Year of the Auto (May-Aug 2017)

Ram 2500 hits 100,000 miles (09 May 2017)

The 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 doesn't get a lot of miles anymore as it mostly makes trips back and forth to school, but once it was close to 100,000 miles, Pat reclaimed the truck so he and Dolly could roll the odometer (Photo taken on 9 May 2017)

Ram 2500 hits 100,000 miles (09 May 2017)

The 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 doesn't get a lot of miles anymore as it mostly makes trips back and forth to school, but once it was close to 100,000 miles, Pat reclaimed the truck so he and Dolly could roll the odometer (Photo taken on 9 May 2017)

Kathy's New Altima (17 Jul 2017)

Kathy finally decided to replace her 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan. She previously had an Altima she loved, so that's what she wanted again. Our timing to purchase was great as slower than expected sales over the 4th of July holiday helped us negotiate over $7,500 off the sticker price. (Photo taken on 17 Jul 2017)

Kathy's New Altima (17 Jul 2017)

Kathy finally decided to replace her 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan. She previously had an Altima she loved, so that's what she wanted again. Our timing to purchase was great as slower than expected sales over the 4th of July holiday helped us negotiate over $7,500 off the sticker price. (Photo taken on 17 Jul 2017)

Kathy's New Altima (17 Jul 2017)

Kathy finally decided to replace her 2001 Toyota Sienna minivan. She previously had an Altima she loved, so that's what she wanted again. Our timing to purchase was great as slower than expected sales over the 4th of July holiday helped us negotiate over $7,500 off the sticker price. (Photo taken on 17 Jul 2017)

Poor Minivan

The 2001 Toyota Sienna let us know it wasn't happy Kathy replaced it 2.5 weeks earlier by deciding to get in a wreck with Sydney driving on I-66 just outside the beltway. Sydney was OK and she handled the crash and blown out tire well; however, she was quite angry with the driver who unsuccessfully tried to thread the needle between two cars. The van wasn't worth repairing, so we took the check and bought Sydney a 2007 VW Jetta. The wreck was late on August 3rd and this photo was taken on August 16th.

Poor Minivan

The 2001 Toyota Sienna let us know it wasn't happy Kathy replaced it 2.5 weeks earlier by deciding to get in a wreck with Sydney driving on I-66 just outside the beltway. Sydney was OK and she handled the crash and blown out tire well; however, she was quite angry with the driver who unsuccessfully tried to thread the needle between two cars. The van wasn't worth repairing, so we took the check and bought Sydney a 2007 VW Jetta. The wreck was late on August 3rd and this photo was taken on August 16th.

Poor Minivan

The 2001 Toyota Sienna let us know it wasn't happy Kathy replaced it 2.5 weeks earlier by deciding to get in a wreck with Sydney driving on I-66 just outside the beltway. Sydney was OK and she handled the crash and blown out tire well; however, she was quite angry with the driver who unsuccessfully tried to thread the needle between two cars. The van wasn't worth repairing, so we took the check and bought Sydney a 2007 VW Jetta. The wreck was late on August 3rd and this photo was taken on August 16th.

Poor Minivan

The 2001 Toyota Sienna let us know it wasn't happy Kathy replaced it 2.5 weeks earlier by deciding to get in a wreck with Sydney driving on I-66 just outside the beltway. Sydney was OK and she handled the crash and blown out tire well; however, she was quite angry with the driver who unsuccessfully tried to thread the needle between two cars. The van wasn't worth repairing, so we took the check and bought Sydney a 2007 VW Jetta. The wreck was late on August 3rd and this photo was taken on August 16th.

Sydney's VW Jetta (18 Aug 2017)

Once the insurance company agreed to declare the van a total loss, we had a day to find Sydney a new car. She bought a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, with 87K miles, automatic transmission, leather interior, sunroof and heated seats for $5K. Unfortunately, the dealer couldn't fix the A/C in time, so Sydney headed back to college with Pat's Subaru Outback and he got to make repeated trips to the dealer to get it fixed. (Photo taken 18 Aug 2017)

Sydney's VW Jetta (18 Aug 2017)

Once the insurance company agreed to declare the van a total loss, we had a day to find Sydney a new car. She bought a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, with 87K miles, automatic transmission, leather interior, sunroof and heated seats for $5K. Unfortunately, the dealer couldn't fix the A/C in time, so Sydney headed back to college with Pat's Subaru Outback and he got to make repeated trips to the dealer to get it fixed. (Photo taken 18 Aug 2017)

Sydney's VW Jetta (18 Aug 2017)

Once the insurance company agreed to declare the van a total loss, we had a day to find Sydney a new car. She bought a 2007 VW Jetta Wolfsburg Edition, with 87K miles, automatic transmission, leather interior, sunroof and heated seats for $5K. Unfortunately, the dealer couldn't fix the A/C in time, so Sydney headed back to college with Pat's Subaru Outback and he got to make repeated trips to the dealer to get it fixed. (Photo taken 18 Aug 2017)

Poor Minivan

We just dropped off the 2001 Toyota Sienna at the collision center after agreeing with the insurance company's settlement offer. It was a fair offer and quite a bit more than we could have sold it for pre-wreck. Kathy was sad to see it go as the van was reliable and her daily driver. We were just 51 miles short of 100,000 miles when we dropped it off! Sydney was upset as she wanted to roll the odometer on her trip back to college. Not her fault a careless driver crashed into her on I-66 just outside the beltway. (Photo taken on 19 Aug 2017)

Poor Minivan

We just dropped off the 2001 Toyota Sienna at the collision center after agreeing with the insurance company's settlement offer. It was a fair offer and quite a bit more than we could have sold it for pre-wreck. Kathy was sad to see it go as the van was reliable and her daily driver. We were just 51 miles short of 100,000 miles when we dropped it off! Sydney was upset as she wanted to roll the odometer on her trip back to college. Not her fault a careless driver crashed into her on I-66 just outside the beltway. (Photo taken on 19 Aug 2017)

Poor Minivan

We just dropped off the 2001 Toyota Sienna at the collision center after agreeing with the insurance company's settlement offer. It was a fair offer and quite a bit more than we could have sold it for pre-wreck. Kathy was sad to see it go as the van was reliable and her daily driver. We were just 51 miles short of 100,000 miles when we dropped it off! Sydney was upset as she wanted to roll the odometer on her trip back to college. Not her fault a careless driver crashed into her on I-66 just outside the beltway. (Photo taken on 19 Aug 2017)

Poor Minivan

We just dropped off the 2001 Toyota Sienna at the collision center after agreeing with the insurance company's settlement offer. It was a fair offer and quite a bit more than we could have sold it for pre-wreck. Kathy was sad to see it go as the van was reliable and her daily driver. We were just 51 miles short of 100,000 miles when we dropped it off! Sydney was upset as she wanted to roll the odometer on her trip back to college. Not her fault a careless driver crashed into her on I-66 just outside the beltway. (Photo taken on 19 Aug 2017)

Poor Minivan

We just dropped off the 2001 Toyota Sienna at the collision center after agreeing with the insurance company's settlement offer. It was a fair offer and quite a bit more than we could have sold it for pre-wreck. Kathy was sad to see it go as the van was reliable and her daily driver. We were just 51 miles short of 100,000 miles when we dropped it off! Sydney was upset as she wanted to roll the odometer on her trip back to college. Not her fault a careless driver crashed into her on I-66 just outside the beltway. (Photo taken on 19 Aug 2017)

Jetta Tire Problem (20 Aug 2017)

You know the used card dealer took shortcuts when there are THREE different sized tires on Sydney's "new" 2007 VW Jetta and NONE are the correct size. The sizes are P225/60R16s (RF and LR), P195/55R16 (RR) and P225/55R16 (LF). At least the spare was correct (P195/65R15) and after making a trip to Costco we now have P205/55R16s on each wheel.

Replacing Jetta's AC Condensor (26 Aug 2017)

Sydney's "new" 2007 VW Jetta had a broken A/C the dealer agreed to fix. The mechanics replaced a hose on the day we bought it, but the A/C didn't hold the charge overnight. Turns out there was a leak in the condensor which was diagnosed the next day. They had to order the part, so another trip was required and it was an all-day affair as the front end has to be removed to replace the A/C condensor. Wow! Once the car was back together, they diagnosed a bad compressor. Thankfully the repair is on the dealer's dime, but it is still a pain and a waste of a lot of time.

Replacing Jetta's AC Condensor (26 Aug 2017)

Sydney's "new" 2007 VW Jetta had a broken A/C the dealer agreed to fix. The mechanics replaced a hose on the day we bought it, but the A/C didn't hold the charge overnight. Turns out there was a leak in the condensor which was diagnosed the next day. They had to order the part, so another trip was required and it was an all-day affair as the front end has to be removed to replace the A/C condensor. Wow! Once the car was back together, they diagnosed a bad compressor. Thankfully the repair is on the dealer's dime, but it is still a pain and a waste of a lot of time.

Replacing Jetta's AC Condensor (26 Aug 2017)

Sydney's "new" 2007 VW Jetta had a broken A/C the dealer agreed to fix. The mechanics replaced a hose on the day we bought it, but the A/C didn't hold the charge overnight. Turns out there was a leak in the condensor which was diagnosed the next day. They had to order the part, so another trip was required and it was an all-day affair as the front end has to be removed to replace the A/C condensor. Wow! Once the car was back together, they diagnosed a bad compressor. Thankfully the repair is on the dealer's dime, but it is still a pain and a waste of a lot of time.

Replacing Jetta's AC Condensor (26 Aug 2017)

Sydney's "new" 2007 VW Jetta had a broken A/C the dealer agreed to fix. The mechanics replaced a hose on the day we bought it, but the A/C didn't hold the charge overnight. Turns out there was a leak in the condensor which was diagnosed the next day. They had to order the part, so another trip was required and it was an all-day affair as the front end has to be removed to replace the A/C condensor. Wow! Once the car was back together, they diagnosed a bad compressor. Thankfully the repair is on the dealer's dime, but it is still a pain and a waste of a lot of time.