It's cheaper than a new car...

I put my car in the shop this weekend since it's been acting goofy for a while. It stalls for no reason, starts smoking without overheating, and shakes like you wouldn't believe. I'll admit it, I've been very neglectful towards my 7 year old baby. Since I got my grant money in, I figured I'd just get everything worked on so it'd be safer to drive. I, naively, thought that I'd drop a couple hundred bucks and it'd be all good. Well a couple hundred turned into $1300+, with an additional $700 in work still to be done.

There were so many things wrong with my baby. My oil pan had a leak in it and the gasket was worn (explains the puddle I saw in the driveway), so I was almost out of oil. My idle air control valve was shot, which explains why it would stall out on me. My PCV hose was shredded. The guy called me up and told me this and gave me the price and I told him to go ahead and do that and I'll have to wait on the $300 tune-up. He called back and said that the manager really thinks I should get the tune-up, so they'll charge me $150 instead. Of course I said go for it, can't pass up a deal like that. So I also went ahead and for that done - new wires spark plugs, the whole nine. Oh yeah, I also got new wipers and my tires aligned (I have the free lifetime alignment). My car runs more smoothly, but still shakes...

So when I went to pick the car up, Jared told me that there is a small leak in my thermostat. Nothing to be overly concerned with now, but I will need to get it replaced eventually. Since I was already going to make an appointment after my tax refund to get the motor mounts replaced (to stop the shaking), I figured might as well get it all done so I told him to order the part. By the end of the month it'll be like a new car - mechanically speaking.

Internally... I got a new radio for my birthday to replace the one that J broke years ago, so I'm loving the ability to jam out to that. I cleaned out my car and vacuumed, but after the final fix I'm going to get it detailed. I'm also planning on finally getting my window's tinted and getting the dents removed, maybe even a paint job. I cannot afford a new car right now so the best I can do is fix up the one I have.

I really do love the Focus, I just have to stop treating her like a red-headed stepchild.