The dealership had bought the car from a guy who used to live in California. When they sent to California for the title so that I could get the tags, California sent it to the previous owners old address in California instead of to the dealership.
The dealership had to file for a lost title. It took them nearly 5 months to get me my tags.
In the meanwhile, I could not drive for Uber or Lyft, because they require that a car that I am driving be registered in my name. I could have rented a car from Lyft, but it would have cost me too much compared to what I was making. I was already losing money by not being able to drive for Uber or Lyft.
I was allowed to do deliveries, however. Unfortunately, on all the apps put together even, it was only half of my regular salary. I ended up having to spend all of my money that I had saved up during the previous year to try to keep up with my bills. I even ended up having to take out a loan to help.
The dealership was willing to pay the car payment. But even just paying the car payment I was still behind on my bills. I threw a fit and told them they were ruining my life! They didn't believe me and they laughed at me.
I finally got my tags in February. During this time I had to get a fuel injector put into my car because the check engine light kept coming on.
I drove the car for about a month and a half, and then the transmission went out. I took it back to the dealership. After a week of waiting for them to fix it, I was told that the transmission was on back order. I told them I had to go to work! I couldn't afford not to work! I had to take out another loan to help me pay my bills.
They sent me out with a loaner vehicle, through a rental company, and I had to pay $30 a day to drive it with the deal that they set up, after the first 5 days. So now I could only do deliveries and I had to pay $30 a day on top of that. I ended up having to take out another credit card and a few more loans before I finally got my car back a month and a half later, with a used transmission.
I drove the car for about a month and a half, and the transmission went out again.
This time, they told me that there was nothing they could do because I drove too many miles and the warranty was no longer valid. Now I was without a car, and a way to pay my bills.
At this point I tried to trade in my car for a better one, but they told me that the car had too much negative equity due to the mileage that I drove. And I didn't have the money to pay a down payment on another one.
I took the car to J&R automotive and they helped me get set up with financing to get another transmission. I was out of work for 3 weeks, constantly getting more behind on my rent. And I didn't see myself coming back from this.
I was going to get a storage unit and move into my car at this point, and I begged people to help me move.
No one stepped up to help.
A cousin offered me a place to stay until I could get my car fixed. I moved what I could to his house. He was disabled so he was limited and how he could help me move. At this point, I hadn't even gotten a storage yet.
I waited 2 weeks for my car to be fixed, and finally someone offered me their van to drive while I was waiting to get it fixed.
My cousin started gaslighting me and making things difficult for me, so I left his house with nothing but my clothes and computers.
Another friend offered me a place to stay until I could secure myself.
I stayed with her family for a week, but extended circumstances forced me to have to leave her home. It was nothing personal. But I couldn't stay there.
I finally got my storage unit, and I went to Randy Sam's for about a week. It was hard for me to work the hours that I could work, once I got my car back, due to the hours that they require you to be checked in, and the chores that they require you to do as a part of staying there. Not to mention, the cots were not comfortable, and the showers had no water pressure. I have very thick hair.
So I checked out of Randy Sam's and I went to Dallas for about a week to try to work and make more money.
After about a week, my transmission failed again. I ended up having to take it back to Texarkana, back to J&R automotive, and I barely got it on to the shop's property when it finally stopped going. It refused to move. I needed another transmission.
They sent me up with more financing. By this time I had five loan accounts and three credit cards that I was paying on.
This time, they also had to replace the starter and a sensor as well as the transmission.
During this time, my dad died. A week later, two of my best and closest friends died. A week later, one of them moved away.
I got the car back, and a month later, I was putting a water pump, thermostat and housing in it. My water pump went out on me.
A month later, apparently some water got into my transmission fluid and I ended up having to do three transmission flushes. I had to take out another loan to pay for this. I also had a leaky radiator.
My windshield wipers had failed me at some point during all that time and I had to get to windshield wiper motors. I had to replace three brake lights and one headlight, and a tire or two about every month.
I've lost my health insurance, so I couldn't even get my arthritis medicine. At the end of the year I'm depending on aspirin.
At this point, at the end of the year, I am homeless, broke, and in debt.
And I still owe $3,200 in Taxes from the previous year.
The apartment complex I used to stay at, at this point, slapped me with a $5,046 clean up fee, since I had to leave everything behind. If I had $5,000 I would not have had to move.
I can't stand on my feet more than 20 or 30 minutes at a time, so getting another job is not an option for me. My only hope is to keep this car going until I can come up with the money to get another one.
There have been a lot of good points this year, though. I have made new friends.
Some have reached out and offered me a little bit of help here and there. I have received blankets, and pillows and gift cards. Some have uploaded money onto my cash app and venmo to help me out.
The last thing I ever wanted to be doing was asking people to help. I am someone who likes to work for what I get, so I don't feel like I owe anyone. And now I owe a slew of people for helping me.
2023 has proven to be the worst year of my entire life. 2024 has to be much better!
Throughout all of this, I have praised God with a "hallelujah, anyway."I know He's got something planned. And I know He's preparing me for work that I am going to be doing in 2024!
There were times that I didn't know if I was Job, or Jonah. I tried to maintain my stance and posture to resemble Jesus. It was hard, and I know I failed at times, but I never stopped believing that God has a plan for me and that God is using this for a purpose!
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