We bought our '97 Subaru Outback in 2006. It had over 200,000 miles when we bought it. I had no idea it would be such a reliable car all these years when we needed it to be. We have been students pretty much the whole time we've had this car and haven't had many problems. My dad did a couple fixes when we'd come back for holidays or affiliations but nothing big. Well, all of the sudden, in the last month, we have had our rotors, radiator and alternator replaced. And we will need our axles replaces soon. Even though it is a bummer, we are so grateful for the timing of it all. We can afford to pay for these fixes now, but while in school it could have been financial crisis.
And what else has helped me stay positive is the timing of each break down. When our alternator went out, it was about 100 degrees. I drove the car to my dad's shop with all the kids, and it died right when I pulled into the garage. He only had to push it like 5 feet to where he'd work on it. Then I smelled the coolant and noticed the car over heating when we got to the end of our street as I was leaving to run errands. I was able to turn back around and again, not get stranded with the kids somewhere in 100 degree weather. And the parts were available each time so the fixes were quick and cost less than we anticipated. Even though it stinks that the car is slowly dying on us, I am so grateful for the circumstances. I feel like we have angels watching over us. And one of them is my Dad. He is wonderful!
While we were stranded at home waiting for my dad to come fix the car after work, we had to find things to do, so we got out some paint and paper plates and made some masks.
