I hate having a car!

OK, I don’t really mean that. If I really hated having a car that much, it’d be gone already. I’m just really irritated about how much having a car COSTS and the hassles associated with it. I went to get mine inspected yesterday, and it failed because the Check Engine light was on. Turns out both oxygen sensors need to be replaced. I had to take it to another place to fix the issue, and it cost me $750. I’m sure I got screwed, but not knowing anything about cars, I really didn’t want to be driving my car around from dealer to dealer the next few days comparing prices as my sticker is about to expire. Plus, this place was right next to where I work, so I didn’t have to worry about being stranded at some random car place.

I’m annoyed because my Check Engine light has been on for years. Why wasn’t this an issue before? I guess Virginia doesn’t care about emissions. And perhaps I was lucky last year and the light was briefly off during the inspection (or they just didn’t care). Oh, and top that off with being told that I have to drive 50 miles before taking it back to the original place to get the inspection completed! It’ll take me more than a week to drive that much! Grrrrr….In any case, I’m sure the sensors would’ve had to have been replaced at some point anyway. I know in the long haul $750 isn’t that much, but I’m just irritated. How much could I have saved if I wasn’t a complete idiot with regards to cars? And I can’t help thinking how much money one would save without a car, and how I could totally just get rid of my car. The expenses, gas, the insurance… and just not having to worry about it! I live on a busline that goes downtown and to places I need to go (aka grocery, bank, etc.). Of course, going to get groceries via the bus would be annoying. And I wouldn’t really be able to go running and play ultimate as freely. No, I would never get rid of my car. The convenience is just too great.

So that’s my rant. Owning a car sucks, but alas, not enough to give it up! Just gotta suck it up. Oh well.