Older High Milage Cars

I bought a car with 80,000 miles on it 4 years ago for my son to drive. I believe, it is "used up". Yes, the motor runs "fine", the transmission seems "OK", the AC even pumps out cold air. But I can feel it in my gut - this car is about to cause a very large decision on someones part... namely me.

Yesterday, my son drove it into the driveway, turned the engine off, with the key, and then realized the rest of it would just not turn off. The radio was playing, the AC was blowing, and all the little red lights on the dashboard that indicate you have some sort of battery power still on were all lit up.

The key would turn in the ignition, but it was catching on nothing. In other words you can't turn it all the way on OR all the way off. The battery was engaged and there was no way to turn it off. I called the guys I know who know a little something about cars and their advice was to call someone else... a repair shop.

You know, I am just about ready to call the junk shop, head to the dealership, and make this problem go away for another few years. I don't know how to diagnose or repair, or really barely maintain a car, let alone an older high mileage car with more problems than what is reasonably fixable based on the low value of the car.

I think, what I learned as a child - and as an adult - is go to the dealership and fix this problem. I am not equipped to fix the issues this car has and is going to continue to have. There are times when I must wave the white flag and give up. Yes, I wanted this car to last another 2 years - but the expense and headache of that choice is looking invaluable and less and less valuable as some teaching tool of growing up and taking financial responsibility. There are no finances to pay for the repairs but my own, so who is learning what. Furthermore, if the car were mine to drive, I would have gotten rid of it a clutch and a radiator and a broken door handle repair ago (of which I paid to fix).

Sometimes, it is time to think for oneself - and ignore the whining of the world around you - and make a decision that works for me.