Yeah, but I’m talking to a man who wanted to take a bus to Louisiana to buy a Corolla because they were too expensive in the Pacific Northwest. He said he would eat only white bread and sleep on the bus so it wouldn’t cost hardly anything. And then he’d drive the car back up. He was convinced we could save $1,500 this way, even considering the cost of gas. However, he did not have a license and luckily was wise enough to not want to get caught far from home.
So, distance in and of itself is not an issue for him.
And if you back down and then the decision to get the work done there turns out to be a mistake, be supportive rather than saying “I told you so”. He’ll know he goofed. No need to tell him.
Even if they have Toyota dealers in Germany, do remember that mechanics tend to look up VIN’s on some parts, because they are fixed out differently for different reasons. Unless their smog rules are the same as ours, you may still need to ship in the correct parts.
Sheesh! The car advice here is a lot better than the marriage advice. I’m the one who has to take two kids to swim lessons 30 minutes away twice a week, and do all the grocery shopping, so if my husband ruins the car… yeah. It’s easy for you all to say don’t say “I told you so.”
I won’t say I told you so, I will just have to get a 2007 Matrix with a CD player and a rear wiper and that will be the end of that. He won’t make the same mistake twice!
And he’s not deployed now. Obviously I’m not going to call him in Afghanistan and be all, “By the way, the Latvian transmission broke.” I mean… that goes without saying!
I have used my feminine wiles to get him to agree to a stateside tune-up at least. Hopefully then he can at least speak to the mechanic regarding repairs that can wait.
I’m glad you’re taking my comments on maintaining perspective as well as you are. I meant no disrespect. Nor did I mean to provide marital advice. Sometimes the “dad” in me just sneaks out.
And, again, thanks to both of you for your continued sacrifices.
ZeeZee; I’m a little confused. We’re proud of anyone who defends his country, but I got my driver’s license at age 16. I’m sure your husband is not a child soldier. On the other hand, you seem extremely mature and level headed in asking this group for qualified advice.
In case you wondered, the top 20 posters cover professional mechanics, transmission specialists, automotive engineers, businessmen, experienced do-it-yourselfers, and teachers, all of whom have your best interest at heart!!