Living the Dream, One Year at a Time
I'm happy to say I can continue to drive a car for another year... because my car passed state inspection.
Not that it was without some complications. I live in Pennsylvania, which among its other difficulties of life (not the least of which includes the fact that a certain institution of higher learning does not believe I really live here, but that's another story) is ridiculously stingy when it comes to automobile inspections. I have lived in Pennsylvania long enough to have required a state car inspection 5 times... and I have NEVER passed a car on the first try. There's always something that comes up which requires me to part with a hefty chunk of my money. When I told my roommate (who hails from Michigan) of my annual state-imposed misery, his reply was, "You need to get your car inspected?"
Apparently in Michigan, there is no such thing as a state car inspection. Considering Michigan is the epicenter of the American automotive industry, this puzzles me. I would think they would want in on this racket; the more cars flunk inspection, the more money you make on parts, or you may just sell more cars because the owner says the hell with it and buys a new one. But I guess the rule in Michigan is you are legally allowed to run your car into the ground, run it until it dies. And I guess there's nothing more American than that. It certainly makes more sense than flipping out because I have rust on my hood.
Of course it has rust on the hood, I moved here from New York! Where we need to keep our cars going in 3 feet of snow on a regular basis during the winter time; ergo, we use a LOT of salt on the roads, and ergo, our cars rust. New York is the state that gave birth to the "winter rat", the car that is pretty much a rust bucket, but you drive it all winter long because at that time of year, nobody cares what your car looks like as it's usually buried under snow just like all the other cars. Then when the weather gets better, you dump it or stash it in the garage and get a nice-looking car. But the point is we New Yorkers don't give a rat's ass about rust unless the car is literally about to fall apart (and I actually have failed a NY inspection on that point). That's how I was able to buy a used car 5 years ago and get it through 4 New York inspections with not a word about rust.
But in Pennsylvania, they are Rust Nazis. When I first moved to Chambersburg in 2001, the used car I had bought mere months earlier (which easily passed New York inspection) was declared undriveable by PA inspectors. So I had to buy another used car, which served me faithfully for the 3 years I lived down there... and flunked 3 state inspections on the first try. And every time it flunked, it required those hard-to-obtain VW replacement parts (oh those wacky Germans) and therefore cost me mucho dinero. But it was a faithful car that got me by for the 3 years that I had to make payments on it. I finished paying it off in December 2004... and the brakes went 4 months later. And the car completely died 4 months after that. Couldn't even get a year of freedom from payments.
But the point I'm making here is that PA state inspections are excruciating. Which is why last year when I first moved to Philadelphia and took the car in, I wasn't expecting it to skate. And indeed, it did not. I was told it needed a new hood because of the rust on the front. And a bunch of other things needed to be fixed, but the hood was the most expensive part... and the most pointless because the only thing wrong with it was cosmetic. Why did I not get rid of the car? Well I mentioned that my present car had passed 4 inspections in New York, but alas I was only 4 years into 5 years of payments. So I had to basically pay through the nose for the right to make the last year of payments. Makes a ton of sense, right? Such is car ownership in Pennsylvania.
Well in the year since, the car has put more miles on it, mostly in trips back and forth to Syracuse because I don't drive it much in Philly. However, I have had to drive on I-95 quite a bit, particularly last summer when I had to go back and forth to my teaching job. Driving on I-95 South between Center City and the Stadium Complex may as well be like driving in a bouncy house. You're on an elevated viaduct (much like I-81 in Syracuse) and the pavement comes at you in waves. It takes a toll on a car's struts, and sure enough, it did mine in, so I had to go in for repairs. While I was at the repair shop, I figured I may as well see what else needed to be done to get the car through inspection. Ya know, be proactive. I had a set dollar amount of how much I was willing to pay; after all, I was done paying the car off and therefore had no practical reason to keep it. Wouldn't you know they just barely estimated the cost for repairs within my price range. So I got everything taken care of and a week later, took the car in for inspection... and it STILL flunked.
Apparently, they overlooked a bolt in the engine mount. Yes... a freakin' BOLT. And so it was that I paid more than I wanted to for repairs. But the car is now legal for another year... so I have the privilege of legally driving my car, free of payments, for a year until the next time it comes up for inspection. Yay.
Now I guess I should be thrilled about this, but knowing what happened the last time I finished paying off a car, I'm hesitant to think I'm totally in the clear here. After all, I have next September to look forward to, when the car will go in for inspection again and (so history tells me) will likely flunk again. At this point in my life, I really can't afford a car payment so I'm happy to not have to make one. I could do without the outrageously high car insurance premium, but I do need a car even though I don't drive much. It's about having the freedom to drive when I want to (and can spare a few bucks for gas). Freedom, the American Dream, all that stuff. Not about my right to have a car, that's just ludicrous, about as much so as people thinking they have a right to health care or a house. But the fact that I made the money in order to afford to own a car and do all the things that having a car allows you to do... mostly psychological. I love long drives; they are so good for clearing your head. I've gotten to see a lot of places via automobile. I've had my car much longer than any one apartment I've ever lived in.
So if I had my way, I wouldn't make a car payment for quite a while, but in light of what awaits next year, I'm thinking it might be time to buy my first new car. If it is financially feasible next summer, perhaps I will. Or maybe there are other options... when I told a friend of mine about my latest inspection-related headaches, she replied, "You could always move to New Jersey... they don't do state inspections there." Point for New Jersey...
Not that it was without some complications. I live in Pennsylvania, which among its other difficulties of life (not the least of which includes the fact that a certain institution of higher learning does not believe I really live here, but that's another story) is ridiculously stingy when it comes to automobile inspections. I have lived in Pennsylvania long enough to have required a state car inspection 5 times... and I have NEVER passed a car on the first try. There's always something that comes up which requires me to part with a hefty chunk of my money. When I told my roommate (who hails from Michigan) of my annual state-imposed misery, his reply was, "You need to get your car inspected?"
Apparently in Michigan, there is no such thing as a state car inspection. Considering Michigan is the epicenter of the American automotive industry, this puzzles me. I would think they would want in on this racket; the more cars flunk inspection, the more money you make on parts, or you may just sell more cars because the owner says the hell with it and buys a new one. But I guess the rule in Michigan is you are legally allowed to run your car into the ground, run it until it dies. And I guess there's nothing more American than that. It certainly makes more sense than flipping out because I have rust on my hood.
Of course it has rust on the hood, I moved here from New York! Where we need to keep our cars going in 3 feet of snow on a regular basis during the winter time; ergo, we use a LOT of salt on the roads, and ergo, our cars rust. New York is the state that gave birth to the "winter rat", the car that is pretty much a rust bucket, but you drive it all winter long because at that time of year, nobody cares what your car looks like as it's usually buried under snow just like all the other cars. Then when the weather gets better, you dump it or stash it in the garage and get a nice-looking car. But the point is we New Yorkers don't give a rat's ass about rust unless the car is literally about to fall apart (and I actually have failed a NY inspection on that point). That's how I was able to buy a used car 5 years ago and get it through 4 New York inspections with not a word about rust.
But in Pennsylvania, they are Rust Nazis. When I first moved to Chambersburg in 2001, the used car I had bought mere months earlier (which easily passed New York inspection) was declared undriveable by PA inspectors. So I had to buy another used car, which served me faithfully for the 3 years I lived down there... and flunked 3 state inspections on the first try. And every time it flunked, it required those hard-to-obtain VW replacement parts (oh those wacky Germans) and therefore cost me mucho dinero. But it was a faithful car that got me by for the 3 years that I had to make payments on it. I finished paying it off in December 2004... and the brakes went 4 months later. And the car completely died 4 months after that. Couldn't even get a year of freedom from payments.
But the point I'm making here is that PA state inspections are excruciating. Which is why last year when I first moved to Philadelphia and took the car in, I wasn't expecting it to skate. And indeed, it did not. I was told it needed a new hood because of the rust on the front. And a bunch of other things needed to be fixed, but the hood was the most expensive part... and the most pointless because the only thing wrong with it was cosmetic. Why did I not get rid of the car? Well I mentioned that my present car had passed 4 inspections in New York, but alas I was only 4 years into 5 years of payments. So I had to basically pay through the nose for the right to make the last year of payments. Makes a ton of sense, right? Such is car ownership in Pennsylvania.
Well in the year since, the car has put more miles on it, mostly in trips back and forth to Syracuse because I don't drive it much in Philly. However, I have had to drive on I-95 quite a bit, particularly last summer when I had to go back and forth to my teaching job. Driving on I-95 South between Center City and the Stadium Complex may as well be like driving in a bouncy house. You're on an elevated viaduct (much like I-81 in Syracuse) and the pavement comes at you in waves. It takes a toll on a car's struts, and sure enough, it did mine in, so I had to go in for repairs. While I was at the repair shop, I figured I may as well see what else needed to be done to get the car through inspection. Ya know, be proactive. I had a set dollar amount of how much I was willing to pay; after all, I was done paying the car off and therefore had no practical reason to keep it. Wouldn't you know they just barely estimated the cost for repairs within my price range. So I got everything taken care of and a week later, took the car in for inspection... and it STILL flunked.
Apparently, they overlooked a bolt in the engine mount. Yes... a freakin' BOLT. And so it was that I paid more than I wanted to for repairs. But the car is now legal for another year... so I have the privilege of legally driving my car, free of payments, for a year until the next time it comes up for inspection. Yay.
Now I guess I should be thrilled about this, but knowing what happened the last time I finished paying off a car, I'm hesitant to think I'm totally in the clear here. After all, I have next September to look forward to, when the car will go in for inspection again and (so history tells me) will likely flunk again. At this point in my life, I really can't afford a car payment so I'm happy to not have to make one. I could do without the outrageously high car insurance premium, but I do need a car even though I don't drive much. It's about having the freedom to drive when I want to (and can spare a few bucks for gas). Freedom, the American Dream, all that stuff. Not about my right to have a car, that's just ludicrous, about as much so as people thinking they have a right to health care or a house. But the fact that I made the money in order to afford to own a car and do all the things that having a car allows you to do... mostly psychological. I love long drives; they are so good for clearing your head. I've gotten to see a lot of places via automobile. I've had my car much longer than any one apartment I've ever lived in.
So if I had my way, I wouldn't make a car payment for quite a while, but in light of what awaits next year, I'm thinking it might be time to buy my first new car. If it is financially feasible next summer, perhaps I will. Or maybe there are other options... when I told a friend of mine about my latest inspection-related headaches, she replied, "You could always move to New Jersey... they don't do state inspections there." Point for New Jersey...
Labels: cars
posted by Dave | 4:07 PM
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