I’ll save my money for something else.

And there’s a bunch of stuff I’d like to get. Of course, I’d like to get a laptop, but I also want to get an elliptical machine or something like that. Nothing too fancy or expensive, but something to work out on. If I had something, then I’d have no excuse. If the weather was crappy, I could still hop on it and work out. I keep saying that I’ll go on walks, but that never lasts. I think Robin said she got her elliptical machine at Walmart for under $200. And they’ve got a 2nd Wind Exercise Equipment store in town that has used machines. It just depends on what I can find and how much it is.

Well, that’s it for now. I need to balance my checkbook and then watch the Busch race. I’ve got it on right now, but I’m not paying that much attention to it. But they are under caution, so nothing is really going on. I gotta figure out what I want for supper too. I was gonna roast up some chicken pieces and make soup, but I don’t know if I’m in the mood. I can always do that tomorrow.

THAT is the question. What is IT? IT is the motor for the driver’s side front window. I had some issues with it last fall where it didn’t want to move up OR down. It got worse a couple months ago. I went to the bank, rolled down the window (or tried to) and heard this screechy noise. Then the window wouldn’t move at all.

I called a couple repair places around town. It would cost anywhere between $175 and $300 to fix it … depending on where I take it. I figured I’d wait some time in April to take it in and see exactly what is wrong and get it fixed.

Well, when I came home from work for lunch today, I tried my window. It rolled down without any problem. I only rolled it down about an inch or 2 … I don’t want to tempt fate. I don’t know if it’s just that it hasn’t been used for so long that it’s all rested up or what. I’ll still take it in to at least get an estimate (I can get a free one at Meineke … and it’s not very far from my apartment.). Maybe there are only parts of the motor that need to be replaced and not the entire thing. I’m sure that’s wishful thinking on my part … but I can hope. If it doesn’t cost as much as the estimates I got, then that’s just more of savings that can go for a laptop and less time to get the amount I need.