Keeping our car on the road takes money time to time.
Spending Money on the VW Jetta This Week
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This weekend was a bit hectic as the VW Jetta broke down while I was out with a friend. When I tried to start the car it shook and we called to have it towed to the mechanic. My little Jetta has been doing pretty well, so I was surpised to see it have this problem.
Getting the Car Moving Again
While waiting to hear from the repair shop, we were back to sharing one car. It definitely affected my weekly routine and we had to cancel some things until the car was fixed.
We picked it up yesterday and after reviewing everything , we paid our bill. While it wasn't as bad as I feared, it wasn't as low as I hoped.
Repair Cost: $260
Putting on Some Tires
Now that I have the car running, our next goal is get the VW Jetta to pass the state inspection. I failed last week due to bad ties, so I went to Costco this m0rning to get them installed. I called to get a re-inspection for today, but they were book so I have to wit another day. Hopefully, it'll pass tomorrow.
Cost for Two Tires: $218
Dipping Into the Emergency Fund
For the valve work done on the Jetta, we had to dip into the emergency fund to pay for this unexpected repair.
As my husband likes to point out, while we're never happy to take money out of savings, using an emergency fund is needed at times. It's always appreciated when something like this happens.
Our next plan is to replenish it as soon as we can, which means we'll have to cut back on eating out for next month or so. I'm all for getting the money back as soon as possible. I feel more comfortable when we have our buffer all set.
Your Thoughts on Keeping Your Car Repaired
Have you dealt with car repairs recently? How have you replenished your savings?
Photo Credit: nestor galina
Tires are crazy, I just had to put tires on my Altima and it was over $400. Of course that is cheap compared to what it will cost me to get tires put on my other car when it comes time. Tires are one of the “hidden costs” of giant SUV ownership.
I had a catalytic converter go out on me about 6 months ago. Cost me $1,000. Thank goodness for baby emergency funds. I like to think of it as only $83/month so in comparison to those who have car payments I’m doing fairly well.
@Kyle C: I was shocked at how expensive tires could be for SUVs. The woman in front of me paid about $900 for her tires!
@ISFP: Good point about comparing repairs to car payments. Sometimes even with a big repair like that, it’ll cost less in long run than a car payment. Each situation different, that’s why we all to run our own numbers.