In preparation of my departure date, I worked hard to gather all of my sister’s things that I’ve been storing for her since she moved from Oregon back to California 8 years ago.
Rather than a quick drive down and back, I decided to make a trip of it and use the opportunity for some car camping adventure AND to share it with my grandson, Sebastian. One of my favorite memories with my grandmother was a road trip from home in California to visit family in Oregon.. filled with a coastal drive, bonfire on the beach and driving over a very big bridge (although I cannot remember the name or where the bridge was, just that it was VERY high up, lol).
I took a weekend off work giving me just under 2 weeks time. I channeled my Tetris skills and carefully packed all of my sister’s belongings, some things I was passing on to her and my niece/nephews, supplies for the dogs (only Jack and Freyja this trip), mine and Sebastian’s clothes, some blankets, pills, and snacks/drinks for the road. I packed until late in the morning and slept a few hours, then got up, full of excitement, bright and early to hit the road!
Not So Smooth Sailing
Just over a couple hours down the road, Randy Rogue (what I call my Nissan Rogue) started losing power on the hills and slipped a gear. Once at the top of the hill, I pulled over to search the internet for possible causes and contemplate my choices. The most obvious conclusion was what I feared the most.. the transmission. I had planned on getting the CVT transmission serviced before I left, but the schedule kept getting thrown off so I had it scheduled for when I returned.
We slowly made our way to Grants Pass 18 miles further South. I found a Chevrolet/Nissan dealership but their Nissan technician was not in and they did not have someone available to check diagnostics. They did, however, check the transmission fluid level and I was told it looked good. That made me feel better. Until I hit the road again and continued to have issues accelerating on hills.
Not The News I Was Hoping For
We carefully made our way from Grants Pass to the next Nissan Dealer location in Medford. Although they were booked, they were kind enough to work us in to complete a diagnostic. Gathering the dogs, some water, Sebastian and his tablet to sit on a bench outside while they fit us in, we settled in to wait for what I prayed was better news than I was expecting.
But better news is not what I received. After a little over an hour I got news they had completed the diagnostics and, indeed, the transmission “failed” among a laundry list of other suggested maintenance totaling over $9,000. This was nowhere near in my budget so far.
I made the decision to turn around and head home, our adventure to California put on hold indefinitely.
Back To The Budget
We made it slowly and safely home without any breakdowns, stopping for gas at Costco when he got back to town. Almost home after getting gas and the check engine light came on, ugh. Not in the mood to deal with it, I parked the car, unloaded Sebastian, the dogs, and our snacks and went inside to take a nap (I didn’t get much sleep the night before after all).
After talking to a few mechanically inclined people, I went out to see if the check engine light was still on and when I started the car this time, I heard a horrible noise and immediately turned the car back off. I had to face the fact this was not going to be a quick fix and I needed to figure out my options.
Research, conversations filled with “it sounds like this (insert sound)”, more research and way too many days later I came to the conclusion that I needed to either trade Randy Rogue for another vehicle or flat out sell him for a loss on my balance and get a new vehicle.
After reviewing my budget and manipulating it every which way I could, the outcome was obvious. And very disheartening.
Departure Delayed
For the short foreseeable future I will be relying on family and public transportation to get me to work, errands and appointments as I figure this out.
I am a little disheartened, but I will persevere.
Come back to see where this life worth loving adventure takes me next!
