Choices

Now that I'm fairly certain that the wagon has a head gasket problem, I have some options. They are as follows:

• Buy a new car.
• Buy a used car.
• Fix the problem.

BUY A NEW CAR. It would be nice to have something that I don't have to be figuring out what the next job will be all the time. But what I really need is a commuter car. I drive to neighborhoods where people don't seem to have any respect for other people's cars. It really doesn't seem to make sense to get something nice just to have these fools screw up my car for me.

BUY A USED CAR. Used cars used to be a nice inexpensive alternative. The problem now is that a car that's 2 or 3 years old somehow averaged 20,000 miles per year and they want only about $1,000 less than a new one. Not really worth it. So I'd have to get something a little older, but it seems that everyone put huge miles on their cars these days. A low mileage used car seem to be worth it's weight in gold these days.

FIX THE PROBLEM. This could be a cheap alternative depending on how I approach it. If I do the head gaskets myself, it'll be pretty cheap. But on a Subaru, you must pull out the engine. I think I'd rather get a used engine from a newer Subaru for only a couple bucks more and just drop it in. I think I can actually get that job done within one weekend. One weekend, couple hundred bucks, and problem solved.

So now I have to make up my mind. I tend to be a glutton for punishment. I'll probably do something stupid like swap the engine.

I'll keep you all posted.