Vacation

[Robby]

We have been waiting for 6 weeks to get our cable and internet hooked up (by one company). I was told on July 23rd that they felt it was financially prudent of them to extend the line to our house, standing in my front yard, I can see where their service currently ends. Since then, today makes 7 "inside" installers come by (the one's that run the line from the pole to the house). However they can't do anything until a different crew comes and runs it about 1/4 mile (402.3meters), to the pole. I have been on the phone almost every day, and have left two to five voicemails a day for the last 4 days. That's what I'm dealing with now. Just as I start to calm down some.

Maybe some good news, I may have found the part to fix my truck, if only it works. But I'm still debating, if it takes me 3-5 weeks to find a part every time it breaks down, what am I supposed to do. I'm thinking I need to trade it off, but there is some discussion on whether or not we can afford to do that.

[Lonesome George]

How many times in a lifetime does a driveline yoke wear out, and this one was because of a worn u-joint.  That part would be hard to find on any vehicle.  There are a blue million Dakotas and Durangos still on the road and in junk yards, along with a blue million parts at parts stores.  You just happened to mess up a non-standard part that should never happen again.  Who's to say what you buy isn't in much worse shape than what you have now.

[foxgrove]

Geez... sounds like you're getting the cable company two step.  How fun. 

Hope tomorrow finds a cable guy up a pole near you. 

[Robby]

Let's see, finally heard from the cable company late Friday afternoon, seems that we are actually to far away from the booster station, and wouldn't be able to get a strong enough signal, it's just that the guy that came out, screwed up somewhere and thought it could be done.

I am trying to see what a new driveline from the transfer case to the rearend will cost. Everything from the front yoke/u-joint to the rearend is custom made, as it's nowhere near what the factory specs are. But, then I have to add in all the other stuff that has to be fixed, new exhaust, electrical problem in the blower motor/selector switch/somewhere, etc... at what point is it cheaper to buy newER?

Speaking of buying newer, I have been checking out the possibilities, and requirements 1.I've got to have a truck for hauling and towing, 2. it has to be bigger than a Ranger or S-10, (they won't pull the tractor, well engine-wise yes, but anything over 25mph 40km and the front end does it's own thing) 3. but it has to be smaller than a full-size, most days I can't climb up in, or down out of them. A. That leaves a Dakota 4 has to be at least an extra cab, since Aaron still has to ride in the back seat for another year or two (and I need a place to put Cleatus [my cane]) 5. If I'm going to buy something, it's going to be new enough/low enough miles that it's worth buying I will fix this one before I spend money to get another one in the same shape with same problems.


So I have one guy that is retired that sells cars as a hobby, he has two that I like, and I like the price, they both have their little problems, and have a couple of the above numbers marked as unacceptable, but nothing major, and we were talking good making arrangements for me to trade Brandon's car (we need a truck worse than the car), and he was even interested in buying the old truck from me, but then he just disappeared for two days, I couldn't reach him for anything. He finally sent me a message on FB and said his phone had been stolen, and gave me another number to call, I did, and I sent him another FB message, that was over 12 hrs ago and no response.

I have also been looking at some lots, I found several I liked, but narrowed it down to three. One is a 2002 Quad-cab, 4x2, next is a 2004 ext cab 4x4, those are both the same price, and have rather low mileage. The last is a 2002 ext cab 4x2 twice the mileage of the other two (about double what I wanted) but the payment on the first two would be about $100-$130/mo, the last one would be about $35-45/mo. Me an Dawn went and looked at the first one today, after we had went through my list and scored each truck, and it was the highest scoring and about 45 min closer than the other two. She basically told me I better get it, so I told the guy I wanted it, he has to get the a/c charged up, so he said call him Monday afternoon after he's had time to get that done, and we came home and did the credit app online to make things easy.

Since then I have once again talked myself out of getting it. Just a few years after we got married, I just happened to drive by a lot and see this gorgeous hunter green custom truck, and pulled u-turn and bought it. Left there and went straight home, well as soon as we got home, I caught Dawn before she got in the house and made her follow me back down there, and I returned it. Brandon was getting his license in a few months and I had to get him something to drive, I couldnt' get that truck it wasn't a necessity and was too fancy even if it was. But now it's like, she works 40-65 hours a week, at 18miles one way, she has to have a good car. My car will sit a whole week at a time sometimes, and my check is less than half what hers is, I can't do a high payment.

I know where there are two truck (Ram 1500 and F-150) that I could almost trade even for, but again they are both old, decent mileage just old age, but no payment as long as they don't break down.

The truth is however, I'm not even really worried about the truck situation, I'm obsessing over that so that I'm not worried about the 953 other problems that are driving me nuts.

[looneylane]

That sounds rough my friends! I am selling my truck I cannot afford it anymore. Hoping in a year or so I will be able to get something else but for now we need the money so my truck is out with a big sign on it.

[Robby]

looney, if I could live without a truck right now I would, because we can't afford to get something else. But we live 30 miles out of town, so me taking Dawn to work and keeping the car during the day just can't happen. We've tried it before and the increased gas money, and the wear and tear on ME are just too much, I can pay a car payment easier than I can the extra gas money.

That's why we're looking at trading the car, it will help pay some of the truck cost. I am doing my best to find one that's cheap enough that the car will cover most of the cost. But, she works 40-65 hours a week, I have sometimes 2 dr appts a week, Aaron has at least one, sometimes two appts a week, a lot of times Dawn is in one place at work, and I'm in another at the dr, and Aaron is in another at the Dr. Not to mention how often I have to get Dad's tractor, or we have other stuff to haul back and forth, I have no choice. The question is do I get something I can pay cash for, and not have a $200/month loan payment, but I do have a $300/month garage/towing bill, at what point does it become cheaper to make a payment?

That's one thing that is driving me nuts, I have found three trucks under $2200 that meet my needs, but two of them need at least $300 worth of work before I even buy it, the other will probably need it, I think I see that some stuffs need replacement, even though it still runs and drives good. Then my truck is a 95, these are 98's, how long before I can't find parts for them? Or I can get something with a $90-110/month payment and not have to worry about repairs for 2 or 3 years, and instead of buying a 98 and having to replace it in two or three years, get a 02 and drive it another 6 or 7 years. Then I found a 01 that would have a $45/month payment, but it has 250,000 miles on it, so it may be new, but it's still over halfway wore out, so where is the middle? Which is going to be the best?

I know that no matter what I get, (if I don't talk myself out of it, and I do get it) I'm going to hate myself for not getting the other type (new or old). I think I said it before, it's not even about the truck, the whole problem is there is so much going on, and I'm under so much stress that I'm obsessing over something silly, to keep from getting upset over the other stuff.

[denny]

Good luck on that truck robby!

I switch from direct tv back to uverse,which i really liked before.
He got here friday 1:00 pm and stayed almost till dark trying to get a signal...had to call a lineman and come back for a couple hours on monday before it was ready to go.

Even tho they stiffed me on the channels they said we would get were still saving big. At least for the first year.

he said someone had repurposed our line while we wernt useing it.

[Robby]

The really sad part is, after making my requirement lists, and going through each truck, and scoring them, I came down to one truck that blew the rest out of the water on the score. Meets the needs I set, the payment is below what I had set as a target, and Dawn is like "it's the truck you need, you better get it, and don't talk yourself out of it either". But I have talked myself out of it several times in the last 32 hours. I just don't feel I deserve, or I'm not good enough, or my little disability check isn't enough for me to spend that much on a truck that nice.


on a side note, after pricing a few things needed for the old truck besides the yoke, it comes out to just over $1000, that's over half the value of the truck, so whatever I can sell it for will be the best I can get out of it. 

[foxgrove]

Well... if you can't get it for yourself, then at least make your wife happy by doing something she wants you to do... buy the truck!  Make HER happy!!

[old boy]

.     I have been doing pretty good 😊 these past few weeks... Just taking six mg of Suboxone a day, table spoon of the protein and muscle rebuilding power and water I get from the local WalMart.... So it's been a while ago that I rode the bike 🚲.  I asked my daughter to give me a ride up the hill to the church ⛪ I attend ,on occasions, and after the bible study and service,. We threw the bike 🚲 into her trunk and up the mile hill to the church ⛪ we went.

.       i was hurting during the service and i figured it was the anxiety about the bike 🚲 ride home 🏠. I take a different route back than what my daughter used bringing me,which is about seven miles,alot of it on the level or down hill. But the pain during services, this new version psychologist who i am forced to see, is telling me that the thirty years off suffering from the symptoms of fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are not that at all but the symptoms are caused by the effects of anxiety...... Yes, i just got into believing fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are really true illnesses and she's trying to blow that appart. She used to work for the same county agency which filed the false report to my doctor,about my behavior on medical marijuana for their own personal prejudice.

        Any way, after church ⛪ I'm riding home coasting down the hills and dales ,peddling along the straight,level stretch,feeling ok, wondering why I have avoided the ride for so long.....meeting with cars along the route,thinking about how they are all commenting ,behind my back how healthy,out riding the bike 🚲 and on the disability benefits.... So I got the guilty feeling.... I got home 🏠 lying on the bed, immediately, because.... Ow. Ow. Now I see why I don't ride and do anything too physical.  My heavenly father... WOW 😲 pain city ,people..... God help me,  all i have to take is Aleve and a suboxone prescribed for tomorrow,but I needed it now!

.     This dam disease,this silent demon! Just when I thought I had it beat.  Sugar jets... O how wrong 👎 of me... I mean 😉 my anxiety about the ride,trigger the pain....Anxiety? About pain?  Wished I could see a different psychologist who knows that fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are real....this pain isn't from anxiety... Give me a break,doctor Cooper-festa!

[ronr]

I just don't feel I deserve, or I'm not good enough, or my little disability check isn't enough for me to spend that much on a truck that nice.

Stop beating yourself up Robby! 

You DO NEED IT for all those things you just wrote about so quit analyzing and mentally quibbling about it.

[looneylane]

Do what is best for you RobbY! No bites on my truck yet..

[denny]

Get the damn truck!

[Robby]

I'm just having a pity-party at the moment, and that is what I've focused on, I'll get over it in a few days.

[Robby]

Good news, and as usual bad news. Finally managed to get the new mortgage papers signed today, so no chance of losing the house. However, we couldn't get the extra we asked for to cover the cost of the plumbing, so we are still almost $7grand in the hole. Found out yesterday that we can't get the good internet (despite the company telling us we could, and then me spending over 4 weeks on the phone with corporate), so I can't get my job working from home back, so we have no way of digging out of this hole anytime soon. I mean, I know we will it's just going to take some time, but it would have been so much easier the other way.