Good News or Bad?

On Saturday my little sister, Maiby and I were driving down to Pullman to watch my brother race his first 1/2 marathon. Right before we reached Tensed, a warning light came on. I had Stephanie read in the owners manual about the light and we decided that we would probably be okay to keep driving until Tensed and then call someone. Well, Tensed is a pretty lame town, at least to break down in, because not only did we not have cell phone reception anywhere nearby, they apparently do not even have a pay phone, and no car repair place. So we tried to decide what to do - what could we do but keep going?!! No one knew where we were, my dad and brother didn't have reception at the race, so all we could do was leave messages for them, the baby was crying---so I decided to keep going to Potlatch, where, we were told, they had a repair shop.

Well, about 7 miles later, there was a big pop and a ton of smoke out the back, but we still didn't have reception and the road shoulder was not wide enough to stop on. So we plodded on, going almost 40 up the next hill and praying like crazy that we would make it. We were actually able to make it to Potlatch, but I didn't want to stop at the Grange Supply gas station because it looked like there was a garage not too much farther away. Needless to say, we didn't make it there...the car completely died - not even the emergency blinkers were working. Maiby was getting hungry, so I had Steph make a bottle and I went to find help.

We were very lucky to talk to a man at the Napa store who used to be a mechanic...what a blessing he was. He drove back to the car, checked it out, and told me what the problems were (the water pump was out, the alternator belt, as well as who-knows-how-permanent overheating damage). I called my brother-in-law who came and picked us up and had his dad tow the car to his brother's house so it was out of the way and easier to reach. My father-in-law called while we were waiting for this rescue, and he said he would be able to help us get the car to Lewiston, where we were heading for an hour or two after the race anyway.

Long story short, Maiby and I have had an unexpected stay in Lewiston with our family here. She was able to get some clothes from her cousin, and I am just washing mine a lot. The car is in the shop, to see how much it will cost and the extent of the damage.

I was able to talk to James about this problem yesterday, thank goodness. We have decided that a new car is the order of the day. So now the "only" decision I have to make is whether or not to repair the car or just try to sell it with all the problems it has now. And, what car to buy. That decision is the one that will be the most difficult, because I have never before looked at cars or bought one. Luckily my dad is available and willing to help me make this decision.

So, is it good news or bad? We will be getting a new car out of the deal, so I suppose it can't be all bad. And, who knows? It may be easier for me to decide on the car, since I don't have to worry James liking it or not until he comes home...