A Singaporean In Australia

After 3 great years of service, Goldilocks finally broke down for the first time. The beauty in that was that she managed to take me home safely after work instead of breaking down on the highway or something. An hour later, I left home with the intention of fetching Albany from the childcare centre, there it happened.

After I started the car, I sensed that something was not right immediately. The engine wasn't running smoothly, clocking erratic RPM as seconds went by. After about 10 seconds, the engine spluttered and went dead. Each time I restarted the engine, it lasted shorter than the previous try. By the next day, I could not start the engine at all.

Without a proper garage, tools nor mechanic training, I couldn't do much. All I could do was to speculate what could have gone wrong with Goldilocks. From the symptoms, since I managed to start the engine, I ruled the possibility of a bad battery out. The starter motor should be working as well. So I changed the spark plugs, in hope for a quick solution. No luck. The pistons were still not firing. My bet was the fuel system. If I could get the engine going the day before but eventually went dead, I figured that the pistons were not receiving enough fuel for combustion. However, if the fuel pump was not working, there was no way I could change it. For a start, I didn't even know where to locate it.

It was decision making time. Is it time to buy a new old car or a brand new car? Was it a bad choice to buy an old car in the first place? I still insist it wasn't. Since I spent $2,100 or so on Goldilocks 3 years ago, if that was really the time to say goodbye, her depreciation would be a decent $700 a year. If I were to buy a brand new Toyota Corolla for $27,000 today, the number of years I need to drive to match that depreciation rate is 38 years. I may be dead by then. So even if I repair Goldilocks, it may be well worth it if I can get her running for another year. How does that work out? Say if my repair cost $600, I'll add $600 to my purchase price. 2100+600 = 2700. 4 years of depreciation = 2700/4 = $675. Still awesome. I will never run on such low cost if I were to buy a brand new car.

But how about a new old car? I would love to drive a RAV4 or a CRV, wouldn't I?

Let's call up the mechanic and see.


Goldilocks Reloaded