2 stories (and I found the very first one in this (about the oil light) thread quite entertaining):
- My wife and I had a 2006 Cadillac CTS (actually a good GM car, put 110K miles on it but it began consuming some oil, like 1 qt in 1500 or so miles), so we bought a new SRX in 2012 (Mrs wanted an SUV). GAVE the old car to the SIL- Mrs was on the bank note of her daughter’s car (and Mrs would make sure daughter paid Mrs the $$$ for the payment which she made), so the provision was that her husband makes sure to keep up on the payments (my wife’s daughter’s car) and the car (our old car) was his, free and clear, but he’s responsible for repairs, etc. One day, the battery is dead, so I investigated and told them I could source a new batt while they’re at work, swapped it, car runs again, but…no offer to pay for said battery, no thanks, no nothing. I could afford it, but said nothing ultimately…that was the last favor I did for them.
-2nd story (not really a story)- if you are familiar with Nextdoor, it’s basically FB for neighborhoods- on a rare occasion, I’ll scan it, but often, you‘ll see a hard luck story with a GoFundMe link- now I’m not totally cold hearted but definitely cynical- before the internet, how did people with a hard luck story correct their situation? Oh, I don’t know, maybe go out and get a 2nd job (and I’m not talking a fatality in the family as the hard luck story)- there’s just so many scams out there, so you have to be careful- asking complete strangers for a handout on Nextdoor is pretty brazen (and some people respond with ‘If your car/home/etc. was lost to an accident, what did the insurance company say?’ which to me is reasonable to ask). This is usually followed by either crickets or others telling the person who asked the appropriate question not to be so cynical or outright attacking them (you all know, the keyboard warriors).
Lots of scams out there and people looking for an easy way out. In terms of the first story, if you blew your engine because you ignored an oil warning light, and paid the $4K for a new engine, I guarantee you would be VERY vigilant in checking oil on the replacement engine, or, you’re just going to have the same result (and expense).
As for me, I’m just trying to get through the next 30 or so years with as little hassle as possible and have some good times on the way out.
Russ.
