Car notes, 2023-2026
Apr. 9th, 2026 09:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
chanalehIn November of 2014, when I got my first real job after moving back here from NYC, I bought a 2004 Chevy Aveo (bright red). It was never as beloved as my 2001 Echo (dark green) that I bought in 2006 and sold in 2011, but it was functional and affordable and cute.
In June 2023, three jobs later, the Aveo slipped its timing belt and died while I was on my way to work (fortunately on a side street and not on the highway). I spent an aggravating month at aggressive car shopping, and finally ended up with a 2020 Chevy Trax. At first I was going to go with an older and crappier one, so as to stay within budget, but then my parents both volunteered to step up and contribute, and a newer one showed up at the dealership right at that moment that fit the new budget, so I grabbed it. It's been pretty trouble-free (apart from the lady who rear-ended me half a mile from my house when I was stopped to let some geese cross in front of me in April 2024). But recently the engine light came on and the reader says it's the exhaust (catalytic converter). Gotta get that dealt with, but it's a ginormous pain in the ass. I am so over these repair shops that are only open weekdays 8am-4pm.
At the end of May 2025, I decided we were in a secure enough position to go replace Mr. Y's 2005 Ford Focus before it hit end of life; he had had it from new, and it didn't have anything seriously wrong with it yet, but was generally starting to fall apart. I found a black 2019 Chevy Trailblazer for what looked like a decent price (about the same as my Trax) and condition despite the fairly high mileage. For this, we could technically have paid cash but it would have meant draining most of our reserves, so in these uncertain times, I thought the better part of valor was to take out a loan for half and pay it off as quickly as comfortable. However, then he got an engine light after less than 6 months, and the local shop that he likes told us there's a flaw in the transmission in these models - not severe enough to merit a recall or service bulletin, but nevertheless known. Or should have been known by the dealership when they sold it to us. He's continued to drive it, but just last week, he was regaling me with tales of how the janky transmission needs to be babied along almost every time to get the car into gear. Fortunately once it's in Drive it seems to be fine??
So that's looming over our heads too. On the plus side, if/when we spring to replace the janky transmission, he should be good to go for a while. Given that he had his previous car for a full 20 years, that's not terrible.
Depending on how it goes with that, we're on track to get the thing paid off this year - or were, but now there's the matter of Ms. A needing to start braces this summer, not to mention the newly manufactured oil crisis recession, and aaugh.
In June 2023, three jobs later, the Aveo slipped its timing belt and died while I was on my way to work (fortunately on a side street and not on the highway). I spent an aggravating month at aggressive car shopping, and finally ended up with a 2020 Chevy Trax. At first I was going to go with an older and crappier one, so as to stay within budget, but then my parents both volunteered to step up and contribute, and a newer one showed up at the dealership right at that moment that fit the new budget, so I grabbed it. It's been pretty trouble-free (apart from the lady who rear-ended me half a mile from my house when I was stopped to let some geese cross in front of me in April 2024). But recently the engine light came on and the reader says it's the exhaust (catalytic converter). Gotta get that dealt with, but it's a ginormous pain in the ass. I am so over these repair shops that are only open weekdays 8am-4pm.
At the end of May 2025, I decided we were in a secure enough position to go replace Mr. Y's 2005 Ford Focus before it hit end of life; he had had it from new, and it didn't have anything seriously wrong with it yet, but was generally starting to fall apart. I found a black 2019 Chevy Trailblazer for what looked like a decent price (about the same as my Trax) and condition despite the fairly high mileage. For this, we could technically have paid cash but it would have meant draining most of our reserves, so in these uncertain times, I thought the better part of valor was to take out a loan for half and pay it off as quickly as comfortable. However, then he got an engine light after less than 6 months, and the local shop that he likes told us there's a flaw in the transmission in these models - not severe enough to merit a recall or service bulletin, but nevertheless known. Or should have been known by the dealership when they sold it to us. He's continued to drive it, but just last week, he was regaling me with tales of how the janky transmission needs to be babied along almost every time to get the car into gear. Fortunately once it's in Drive it seems to be fine??
So that's looming over our heads too. On the plus side, if/when we spring to replace the janky transmission, he should be good to go for a while. Given that he had his previous car for a full 20 years, that's not terrible.
Depending on how it goes with that, we're on track to get the thing paid off this year - or were, but now there's the matter of Ms. A needing to start braces this summer, not to mention the newly manufactured oil crisis recession, and aaugh.
