car update/photos and a bonus cute photo
Aug. 16th, 2010 09:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
Sorry for blurriness, but it is so hard to get photos of the two of them together because they're constantly moving! Anyway, a recent cute photo of Talis and Jaime. I like to pretend they always get along this well.
Also, a wacky coincidence... I got contacted by someone whose name is Jaime, and her fiancee's name is Talis. O.o She found my LJ because she was searching for her wedding site or something. Anyway, she asked for a couple of photos of my pets because she wanted to share with friends/family about "the other Talis and Jaime," which is a cute idea. But how crazy is that?! Talis and Jaime, getting married! LOL. Makes me want to dress up my pets in little wedding outfits. But I won't.
The car saga seems resolved, for now. Knock on a lot of wood.
I picked up the Pontiac from the Nissan dealership on Friday. They made me sign a form that said I understood this was a one-time fix only, that they did as a courtesy (due to my threatening to be a huge PITA). Joe said, "I'm going to be candid. It's an older car and it IS going to break down again in the future." Which, of course, is something I realize. I just hadn't expected it to break down the day after it left their lot.
I left the car at work overnight, then the next day my mom and I picked it up. We drove a couple miles to a local lube place I've used before, when I had my Corolla -- I remembered their oil change to be really inexpensive and I had liked the guys there. The oil change was $25, which I think beats even Wal-Mart's price. I asked them to let me know if they found anything else wrong with the vehicle. They said the car was leaking oil from at least 3 different places, and if I planned to keep the car, I should probably fix them (I guess the valves were bad), but if I wasn't going to keep it, then maybe not. I asked how much it would cost to fix; they quoted $660. I asked if the car was dangerous to drive. They said no, but that it would use oil a lot faster than normal. So I'm probably not going to do any repairs. Even if I changed the oil every month for $25, that would be much more cost effective considering I'm not planning to keep the vehicle. Also, if at this point that is the worst thing that can be said about the car, it's more than I could have hoped for.
My mom and I opted not to take it on the freeway, and drove it home (well, she drove it, following me) on surface roads. It made it home, and I have been able to use it a couple of times for short-distance trips, so, so far it seems to be doing OK. *crosses fingers*
Many people have advised me to sell or trade in the car as soon as possible (after I get the title). If I sell it privately, I'll disclose what I know of its recent problems and that it needs those valves replaced. I'll bet some car-minded person could fix those valves at very little cost, since most of the expense is in labor. Alternatively, I could trade it in at a dealership for another vehicle (a Japanese car for sure, if I go this route), and will likely get much less for it, but without the hassle of selling it privately. I can't sell OR trade it until I have the title, though, so hopefully the car will hold out at least until then.
I finally took some photos of both cars. What's disconcerting is that the Pontiac looks much better in the photos than it does in real life. It's way junkier in real life, trust me. And the Lexus doesn't look as nice as it does in person. Digital photography, the great equalizer! You can see larger versions of the photos if you click.
Left side, exterior:
Not much to say, they are what they are. There's a long scratch on the side of the Pontiac, not sure if you can see that.
Right side, exterior:
Bad lighting due to the bright, bright sun.
Instrument panels:
Teehee @ the mileage difference. The Pontiac's is the traditional instrument panel. On the HS, the left gauge is an indicator of how the car is using its energy.
Left side, interior:
You can't really tell in this photo, but some of the buttons in the Pontiac are cracked/faded. Same with the wheel. Note it has a CD player and an anti-theft device. LOL. I would have preferred power windows/locks! On the HS: navigation panel up top, various other controls, and then the 'mouse' at the bottom. You can also see the tiny gear shift immediately to the right of the steering wheel. It's that thing you don't think is a gear shift. :))
Right side, interior:
Ditto the above, but with harsher shadows due to the lighting. Bleh. Gray cloth for the Pontiac; black leather for the HS.
Also, a wacky coincidence... I got contacted by someone whose name is Jaime, and her fiancee's name is Talis. O.o She found my LJ because she was searching for her wedding site or something. Anyway, she asked for a couple of photos of my pets because she wanted to share with friends/family about "the other Talis and Jaime," which is a cute idea. But how crazy is that?! Talis and Jaime, getting married! LOL. Makes me want to dress up my pets in little wedding outfits. But I won't.
The car saga seems resolved, for now. Knock on a lot of wood.
I picked up the Pontiac from the Nissan dealership on Friday. They made me sign a form that said I understood this was a one-time fix only, that they did as a courtesy (due to my threatening to be a huge PITA). Joe said, "I'm going to be candid. It's an older car and it IS going to break down again in the future." Which, of course, is something I realize. I just hadn't expected it to break down the day after it left their lot.
I left the car at work overnight, then the next day my mom and I picked it up. We drove a couple miles to a local lube place I've used before, when I had my Corolla -- I remembered their oil change to be really inexpensive and I had liked the guys there. The oil change was $25, which I think beats even Wal-Mart's price. I asked them to let me know if they found anything else wrong with the vehicle. They said the car was leaking oil from at least 3 different places, and if I planned to keep the car, I should probably fix them (I guess the valves were bad), but if I wasn't going to keep it, then maybe not. I asked how much it would cost to fix; they quoted $660. I asked if the car was dangerous to drive. They said no, but that it would use oil a lot faster than normal. So I'm probably not going to do any repairs. Even if I changed the oil every month for $25, that would be much more cost effective considering I'm not planning to keep the vehicle. Also, if at this point that is the worst thing that can be said about the car, it's more than I could have hoped for.
My mom and I opted not to take it on the freeway, and drove it home (well, she drove it, following me) on surface roads. It made it home, and I have been able to use it a couple of times for short-distance trips, so, so far it seems to be doing OK. *crosses fingers*
Many people have advised me to sell or trade in the car as soon as possible (after I get the title). If I sell it privately, I'll disclose what I know of its recent problems and that it needs those valves replaced. I'll bet some car-minded person could fix those valves at very little cost, since most of the expense is in labor. Alternatively, I could trade it in at a dealership for another vehicle (a Japanese car for sure, if I go this route), and will likely get much less for it, but without the hassle of selling it privately. I can't sell OR trade it until I have the title, though, so hopefully the car will hold out at least until then.
I finally took some photos of both cars. What's disconcerting is that the Pontiac looks much better in the photos than it does in real life. It's way junkier in real life, trust me. And the Lexus doesn't look as nice as it does in person. Digital photography, the great equalizer! You can see larger versions of the photos if you click.
Left side, exterior:
Not much to say, they are what they are. There's a long scratch on the side of the Pontiac, not sure if you can see that.
Right side, exterior:
Bad lighting due to the bright, bright sun.
Instrument panels:
Teehee @ the mileage difference. The Pontiac's is the traditional instrument panel. On the HS, the left gauge is an indicator of how the car is using its energy.
Left side, interior:
You can't really tell in this photo, but some of the buttons in the Pontiac are cracked/faded. Same with the wheel. Note it has a CD player and an anti-theft device. LOL. I would have preferred power windows/locks! On the HS: navigation panel up top, various other controls, and then the 'mouse' at the bottom. You can also see the tiny gear shift immediately to the right of the steering wheel. It's that thing you don't think is a gear shift. :))
Right side, interior:
Ditto the above, but with harsher shadows due to the lighting. Bleh. Gray cloth for the Pontiac; black leather for the HS.
