"Give Your Breath Long Lasting Freshness...

...with Big Red!"

I've been next in line in my family to get a new car for a few years. Contrary to public opinion, graduate students don't actually make money and my parents are wonderful and generous and offered to help me buy a new car.

And when it got closer to that time, we started talking about it and I expected it to happen in a year or two.

Then my sister Kelly totaled her car. And got a new one.

Then I was first in line.

Then my Mom was almost killed in an accident that totaled her truck and broke the worst bone in your body to break, her calcaneus which is the heel bone. She had to have surgery and couldn't walk for months and it threw off the entire alignment of her body and had to have rehab to learn to walk again. But we were glad she was still with us for Christmas and the rest of forever. But she got surgery, and a new car.

Then I was first in line.

Then my sister Erin's Hyundai Accent crapped out and she got a new car, but it was a good enough deal that mine wasn't in jeopardy. But then she had a near death experience when she was forced onto the shoulder of the I-10 and spun out a few times before slamming into the barrier of a construction zone. She got a new car.

And I stopped thinking I'd ever get a new car.

My car was driven into the ground and was starting to be more of a problem than it was worth. Plus it looked so ghetto because of the Arizona weather and all the paint had rubbed off so it was just the ugliest piece of crap. But it was comfy; it was my first car that wasn't a hand-me-down from my parents and we were together for years! I did love that car.

And I was feeling sentimental about moving on.

Then it was the Sunday before finals week. And I needed coffee, so I go to get in my car and go down the road to Starbucks and the car won't start. So I call AAA and an hour later they come out and jump the battery and it starts right away. The guy says let it run for 10 or 20 minutes to charge and it'll be good. So he leaves and 5 minutes later it dies while running. So I call AAA and say can I have battery replacement. They say sure. An hour later they call back and say they don't do that in El Paso.

Of course they don't.

So they say they'll send a tow truck out to me. To which I reply, "I don't know where you are, but here it's 7 o'clock on a Sunday night! Nothing's open!" So they arrange the tow truck for Monday morning.

And who shows up Monday morning but a guy in a Hummer.

I'm not that into cars and how things like this work. But I know there's no way that guy's taking my car anywhere. And he asks the condescending questions and tries to start the car like I don't know how to turn the key and it won't start. So he pops the hood and evaluates my battery. Good news--the batteries a good one!

Well I guess there's no problem! You said it's fine so I'll just wish it to start and all's well!

(That may or may not have popped out of my mouth...I'm kind of a jerk when bad things happen unexpectedly and El Paso reminds me it's full of incompetent "helpers")

And he says, yeah you need a tow truck. To which I reply, "You were supposed to be my tow truck. But you're not are you? No, I was promised a tow truck, you're not a tow truck, you call and get me a tow truck."

And I call AAA to complain and an hour later, not one, but 2 tow trucks drive up at the same time! One big freaking circus. So the first guy to talk to me gets my business and of the many things we talked about on our way to the garage, none of which are really relevant to the story except that the company he works for does battery replacement!

What are the odds?! AND they do it with AAA.

ALL THE TIME!

Awesome.

In the end it turned out not to be my battery but the fuel pump so it's a good thing I didn't pay for a new battery.

And it ran fine for the rest of the week. I made it to Tucson Thursday night for Erin's graduation Friday and it survived the drive to Phoenix and to the dealership this morning where we found my new car.



Big Red.

2010 Ford Focus. 31, 000 miles, and I found out I have awesome credit. Which is surprising because I wanted to get a store credit card to Pier 1 last semester to buy a $300 bakers rack. I could afford it outright, I paid for it right there, but it would help build my credit to pay it off the card. But I was denied. And there's no reason! I have student loans but those don't count against me because I'm still in school and not responsible for them.

And my credit score is actually bangin'.

But whatever. I have a new car. I'm not worried now that the A.C. will just mysteriously stop working, or the wiper blades will get stuck standing straight in the air, or that the blinker will move at double time all of a sudden, or that it will just explode and take us both to hell.

And a plug for Power Ford. If you're in the Phoenix area and want a great used car shopping experience, they're the best. Non-intrusive, easy to negotiate with, very fair very honest.

Good weekend all around.