197,030

one hundred ninety-seven thousand thirty miles is about how long the transmission on yellow 2001 ford escapes last.

so... i went to my parents house yesterday before the balloon a-fair meeting, and when i went to pull out of the driveway nothing happened. i just kind of rolled down the hill until i got to the end of the drive. when the ground leveled out i stopped rolling. i put the car in drive and go forward a bit and try this backing-out thing again. same results. forward isn't a problem. hmmmm

so... my dad pushes me out and i take off. i call my uncle (the car guy) and he tells me to bring it there in the morning. it's great to have a car guy.

so... i head off at 7:15 in the morning to meet my uncle. i pass a transmission shop along the way and contemplate stopping, but he's not my car guy and my uncle's expecting me. well, when i get there, and park against the fence, because i can't pull into a spot anywhere, i walk in the office and he makes a phone call... to the transmission shop i just passed. apparently my car guy has a transmission guy. i'm supposed to talk to max because it's his shop and he may be able to give me a better deal then the $1795 quote.

so... off to the transmission shop. as soon as i hit route 8 my car does that whole, hey-i-know-this-is-an-automatic-but-feels-like-a-manual-and-you're-not-shifting-gears-you-crazy-moron thing. "please God, just let me make it 2.9 more miles..." finally i see the jim and son's shop sign. Amen.

so... i walk in the front door and ask for max. this twelve year old little boy walks out and shakes my hand. okay, he may have been closer to twenty two or twenty three, but not what i was expecting. he even makes a comment about my "spyder" jacket and snowboarding. then conversation then turns to 4-wheeling. again, not what i really expected from my car guys transmission guy. according to my uncle, though, he's the best! my dad picks me up and takes me to ravenna to pick up my mom's car.

so... today is february 19th. that would be the exact one month anniversary of my paying the vehicle off. yep. january 19th i walked into the bank and said "i'm here for installment 60 on my 60 month loan. i got a letter saying i have to do this in person so you can tell me the exact dollar amount and close the account." i have to admit, i would rather pay the $284/mo bill than the $1800 repair cost, but i guess that's what happens when you make that last payment.

so... max calls me and says during the test drive they couldn't get it to go into anything but the second gear. i wont' have my car back till monday or tuesday, but it'll be better than new. ...and i get a warranty on the transmission!

i guess 197030 miles is a good long life for a transmission. i happened to find the one month anniversary amusing, after i calmed down and decided that being upset by the situation wasn't going to help anything.

but bon-voyage for that wii that i was saving up for!