Budget Buster- VENT!!!

[donnajean17]

I just need to vent!!! Why do cars need to cost so much to repair, and why does it always seem they break down all at once!??!!??

My husband's car is currently in the shop for the 3rd time since December, after today's bill of $625.00, we will have spent more than $2000 fixing it! It's frustrating because it's paid for (read no car payment!) so we don't want to trade it in, and the things that went wrong were legit, (the vehicle is 2001 VW with more than 120k miles on it)it's just frustrating that everything seems to have broken in a 4 month period!!
On top of that I have spent nearly $600 on our other car too (just in April!) So it stinks because I look at that $2600 that we spent and think that's a big chunk of a Disney trip for us (there are 4 of us)!!

I just needed to vent, thanks for letting me... chime in if you've had your own budget busters recently!

 

[howlongtildisney]

I'm sorry! Ours isn't quite as bad but our dog has some sort of mystery infection. Over $300 in vet bills, dips, medications, and we still don't know what it is or what to do to heal it. I don't fault the vet - apparently our dog managed to pick up a really weird infection.

Oh, and there was that $700 speeding ticket I got on the way home from WDW in January. Ouch!

 

[akcire]

Two words--New Roof

As I type they are banging on the new shingles....sometimes homeownership stinks!

 

[kkwis2]

OMG! I can second the unexpected need for a new roof, unexpected vet bills and unexpected car bills!

Our roof is also being replaced as I write this. When we bought our home 10 years ago, the roof was brand new - with 30 year shingle. We recently found out the shingles are defective and needed to be replaced immediately. Since it is a problem with the shingles, we will be reimbursed for part of the cost of the new ones - only some, though, as some weren't showing any problems. Like we can just replace the defective ones! Also, while they pay for a portion of the new shingles -prorated for the years we've already had them, they don't pay for any of the labor! ARGHHHH! New roof = $4000.

Then our dog broke one her really big back teeth two weeks ago while chewing on a bone. Tooth extraction = $300.

Don't even get me started on the car problems. Over the last 1 1/2 years we have put at least $2000 into it.

No Disney in the near future for us.

 

[swilshire]

Oh, and there was that $700 speeding ticket I got on the way home from WDW in January. Ouch!

Double ouch!

Please name the location so we can all drive slowly when we pass through.

Sheila

 

[palavra]

I hear you! We are paying for some recent termite damage we found on our older home, medical bills from my unexpected gallbladder removal 6 weeks ago and last night, my husband had to have his car towed to a repair shop because it broke down on the way home from work. Life is just darn expensive!

 

[starwood]

I think I win - We had an inground oil tank which we had never used (been in the house almost 30 years and it was gas when we bought it). In NJ you can't sell a house with an oil tank in the ground. So we have been getting the house ready to eventually (in the not too distant future) sell it. It was $1400 to remove the tank. Then there was a hole in the bottom and whatever oil was left had leaked out. I have already paid $15,000 and it looks like we may owe another $5-10,000.

 

[darrengs]

I just need to vent!!! Why do cars need to cost so much to repair, and why does it always seem they break down all at once!??!!??

My husband's car is currently in the shop for the 3rd time since December, after today's bill of $625.00, we will have spent more than $2000 fixing it! It's frustrating because it's paid for (read no car payment!) so we don't want to trade it in, and the things that went wrong were legit, (the vehicle is 2001 VW with more than 120k miles on it)it's just frustrating that everything seems to have broken in a 4 month period!!
On top of that I have spent nearly $600 on our other car too (just in April!) So it stinks because I look at that $2600 that we spent and think that's a big chunk of a Disney trip for us (there are 4 of us)!!

I just needed to vent, thanks for letting me... chime in if you've had your own budget busters recently!

It does stink, but my mechanic basically tells me that once a well maintained car goes over 100k in miles you can expect at least $2500/year in maintenance cost.

 

[sparkyboy]

I feel your pain--new furnace system in March and new siding this week. So exciting to write checks for these maintenance issues.

 

[scrapquitler]

I just need to vent!!! Why do cars need to cost so much to repair, and why does it always seem they break down all at once!??!!??

My husband's car is currently in the shop for the 3rd time since December, after today's bill of $625.00, we will have spent more than $2000 fixing it! It's frustrating because it's paid for (read no car payment!) so we don't want to trade it in, and the things that went wrong were legit, (the vehicle is 2001 VW with more than 120k miles on it)it's just frustrating that everything seems to have broken in a 4 month period!!
On top of that I have spent nearly $600 on our other car too (just in April!) So it stinks because I look at that $2600 that we spent and think that's a big chunk of a Disney trip for us (there are 4 of us)!!

I just needed to vent, thanks for letting me... chime in if you've had your own budget busters recently!

I totally agree...the car thing is SO frustrating. Whenever there is a car repair (and there always is) DH and I always chant "Its still better than having a car payment". This week it was new tires for my van, $500...the guy tried to sell me tires that were $150 each plus all those extra mounting and lame charges, and I looked him straight in the face and said LOOK, this van has 130K miles on it, and I use snow tires in the winter, why are you trying to sell me tires that are 'guaranteed for 60K miles'?????

And our house needs a new roof. And we are ready to live thru another summer without the central air, because we just don't have 5K to replace the unit.

And the dental bills....

 

[mrsklamc]

OUCH on the oil tank!

We have 2 ferrets. $500 vet bill this month, but it's almost worse to have to force feed them each 3 meds every 8 hours for a month!

 

[bettymae1121]

Wanna trade? My DH's truck we paid off Nov. '09, the following month he blew the timing chain which destroyed the engine. We are getting a new engine to the tune of $5k. In fact I'll be calling in the deposit today so they can begin work. We only waited so long becasue DH at first thought he could repair it once the weather got warm enough to work in the garage, but then he changed his mind (I wish we'd done it sooner, we've been sharing one car for all this time, but oh well).

Oh, and scrapquilter? Two words: Window units! We don't have working central air either, and like our window units so much we have no plans of fixing the central AC anytime soon! Look into them, at least for the bedrooms so you can sleep at night.

 

[FergieTCat]

I had my budget all worked out and then my cat got sick last week. $1,500 to the vet.

And sadly, she didn't get better.

 

[ssawka]

I just need to vent!!! Why do cars need to cost so much to repair, and why does it always seem they break down all at once!??!!??

My husband's car is currently in the shop for the 3rd time since December, after today's bill of $625.00, we will have spent more than $2000 fixing it! It's frustrating because it's paid for (read no car payment!) so we don't want to trade it in, and the things that went wrong were legit, (the vehicle is 2001 VW with more than 120k miles on it)it's just frustrating that everything seems to have broken in a 4 month period!!
On top of that I have spent nearly $600 on our other car too (just in April!) So it stinks because I look at that $2600 that we spent and think that's a big chunk of a Disney trip for us (there are 4 of us)!!

I just needed to vent, thanks for letting me... chime in if you've had your own budget busters recently!

Join the club. My Transmission went yesterday! It's going to cost $3400 to fix!

 

[cheerforchelsea]

Double ouch!

Please name the location so we can all drive slowly when we pass through.

Sheila

Yeah were was that $700 ticket location??? I got one a few years back in Chattahoochee County Georgia on US 280 near Ft Benning there. Later I learned it was a major speed trap...On a later trip I got stopped there AGAIN - I knew I wasn't speeding - Policeman told me that "I should have moved over into the other lane because he had a car stopped on the right hand shoulder of the road--- that if the cars already traveling in that lane (same direction as me on 4 lane road) wouldn't move over I should RUN THEM INTO THE GUARD RAIL...

 

[My3kiddos]

I'm right there with you. DF's truck has had to have new tires, the heater fixed, then this month the ac fixed to the tune of about $2k, then 3 weeks ago we called to get a tune up on the central air and furnace and was told it needed to be replaced. There went another $4100. Oh and had to call the plumber twice in a month for a bill of $425. I'm ready to just sell our house it's a money pit.

 

[Forevryoung]

Join the club. My Transmission went yesterday! It's going to cost $3400 to fix!

I'm in the club too!

Brought my 03 Sentra (with 94,000 miles) in because it stalled on me twice. It's been in the shop for TWO weeks and I know that the bill is around $2800 (rebuilt transmission + 2 other issues) add in the rental car and I'm easily at $3000 in the 2 week time span!

 

[My2BabiesLexis&Dill]

Can I join the club?

I paid off my truck last month. This month had to spend 300.00 for parts. Now my head gaskets or something to that effect is leaking oil. And I need new tires. The only good thing is my hubby is a mechanic so I don't have to pay the crazy mechanic prices.

But I was sooo looking forward to no payments on my truck. LOL I can't complain I guess, it didn't cost me a thing besides the payment when I did have it financed.

 

[Huff]

I guess I'm lucky. I don't have high car repair bills. They all hardly ever break down with anything major.

I feel I do take care of them better than many such as,
Oil Changes every 3,000 miles
Transmission oil every 15-25K (depends on vehicle)
Differential oil every 15-30K (depends on vehicle)
Air Filter when dirty but generally 6K

My diesel truck gets a bit expensive to maintain because of frequent need to change fuel filter ($90), air filter ($40), uses two batteries which are expensive to replace and it uses 14 qts of oil so oil changes cost more.

I did have a 2001 Dodge truck with 104,000 miles on it when the transmission started slipping and water pump blew. Total repair bill was $1800 but Chrysler paid it after I asked them nicely (had 100K warranty).

 

[anabelle]

Double post