We Save So Much Money On Car Repairs

My husband is a great mechanic.  In the 16 years we've been together, there has only been one time that he has been unable to fix our car, and it had to go to the shop.  I don't remember the exact details, but I know it ended up being something he was unfamiliar with, that he has since learned how to fix.  It amazes me that he can go get a book from the library about any specific car and be able to follow all the diagrams and instructions.  He can tear down an engine and put it back together.  It's amazing how his mind works.

Any time our vehicles break down, the biggest expense we have is buying the car parts.  It's nice not having to pay for a mechanics labor, because that can get ridiculously expensive.   I also love that my husband will help fix his friends cars for less than what they would pay at a mechanic.  I remember a few weeks ago he fixed a coworkers car in the store parking lot, while the kids and I hung out with a bunch of his friends.  It was almost like we had a party in the parking lot.  Not many mechanics would come to you and only ask that you have the auto parts  ready to be put in.  He has such a big heart, and it one of the things I love most about him.

Flat As A Pancake

Junior woke up this morning to a flat tire. For the past week or so, he has been continuously putting air in it, so he wasn't surprised to find it flat. We really need to get a new set of tires, but our tax money has been spent, so it is something we will have to save up for. For now, he is going to put an old tire on it, and hope for the best.

It seems only right that as soon as we pay it off something goes wrong. I am thankful that it wasn't something serious that we would have had to have fixed at a San Diego auto repair shop. When we had a Ford F-150 Junior would ignore the check engine light whenever it came on. He claimed that he had a "feel" for the truck, and he knew when something serious was wrong. I believe him, because that truck never broke down. I'm not sure why he got rid of it. It was probably because we needed a vehicle big enough for all of us to ride in.

These days, we are able to avoid the auto shop because Junior and Ryan both know how to fix just about anything that goes wrong. This is a good thing, because it saves us a lot of money. Plus, by Ryan learning how to do the repairs himself, he is investing in his future, because he wants to be a mechanic when he grows up.

I say when he grows up, but these days he is taller than me. Of course, that's not saying much since I am barely five feet tall.

Vocational School

Kasi and Ryan recently visited the local vocational school with their classes. Kasi has always said that when she grows up she wants to be a fashion designer. It only took one trip to the vocational school for her to change her mind. Now she says she wants to go there and study cosmetology. I think this is a wonderful idea, and could be a great beginning to a career in fashion design. Baby steps, I told her. Hair and makeup are very important parts of fashion.

Ryan went with the dreams of being a mechanic. The vocational school offers courses in that, so he is super excited to be able to go when he gets to high school. I think this might be part of the reason he is doing well this year with his grades. He knows he needs to keep them up in order to go.

Just last week he helped Junior do a brake job on a Chevrolet Silverado. This is Ryan's dream truck. Most boys want their first vehicles to be sports cars. Not my Ryan. He wants a truck. He says he will settle for an old rust bucket, but he secretly hopes that Junior and I will buy him a Silverado.

I hate that he is going to be severely disappointed. He is going to have to get a job at a Dallas auto repair shop or something so that he can make enough money to buy the truck for himself.

I am really excited that they both found careers that they are interested in, and that they can get some training while they are still in school. College is expensive, and the job market is competitive. Even a little extra experience can go a long way. I just hope they both get accepted into the programs when the times comes.

Mr. Mechanic

Junior works on cars. This comes in very handy when we need to get a new vehicle. The last car we bought was a Taurus, and we only paid $400 for it. It need some work, but Junior was easily able to figure out what needed to be fixed, and once he replaced the head gasket, the car ran fine. In fact, we drove it for a few years before we decide that we needed something bigger.

I wish we had found another vehicle that we could have afforded to buy straight out, but that wasn't the case with our van. In fact, we are still paying on it. The only good thing was that it was driveable from day one, so Junior didn't have to do any repairs. Knock on wood it will stay that way.

He is finding cars to work on, though. It seems that word has gotten around his work that he will do repairs pretty cheap. There have been times when he has had to refuse a job because of his shoulder, but most times he will gladly help a coworker get their car running smoothly. In fact, he has a Ford Explorer coming on Tuesday so he can change the brakes and look at something else. I wish I could tell you what the thing is he is going to look at, but most of the time when he talks about cars, I don't understand a word that he is saying. Ryan, however, is at an age where he is absorbing everything, and enjoys helping Junior work on cars. Of course, Junior doesn't allow him to actually do the work, but Ryan is always out there, watching and learning. He hopes one day to get a job working on race cars. He may need some experience first, so working at a Los Angeles Auto Repair shop might be something he can consider.

I know whatever he decides, he will enjoy working on cars as much as his father does.

Or at least that is what I am hoping.