Car Curse

Oh the pain of it all. In planning my future, I never planned on thinking about a shitty vehicle. Not that I don’t appreciate my mum’s ancient Nissan. It used to get us around, with only a hint of gasoline left on our clothes and in our brain cells. But today, it failed on Kelly’s Mountain. We figure it must be the transmission. It felt like it couldn’t change gears and was constantly shuffling and slowing. Then it gave it up altogether. Dan just got it rolling off the road. Thankfully it wasn’t the 401.

We’re now waiting on its prognosis. Much like “invaluable” human life, there’s always one more procedure to keep you hanging on. But at what cost, $250 or $1,000? Is our car a vegetable? If so it certainly doesn’t smell like it. But this very well could be the end.

And that means that with money tight, we have to make some tough decisions about a new vehicle. Mostly that I have to make the tough decision because I have to pay out for it. Shudder. If you know me at all, you know that I don’t need much convincing that buying a vehicle is equivalent to flushing your brain down the toilet. Vehicles only suck money and if you’re lucky you’ll get a decade out of them while paying out double what you did initially in repairs. I know that on balance I’ll get a reliable vehicle but we never think that way do we?

And of course I want to get as new a vehicle as possible, with as little mileage as possible. You can, I’m sure, visualize the price tag climbing. I did buy a lottery ticket today in vain hope that it will make my dreams of a new Toyota Tacoma come true.

We’re trying our best to be peasants but when you “need” a new truck it’s kind of hard. There aren’t any options unless the neighbourhood is interested in banding together to purchase some shared vehicles—they aren’t there yet though this might be reality someday. And don’t get me started about horses. A truck is a breeze in comparison. Maybe one day we’ll do without a vehicle but unfortunately we’re not there yet.

So my combing of Autotrader, Kijiji, the Maritime Merchant and RepoDepot continue. It’s kind of fun searching, like the old me is back again, the one who wanted all the technology in the world at his fingertips. But paying certainly won’t be fun. And I know that in six months vehicles will be so cheap that I’ll kick myself. The one guy who might win from this recession because he doesn’t invest in murderous companies and is planning to produce things people actually need and he’s going to be out a few thousand dollars. Oh well, small price to pay, fingers crossed, for the end of capitalism. If only . . .

And now, ironically, we don’t have a vehicle to go and purchase a new one. Our thumbs will have to do.