(I love her, but she's pissing me off)I bought Rosie at CarMax in 2002. At the time I was driving a 1997 Jeep Wrangler with a soft-top convertible. I loved my Jeep, but it was noisy on the highway and guzzled gas and was impossible to keep clean. I couldn't keep anything in it because the windows zippered open and shut, and it kept getting broken into. I'd find my gym bag open in the back seat, and wonder why anyone would want to rifle through my sweaty, stinky clothes.
So I started doing some research and found Rosie and got an amazing deal on her. I had never owned a luxury car. My first car was an old Plymouth Horizon, my second a Honda Civic which I loved, but I totalled it, and the third was the Jeep, which was intended as a fun weekend car but ended up being my primary vehicle when I wrecked the Honda. So for the first time, I was driving a grown-up car. And after the Jeep, I was marveling at the actual glass windows and the quiet ride on the highway and the ability to actually lock things in the trunk. It felt decadent. I would drive around and giggle.
Over the years, Rosie has treated me well, but as she's gotten older, things have needed fixing. And one of the things I noticed about driving a Mercedes (and my understanding is that many luxury cars are like this) is that when anything goes wrong, be prepared to spend at least $500. Need new brakes? $1400. Air conditioner on the fritz? It won't just be that it needs a shot of freon. It will be something in the car's computer, and it will cost $2000. New water pump? $750.
Because nothing is just mechanical on this car. It's all computerized or electronic. The movement of the seats is controlled by a switch and is some kind of hydraulic hoo-ha. So when my seats stopped moving (and as I was 8 1/2 months pregnant, we needed to be able to position the seats so Jason could drive me to the hospital), it cost $350 to fix.
Now I can't start the car because my "Smart Key" is broken. The "smart key", which, if you ask me, is the stupidest fucking thing in the world, is an electronic key that you put in the ignition and there's a sensor that the car reads. The car and the key engage and sync up, and that allows the key to be turned so the car will start. But the little sensor on the end of the key snapped off (I think Zeke was chewing on it) and now the car won't read the key and I can't start the car.
And that's the only key. There's no mechanical override that allows you to start the car with an actual key-like key. The ignition doesn't even have a place to put an actual key.
So I called Mercedes and was informed that they have to order a new key, and they can only do it after I shlep my ass all the way downtown (in Jason's giant surf van) with proof of ownership and ID. And then it will take a week and cost $220.
Fucking Mercedes.
Each time one of these expenditures comes up, I remind myself that Rosie is a great car and that it's worth it to fix the problem. I can't buy a new car for $220, after all (or for $350 or $750).
But the rationale is starting to wear thin.
Oh no! That sounds like a pain, I feel for you. My '02 Camery is not a luxury car but her name is Avery. And I love her. Up until she needs her transmission replaced.
ReplyDeleteOn a seperate note, we have "Active Keys" at work which act as security to remotely access the network and some applications. I can't do my job without this key, a fact which freaks me out. At least once a week.
I understand the benefits of electronic and computerized security measures, but it baffles me when there's no mechanical override for situations when the electronics or computers fail, which they invariably do. It just strikes me as bad planning.
ReplyDeleteOuch ouch ouch. Yes, all those things are painfully expensive. Nick has a Mercedes and it is supercomf to ride in and I definitely enjoy his, but me, I'd never spent the cash on all the upkeep of a luxury car.
ReplyDeleteI doubt I'll do it again. When I told Jason about the key thing, he said, "your next car will be a Ford."
ReplyDeleteBut then again, I looooooooove her.... :(
Yeesh. I hear you. I'm still going without air conditioning because I'm choking on the 600 plus cost. I know - cheap, but it's a Kia, not a luxury car!
ReplyDeleteDCup -- Regardless of the type of car, $600 ain't cheap. And not having AC sucks. I'm driving around in Jason's monster surf van, with no AC and vinyl seats. I'm lucky that we have an extra car, but when I was sweating my ass off in Honolulu traffic today, I was not a happy camper. I don't know how you do the Georgia summer w/ your long commute and no AC.
ReplyDeleteI have a 98 Jeep Cherokee (Kee-Kee) with over 200k miles that I absolutely love to death. Her front & rear differential needs about $2k of work done but I refuse to let her go.
ReplyDeleteI bought an Altima last year but in that time I've already had some numbnut hit me on the driver's side (she was trying to make a right turn from the left lane...go figure), the battery died in the parking lot of Turner Field on quite possibly the hottest Sunday in history, and another numbnut hit the front right bumper in the parking lot at work.
Thinking maybe I should've just put the money into getting Kee-Kee fixed.
Sherice
I'm cruising around in my Volvo with very erratic a/c, because it will cost $962 to replace the a/c clutch. The car is a 2005 and only has 58,000 miles on it. That is just wrong! But I love Volvos, this is my 3rd, and I doubt I'll buy anything else! I did my time with american cars (my dad would only buy GM) and I will never go back! Which I keep telling myself whenever I get in the car and the a/c doesn't work.
ReplyDelete