Things that don't mix:

• Vinegar & Baking Soda

• Oil & Water

• Jalapenos & Acid Reflux

• Irish & Sunlight
  

• Soda & Pop Rocks

• Family & Cars...

For the last three weeks I have been dealing with the crap that comes with mixing family and cars. My sister's mini-van (200,000+ mi) finally had a stroke on the side of the road coming home from school. First things first, it was towed to the nearest shop, diagnosed dead, and sold to the highest bidding salvage yard for $100.

Next step, finding a replacement to borrow or buy. Here's where we made our mortal mistake! We had her go to our grandparents. This of course took coercing by me, my parents, and Susan! She talked to them and eventually they agreed to sell her their old Mercury Tracer, but they wanted some things worked on first...

*creepy, scary, something wrong is going to happen music starts*

Our uncle Tom is a mechanic and supposedly agreed to fix the speedometer which lost accuracy over 60 mph but some parts were needed. This pushed back our driving 200+ miles to pick it up a week. Although this wasn't a priority for Michelle, as she drives to work and school on city streets and state highways with speed limits less than that, this was something our grandparents felt was necessary.

Then things got even more exciting. While fixing the speedometer, Tom noticed the Rear Defrost button and Emergency Lights button weren't working. Well, these two items are detrimental to a vehicle just checked over by a professional mechanic in June in Chicago! Thank goodness he's looking at that defrost!

Pick-up was postponed. Parts were ordered. Parts were received. Car was fixed?

NO!

My grandparents haven't heard or seen from Tom in over a week! FYI - Tom lives less than 100 yards from my grandparents!

My sister, Susan, and I have been shuffling 2 cars to commute to work and home throughout the Chicago suburbs for three weeks now. When will we be making our road trip to Wisconsin for the car, only God knows...

Moral of the story: Family and cars don't mix. Don't borrow them from family (another story about what's happened to my car since my sister has started driving it consistently)! Don't buy from family! Don't have family fix them either!

Do you have any horror stories involving family and cars? Feel free to vent here; I did!