Our minivan is dying

We are the proud owners of two minivans. With four kids under the age of 10, it is the logical choice for transportation. Our old van, the Chevy Venture, is almost 10 years old and has about 140,000 miles on it. It really is on its last legs, and I refuse to put any more money into it. We have to take it in for repairs about every 6 months and the bill is always $1000. No matter what the problem is, no matter where we bring it, the cost is $1000. So I don't bring it in until I am mentally prepared to spend... $1000.

At this point we are just trying to nurse it through the summer, because hopefully the Nissan Leaf will be available this fall. The Leaf is an all-electric car and we are on the waiting list for one. I think the earthquake in Japan has delayed the roll out of the car, and being in the Midwest, we will probably be the last to get it. But I still wait, and hope.

Anyway, the Venture has a rusted bottom, drips water on the driver when it rains, has no gas gauge, has a nail in one of the tires, a broken tail-light, and the check engine light is always on. It is a total trash car, with garbage and various children's clothing items and playthings and food strewn all over the interior. I can live with those problems. The latest problem, where antifreeze leaks everywhere and the engine gets hot, is one that probably should be fixed. Grrrr. For awhile I was driving around with a gallon of water in my car so that I could fill the coolant tank when needed. But now even that isn't working. So, begrudgingly, I brought it in today. A few hours later I got the call. Well, to fix everything that SHOULD be fixed (none of which is on that list, by the way), the cost would be $1500. Yeah.

Where do I stop? When is it the right time to end my van's life? For me, it is a purely financial decision. The van has served me well, but I know it's time. I just can't get my next car yet. Believe me, if I could I would euthanize the van now and start over with a new car, but my new car is still in Japan somewhere, probably in pieces that haven't even been put together yet.

I ended up allowing a $267 water pump replacement. Hopefully that will slow down the antifreeze leak. I feel sort of cheap, especially since the van has given me so much over these past 10 years. But I don't feel bad. Sorry, Venture. Your time is coming. Soon we will kill you to make room in our garage for a slick new car. Of course I could draw all sorts of analogies to old people or old pets, but that would be too obvious. I will just say that I will miss the van, but I am quite excited that we will actually be getting rid of it in the near future. I'm not that sentimental, I guess. No hugs over this one.