I feel like I may be complaining a lot lately. It's been a bad month. I hope that I'm usually a more positive person than this. But the month just keeps getting worse.
Last May, I had my car shipped from Wisconsin to California. Thanks to North Central Auto Transport, owned and operated by Wayne Markow of Medford, Wisconsin, my car sustained $3,400 worth of damage. He claimed he didn't know how it happened, and offered $300 upon dropping off the car for settling then and there. I was still in Wisconsin at that point, so thank god my dad is smart enough to know not to accept that money. It turned out that the car in good condition was worth less than the cost to fix it, so it was deemed a "salvage" car.
After about 6 months of going back and forth with the moving company and 3rd party contractor who actually drove the truck, and a whole bunch of other stuff I won't go into, I finally settled with North Central. I chose to keep the car, which was estimated to be worth $400 for parts and they paid me the difference of $3,000.
At that point I decided I would just not fix the car and drive it until this summer, when I figured I'd have enough money to buy a new car and sell the Accord off for parts.
Last month I got a notice in the mail that my registration was due and I needed a smog check. I passed the smog check and paid the registration fees online, like the notice said I could. A month later, I still hadn't received my new license plate stickers. I called and the DMV informed me that their systems were down and to give it another week or two to get my tags in the mail.
Fast forward to last Friday. My brother has to go to the DMV and I decide to tag along to find out what's going on with my registration. They tell me that they've received my payment, but they won't process my registration until I bring in the title and car for inspection. This morning, I go in, figuring that they would just make me show them that the reverse, brake, and blinker lights were all working. But all they do is check my car to ensure the VIN isn't damaged (like I fucking stole the car or something?). Then after waiting for a long ass time (of course), I'm informed that I need to go to a mechanic to pass a brake and light test. Once they do that, I can qualify for a "Salvage Title" and my vehicle registration will be processed. I have until the end of April.
After calling every mechanic in town, only to be informed that ONE place in Thousand Oaks does it, they agree to see me immediately. Excited to have caught a break in my bad luck, I bring it in, only to be informed that the only way I'll pass the brake and light test is to entirely repair the damage to the car.
Somehow I have to come up with $3400 by the end of April. FML.
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I can relate to car troubles... sometimes I wish I lived in a place like NY or SF where public transportation is actually viable. It's not pleasant, I know, but don't worry, you aren't a negative person - and your luck will turn around, because it always does for good people =)
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