Day 421: Death of a fine car
May. 10th, 2021 11:55 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
eve_primeToday the mechanic called to say that my car's engine was done for - it would cost $6,000-8,000 to replace it, which doesn't make sense for a car that's now 25 years old. It still has less than 100,000 miles on it, since I drive about 3,000 miles a year, but it's had a chronic oil leak for a great many of those 25 years. I'm sad about my car, as I've been very fond of it, but also glad that it didn't fail while I was driving it, or worse, D.
One thing about today is that it's the half-year birthday that, in theory, makes me eligible to take funds from my pension fund without a tax penalty. That is, it counts as taxable income, but the usual 10% penalty no longer applies. And it looks like the value of my pension fund has gone up nearly the price of a new car in the past 74 days, heh. My thought is to use some money from the pension fund and some from what I'll be getting from my mom.
It was a relief to realize that this would be feasible, as I couldn't qualify for a loan without income, and I don't want to use all of my money from my mom on a car. If I buy a reasonably modest car, I can finally own a brand-new vehicle.
The alternative would be to talk J. into buying himself a new car and then use his old one (it's 15 years old but runs fine), but he still likes his car.
Meanwhile, I'll have to find the title to my car, get all my stuff out of it, and donate it. The mechanic can have it hauled away, but it would be easier to get the stuff out if I had it towed back here first, I'm thinking. We could salvage the battery I bought a few months ago, too.
One thing about today is that it's the half-year birthday that, in theory, makes me eligible to take funds from my pension fund without a tax penalty. That is, it counts as taxable income, but the usual 10% penalty no longer applies. And it looks like the value of my pension fund has gone up nearly the price of a new car in the past 74 days, heh. My thought is to use some money from the pension fund and some from what I'll be getting from my mom.
It was a relief to realize that this would be feasible, as I couldn't qualify for a loan without income, and I don't want to use all of my money from my mom on a car. If I buy a reasonably modest car, I can finally own a brand-new vehicle.
The alternative would be to talk J. into buying himself a new car and then use his old one (it's 15 years old but runs fine), but he still likes his car.
Meanwhile, I'll have to find the title to my car, get all my stuff out of it, and donate it. The mechanic can have it hauled away, but it would be easier to get the stuff out if I had it towed back here first, I'm thinking. We could salvage the battery I bought a few months ago, too.