dreadedmonkeygod . net

Yesterday, after spending $1800 in the last month, the "check engine" light comes on again. The "$400 light."

So I take it in this morning, and the guy tells me that it'll be $137 just to find out what's wrong. So, the only way this stays under $400 total is if the repair costs less than $260. Not likely.

So I'm shopping for a new car, which is the last thing I want to be doing right now.

One thing's for sure: Under no circumstances will I be buying another Volkswagen. This car has been a disaster from start to finish. I got raped on the lease deal, they tried to do the same when the lease was over, and the maintenance costs have been insane, especially considering that I've been religious about things like scheduled maintenance and oil changes. It's a great ride when it's running, but it hasn't been repair-free for more than four months in a row for over a year.

So what now? No clue. I just know that my car's worth $5800 in trade-in, and I won't be talking to any salesmen if I can avoid it. CarsDirect.com has made them strictly optional. About the only reason to talk to one is to deal with trading in my Jetta.