Vehicles.... Blessing or curse?

Those of you that know me personally, know I love cars, trucks, motorcycles anything with a lot of horsepower and fun to drive.

Sometimes though I really don't like them very much, like today! My Tahoe (a '99) started making some strange noises last Thursday evening on the way to dinner. So, I stopped by the dealership as we were going past it to get their opinion... We agreed it sounded serious and was most likely in the transfer case, not exactly what I'd hoped for, but then again I was certain it wasn't a good sound or I wouldn't have stopped.

Well today (they were closed for the holiday weekend, of course) the final diagnosis is that it's the transmission. We're looking at some major money... for a job I could not only do, but have the tools and shop for.... except... My shop is currently occupied with that '78 pickup I'm restoring!! (Of course)...

Now I could reinstall the front and rear suspension (the old stuff as all the new parts aren't here yet) roll it outside and bring the Tahoe home... but... it would be at least two late nights getting it back together and then several more late nights swapping out the tranny.... not too mention I'd still have to take the pickup apart, again....

So... the dealership is handling the repair (complete with a 3 year warranty).... for about twice what I could have done it for.... there goes the nice 'extras' I had planned for the pickup.

So blessing? They do make so much possible... take daily commuting to and from work... those quick trips the the grocery store, the drugstore... or just heading out to a resturant 30 miles away.. just becasue you heard the food was good? Without a vehicle.... many of those things are just not possible.

Or curse? They never break down at a convenient time, or place... (although I could argue that encountering the problem less than 3 blocks from the dealer was kinda convenient)... Always need 'something', tires, brakes, wipers, oil change, water pump, belts, hoses and on and on.... Despite that.. I still love them... so to me... they're still a blessing!