I went to pick up Humdrum from her rust repair today. She looks great...
...but I was told by the staff that quote, unquote: ‘It was a mess’ under the outer skin thanks to my minor fender bender repairs back in 2015, and the two shoddy repairs done by the shop back in 2018. They specifically said...
“You should think about replacing the car soon if you want to get the most value out of it.”
...and that kindof killed me. I know it’s just a car, and a pretty shitty car, by all accounts, and I knew this would likely happen some day (as it did with my old Subaru)....but....I LOVE this shitty little basic Korean ecobox. It’s the first car I’ve worked on myself, I’ve gone on so many adventures and had so many important life happenings take place in/around/and related to it......I’m torn on what to do.
I would love to keep it, but I still live at home, so no garage, and no driveway space for keeping it as a ‘project’ car...and with COVID and the housing market going nuts here, I need all the money I have to buy a house for myself. I could’ve got one this year if the market hadn’t gone insane - in fact, I was aiming for it! But alas...here I am still at home, now having to save up even more, with no idea if the housing bubble will burst in the next year.
They estimate he rust will come back worse in a year, maybe a bit longer, considering the current state under there. I know Humdrum’s a DD, so without storing it as a ‘project car’ and driving it on occasion, she’s just going to get worse again with use, and due to the salty winter, and I could really use any money I could get from her sale to help towards whatever car I’ll be forced to get as her replacement....
.....but I don’t want to replace her. They told me if I didn’t sell it, I’m looking at an entire rear quarter panel replacement, and bodywork here is INSANELY expensive. Getting the rust they just fixed repair cost me $959....as mom sighed when I got home and told her what I’d found out, ‘You’d just be throwing good money after bad...’...and I get that, and that’s why it may be time to let Humdrum go. I DO NOT want to, but logically and financially, and space-wise, and savings-wise (with saving for a house), and job-wise (as I don’t have a permanent position anywhere yet) - as much as I love the car, I don’t know if I can justify repairing it for an ridiculous cost considering my current circumstances. This may be a case of head over heart...
Sorry for the mind and feelings dump Oppo, I just feel pretty damn bummed right now...