Getting to Know You

I am totally stealing this blog post from Leanne Banks over at Riding with the Top Down but it was so good I figure she won't mind since I'm linking back to her.

Y'all know a lot about me, but there's more. And we'd like to get to know you. One random commenter will win a book from my stash. I'm looking forward to reading your answers, and please feel free to elaborate.



1. Are you

A. A dog person

B. A cat person

C. Your home is a no-pet zone

2. Are you a

A. City person

B. Country person

C. Burbs

3. Do you prefer

A. Country music

B. Rock music

C. Classical music

4. Are you a

A. Beach person

B. Mountain person

C. Lake person













5. When given a choice, you would choose to watch the following television shows:

A. Castle

B. American Idol

C. Harry’s Law

D. Glee

E. Just stick a pencil in my eye

6. Your favorite spectator sport is:

A. Football

B. Baseball

C. Basketball

D. Just stick a pencil in my eye

7. Your dream car is

A. An expensive Italian sports car

B. A BMW

C. A Tesla Roadster (electric roadster)

D. A car that runs on cow poo

E. Give me a horse










8. Your favorite non-alcoholic beverage is:

A. Coffee

B. Tea

C. Soda

D. Water

9. The craziest person currently featured in the media is:

A. Moammar Gadhafi

B. Charlie Sheen

C. Lindsay Lohan

D. All of the above

E. Other (name names ~g~)

10. If you could have dinner with one man other than your husband, it would be:

A. Abraham Lincoln

B. Steven Tyler

C. Barack Obama

D. Glenn Beck

E. Your son

F. Other (name names ~g~)

My answers? 1. I like cats but don't have one now. 2.Burbs. I like trees AND close proximity to shopping. 3. I like most types of music with a couple exceptions. 4. Mountains. 5. Castle for sure! And while I didn't think I was going to enjoy the new AI judges, I'm enjoying Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez. 6. Baseball. I watched it with my daddy when I was little and still enjoy the game. I really need to support the local farm league team this summer. 7. The car I have -- it gets good mileage and most importantly, it's paid for! 8. Tea. I like it iced and sweetened and with lemon. I also like it hot with sugar and milk. 9. All of the above. I could also name names but I won't. 10. Since I have no husband any more (and it's my game), I could pick my favorite hunk Hugh Jackman, but instead I pick Barack Obama. This isn't any sort of political statement, just that I think it would be fascinating to have dinner with the president. Dinner with my sons is a given -- any time I can arrange it.

Your turn!

P.S. Summer is the winner from Instigator's St. Patrick's Day contest. She got all the answers correct! Please email Instigator to claim your prize.

A Painful and Expensive Lesson Learned

I have recently survived a minor ordeal that, while frustrating and expensive, was also time consuming. Now that I have been able to put it behind me, I thought it best to share my story so you don't make the same dumb mistakes I did.

Apparently, my old car being my first purchase, I did not really grasp the whole concept of a title. I did, but I didn't. I knew the car had one, but that my leinholder had it until the car was paid off. When I made the last payment they sent me something. Maybe a title, I don't know. I'm more inclined to say it was a lien release, not the actual title. Whatever it was didn't look official and important enough for me to take note. I was unaware I was supposed to 'do' something with it. So, basically, I immediately lost it.

No thought was given to this for five more years. When the car blew up, I considered selling it to a junk yard or a friend of DB's. When DB asked about the title, I made that Tim the Toolman sound. "Errh?" Title. Uh, don't have that. Thought you could junk a car without one. Nope. They have to make sure they aren't purchasing a stolen, stripped car.

Ok, no problem. Went on the Alabama DMV site, downloaded the replacement title form and got a money order for $15. Went in and the lady told me they didn't have my title. Why not? The car was registered in Alabama for 9 years? Certainly they had something. Turns out, they requested it from my lienholder and they never responded. Awesome.

So I went to the Nevada DMV site and called to confirm they had a copy. Hallelujah, they did. But to get it, I'd need a letter from my lienholder showing my title was now clear ($17 + 7-10 days). I'd also need a notarized letter saying I'd lost my title and needed a replacement (free with my bank, thank goodness). Mail that along with a check for $35 and I could get it in 4 to 6 weeks. I could also expedite it by express mailing the request and paying to have it express mailed back ($18 each way).

Get the letter from Ford, mail it at the post office and wait. Somehow, express took 1 day there but took 4 days back, but there's no refunds of course. They come to deliver it, DB is home and waiting, but she just leaves the 'missed you' note thinking he's asleep (we have a day sleeper tag) so I have to leave work early the next day to go claim it at the post office (since I work 7:30 to 5 and the PO is open 8:30 to 4).

Ok, so, title in hand, I march back to the DMV triumphantly. The woman says "do you have the car here?" Uh, no. It doesn't run and its stranded at the dealership. Oh, well, they can't accept an out of state title without a vehicle inspection. Ok, so is it supposed to magically levitate? No, I have to get a police officer to inspect the car and fill out the form. Once I come back with it, it will take 4 to 6 weeks. I said lots of ugly things and left in a huff.

Driving to the dealership, on the phone with the police station, I finally get an office to meet me out there. I got voicemail the first time and was certain I was doomed to not get it done that day. But I did, got the car inspected, and returned to the DMV, where I got ugly looks from the ladies when I walked in. One even went on break when I was next in line, so apparently they did not appreciate my attitude. I didn't appreciate theirs, either.

Turn in the form. They try to give me grief about needing my mother's signature since her name is on it. We have a long discussion about "or" versus "and" and that we were an "or" and therefore, did not need her permission. (Which I REALLY didn't want to get since her name had since changed and I could just imagine they'd want more forms filled out for that.) Finally, we have a breakthrough and we move forward. I write a check for $18.75 and she tells me it usually doesn't take 4 weeks, but that with the holiday it might take two or more. Ok, fine.

Glorious, glorious, the title has arrived. Now, a month and a half and $121.75 later, I can finally sell my car for a whopping $350. Hardly seems worth the effort, really. I had considered several times just setting the car on fire and being done with it. But, alas, a lesson learned. Keep up with your titles! Its important. I'd been passively car shopping for a long time. Had I known this was going to be an issue, I would've gotten the ball rolling on the title thing months ago. But no, it wasn't until the car blew up that I realized this was a problem. You don't want to try and get those things replaced at the last minute. There is no last minute, only 4-6 weeks later.

Any lessons learned lately that you'd like to share? Spread your wealth of knowledge and save us all a couple trips to the DMV.

SP

The Time Had Come

I've been driving the same car for about ten years - a 2000 Ford Focus. Actually, it would be ten years on December 15, 2010, so just a little short. I bought that car after my new one was rearended and totalled out by a stolen car with no insurance on October 28, 2000. Funny that I would remember the date, even a decade later.

Cause when I left work on Thursday (October 28, 2010) and went out to start my car, something interesting happened. To me, it made an attrocious noise and wouldn't start. That = bad. To anyone with car knowledge the sound was my engine coming apart. The tow truck guy said I had a hole in my oil pan about the size of an engine rod. A rod that should be inside my engine case and never come near my oil pan, much less puncture it. That = bad. It got towed to the dealership, but as I watched my car disappear, I knew that was it for her. My $600 car was not going to get a new $4400 engine.

So I took off work Friday and took a field trip to Decatur to a car dealership. I've been shopping and thinking and worrying about buying a new car for a while. It was having problems - not sure if the problems caused the engine blow out or of the engine problems were the source of the other issues I was having but either way, moot point now. Everyone kept asking when I was going to do it, but I was having trouble pulling the trigger. My paid for car was still running. When it stopped running, it was very easy to walk into the dealership and sign my life away.

But, drama aside, I have a new SUV!
Isn't she pretty? She's a sparkly dark blue with silver pinstriping and gray interior. She doesn't have any bells and whistles, but she has everything I wanted and didn't have in my other car - power windows, cruise control, more horsepower, more cargo room, and an auxillary jack for my iPhone. Now that I've finally done it, I'm very relieved to have reliable transportation. At least until the first payment is due...

What have you been procrastinating about? Ever had fate push you to finally make a decision?

SP

PS. Be sure to stop in Monday because we're having the Playground's 5th birthday celebration! Come party with us!

Used Car Dealers: The Anti-Hero

I need a new car.

I'm not desperate yet. The one I have still runs, although it has its moments. Most recently it has a phantom fuel problem. Nothing that ever happens at the shop or in any consistent way that I can pinpoint. But it runs. Its paid for. Insurance and registration are way cheap. Hasn't stranded me on the side of the road... yet.

But I need a new car.

I bought my Ford Focus in December 2000. It's almost ten years old and will have hit the 150k mark on the odometer by the time its birthday rolls around. She's been a good little car. Any problems she had were more to do with the fact that she was the first model year than anything else. Once most the kinks were worked out, she's been quite the trooper. Even if I bought something new, I'd keep her. Let DB drive her to work instead of his gas hog of a truck. Have an extra car in case one needs work done on it (likely in our bunch.)

My list of requirements is short. I just want more power (V6), to be higher (SUV), to have power windows (my car was the last to roll off the lot without them), cruise control, and an auxillary input for my iPhone. I don't ask for much. A lot of cars fit the criteria. The problem is buying a new car. Or a used car. Nevermind that it makes me nauseated to think of the $500 a month payment (for a low end model) or the quadrupling of my insurance and registration costs. I'm slowly coming to terms that it isn't 1993 and cars don't come new for $13k anymore. I've just gone too long without a car payment.

The problem, really, is car lots and car salesmen. I hate them. I hate the haggling dance. The buddy buddy attitude that's slick as oil and turns on you the minute they think you're onto their game. I'd considered buying a used car. Thought it could save me some depreciation and get me more car for the money. Went to a local lot with a no-haggle policy. Found a car I liked. Was on the verge of buying it, until the test drive uncovered a noise that was either crappy tires or a wheel bearing problem. Expensive no matter how you pick it. But they wouldn't fix it. Not until after I bought it (if they could find a problem.) The car has such a fabulous warranty that they were sure they could clear up the issue (if there was one and it was covered by said warranty) after I'd ponied up over twenty grand.

Nope. Walked away. Broke my heart cause I really liked the car, but I wasn't going to set myself up for headaches with them. Now I'm thinking maybe just buying new would be better. Get model end clearance deals and rebates on a new, lower end model that might bring the cost in line with a used one with more features. I don't need leather and a panoramic sunroof anyway. There'd be warranties. Less bugs. Hopefully less lying and hassle. I'd still debating.

In the meantime, my little car will just have to do. I refuse to be rushed and cajoled into this. How did you buy your last car? Any suggestions or recommendations? New? Used? Leased? I'm in the market for a mid-size SUV/crossover (Ford Edge, Nissan Murano, Honda CRV, Toyota Rav4, etc.) if you have any tips or experience with one of these to share.

SP

Men and Cars - UPDATE

This must be the week for playground rants. For the last two weeks I've had car troubles. Well, not really car troubles but mechanic incompetence. Five weeks ago I had the tires rotated. And when they air wrenched the nuts back onto the bolts they stripped five of the ten front lug nuts. Three on the right and two on the left. This will be important in a minute.

I've been pestering DH for weeks to change the brake pads. He prefers to do it himself instead of paying someone else to do it. He's changed the van's brakes several times in the last couple years (I'm a little tough on brakes :0)). This time, however, the lug nuts on the right stopped him cold. In fact, he snapped one of the bolts in two. With a manual wrench. And threw out his back in the process. Sweet Pea was sitting on the stairs to the house. Did he call out and ask her to run inside and get me? Noooo. Why would he do that? Pig headed man.

After he finally levered himself up off the ground he forced the other bolts back onto the wheel. I went to Sears the next morning - after playing musical cars to get my girls to school on time - and spent $125 bucks to have those 3 fixed. Yes, we thought about taking the car back to the place that the problem started but...I really didn't want them touching my car again.

So this weekend, thinking the problem was finally fixed, DH got all his tools out, changed the brake pad on the right side and...couldn't get 2 nuts off the left side. He'd loosened them before and didn't think they were stripped. He was wrong. He borrowed an air wrench, forced one of them off, broke the other one, and fixed the brakes. So now I have new brakes and a broken lug nut. I don't even want to think about the rear tires. There's no telling how many of them are stripped.

So at some point in the next week I have to fit a trip to the repair place into my schedule. Just what I needed. There is a lesson in all of this...never get your tires rotated at an express oil place.

Anyone else have car nightmares to share?

Instigator

In all my angst over the car I forgot to post that we have a guest blogger tomorrow. *slaps forehead* We're very excited to have Rachel Vincent with us! Be sure and stop by.