Since this is my first diary, let me give you some background information. I'm a homemaker with two children and a husband of 13+ years, who is a good man and a regular poster on Street Prophets.
Not too long ago he had a good-paying Union job at a local manufacturing plant that makes automotive parts; mainly for GM, but also for Ford. Like a 'good' Union Man, we tried top buy American-made/ Union-made products, including our current vehicle, a Ford Taurus.
But when Katrina hit and gasoline pices topped $3.00 a gallon, his comapny found themselves scrambling for orders-nobody was making cars like they used to, and therefore, didn't need parts. My husband was laid off indefinately, and unlike the lovely $40,000 deals car-makers at GM and Ford plants offered their workers, he was given a slap on the butt and an empty promise that he'd be recalled once they got the 'new' line in at the plant.
Fast-forward to the present. We are still paying on this lovely American-made car and have now discovered that it has major engine problems, that at very least will cost over $400.00 to repair. My husband has found a job, one in another community (a 30 mile commute one way) that pays a fraction of what he earned at his good job. There are no other co-workers he can carpool with and no public transportation that will get him to work every day.
We need a car.
Current repairs aside, I also inquired on how much it would cost to give the car a tune-up. I come from a background where changing the spark plugs/air filter, etc. is consitered 'basic' maintenence, like regular oil changes, etc. I was told by two sources, that a tune up would cost about $300-$350, depending on what needs to be replaced.
I was astounded, and asked for an explanation. Apparently, Ford feels that the only sparkplugs that will work for this particular vehicle, (it's a 2000, BTW, so it isn't even new) cost $100.00 apiece, mostly because they contain irridium, a rare (and expensive) metal.
Maybe I'm overreacting here, but that kind of money for basic care of a vehicle is a tad steep, even were my husband still working at his good-paying Union job!
This is hardy the first car we have owned, and they have all had issues, but the most durable car was a Geo, which where I live, technically was a 'ferign car. We bought the Taurus for its modern safety features, like airbags, as well as the idea of supporting an American manufacturer. I find the high cost our current vehicle has incurred, (the same engine troubles happened in 2005, too)and disappointing performance of this car to be something of a betrayal of my continuing support.
I've heard that one of the big reasons car makers like Honda and Toyota are so popular is the low cost of maintenence. It will certainly be a bigger factor than supporting an American industry the next time we research our next automotive purchase.
And it's a shame it has come to this.