Crappy Car Chronicles

So our car has been overheating for awhile.
Was OK in the winter but with the warmer months
coming, figured we'd better get it fixed. So
Saturday morning hubby takes the car to
Canadian Tire. First mistake.

Canadian Tire says they can fix it either

Saturday or Sunday. Fair enough, we

wait at home. Sunday arrives. Canadian Tire calls

us about noon. "We tried to fix your motor fan and
we broke your housing unit." Great. Good job.

Turns out our car is so ancient (1990) the part may

be hard for them to locate. "But that is our only car"

hubby tells them. They tell us the car is completely
undriveable and suggest hubby call some pick-your-part
junkyard in Edmonton. So he does. We quickly discover

that contrary to popular belief, not everything is open
in Alberta on Sundays.

What to do? Well, we reason, the car may not

be worth fixing. But, the longer Canadian Tire has it,

the more the bill is going up. And not in a fair way.

Time to remove our car from clutches of Canadian Tire.

Since we were told the car was no longer driveable, we
arrange for a towing service to meet hubby at Crappy
Tire. Canadian Tire was surprised to see hubby to say

the least. Why you ask? Well, the car was driveable,

the only difference was it now had some cracked
housing thing which did not make the car any worse.

It was functioning the same as when we originally

brought it to them. We were clearly lied to.

Hubby drives the car home. Luckily tow truck man

was understanding and waived any fees. Have I mentioned

I love the men in Alberta? They are awesome.

So, car still has overheating problem and can only go
short distances. We decide it is not worth fixing,
let's buy another car. So we start calling ads. Second
call we luck out - a very kind mechanic man hears our
tales of woe and offers to come up and pick hubby up,
and drive him to Edmonton to see the car. Hubby
sees car, drives car, likes car, buys car. Hubby
is on his way home with our new car. Hubby calls
halfway home. Car died. Hubby calls mechanic,
who sold us the car, and who is most understanding.
Mechanic man towed the car back to his place and gave
hubby his money back.

Mechanic man says "I can loan you a car to get home with,
and tomorrow I will have this fixed (timing chain) and

you can re-buy it". So, off hubby goes in the borrowed car.

Halfway home hubby calls, the car ran out of gas.

No friggin way! I say. Yes friggin way! Hubby says. So,

hubby makes another call to mechanic man

(it is like 11pm at this point). Kind wonderful mechanic man

comes to the rescue again. Hubby gets gassed up, calls me,

says he will be home in about 1/2 hour. I expect hubby about

11:30 or so. I fall asleep on couch. About 1:30 in the morning in

walks hubby. I look from hubby to clock, clearly confused.
What happened? I ask. Hubby has a glazed kind of psychotic
look on his face. "I took a wrong turn, and ended up in Camrose".

Now, this is particularly funny to those who know me. I am,

let's say slightly directionally challenged. Hubby is the

navigator in the family.

We both just laughed hysterically for about 5

minutes then went to bed. The next day we wake

up, decide we cannot deal with buying any more cars.

"Did you like the car you borrowed?" I ask.
Hubby did. The car runs well, it's here, we go see our

mechanic buddy and buy it.