Summary: working-class, genderqueer young person (27) who recently fled political persecution from the rural South, whose car engine broke out of nowhere. Need to either replace my car or my engine, having drained my savings on repairs, and down on luck after a Series of Unfortunate Events. Anything helps. (See pics for oil leak puddle.)

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Description of car problems:

I wasn't even finished paying off my used vehicle (which is regarded as a very reliable model from my research) that I bought in the last year when an engine hose leaked randomly, drained the engine of all oil in a matter of minutes, and wreaked havoc on my engine. (Smoke billowing out of it when I drove.) I have taken it to multiple highly regarded mechanics in the area and a handy friend, and they all tell me that I would need a full engine replacement. I had just spent all my savings on various minor but essential repairs (I had to replace the hose before we could know if it would work, and that itself was $600. And a couple other repairs not that long before that).

The best quote I got was from a friend of a friend, and quite cheap (for such a job) at $3.5k including labor for an engine with half the mileage! (around 80k miles) (The other shop I'd found quoted me at $5.5-6k minimum.) I'm still weighing whether I should just buy a different used car, but it will cost about the same if not more anyway (for the cheaper estimate) to get a decent car, and this model is known to generally be reliable (especially after a low mileage engine replacement), plus it's otherwise in great condition (newish brakes, tires, the works), so I'm leaning towards getting it fixed. Either way, I need some help! (My family doesn't have any spare money to give, as I come from a working-class background, and they have two small children to care of.)

Some backstory about me: It's been one thing after another for me these past few years. I graduated college (as the first person in my family to do so) at the beginning of the pandemic in 2020; struggled to find steady work and pay rent amidst the ballooning housing crisis; an uninsured driver totaled my first car in 2021; I had to live with my family (who are not very supportive of my queer identity) in rural TN on and off during that time; then I fled rural TN at the end of 2023 because of the rapidly deteriorating political situation which was targeting my identity specifically; I hoped to transition and change my name while being in a more supportive environment for my gender in MA, but then faced unexpected harassment in my new living situation in MA that left me unstably housed (couchsurfing) during the winter of 2024/2025, and I had to briefly return to staying with my family in TN. I just got my footing in MA again, found stable housing and a job, and then this happens. I can't keep my head above water. I'm burnt out. (I also try to do activism in our current political catastrophe unfolding.) If anyone has some goodluck charms, I need them!

My mental health has been terrible throughout this. It's been fairly traumatic to be tossed around and not have stable housing or finances for years on end because of various societal crises outside of my control, which I seem to be disproportionately impacted by as a young queer person, not yet established in my career, who doesn't have access to intergenerational wealth. It has affected my ability to work and function, and I've not had enough emotional or financial support (though I do have state health insurance and a good therapist which I'm very committed to going to, which is probably why I'm still alive honestly). It's been quite demoralizing to face so many hurdles as soon as I got out of school. I envisioned a very different life for myself once I became a full adult, and I thought putting my nose to the grindstone and graduating from a good college would be the ticket to a better life. I also thought I would be the one helping people and protecting people-- hoping to go into work for social change-- not having to ask for help so much nor being victimized (as a capable adult) so much. But then I had to graduate right as the world turned upside down, and despite my quite creative solutions to a series of ridiculous problems, it's been downhill from there. It's not been a fun time. I'm looking to turn that around.

I would deeply appreciate any help you can give. Thanks for reading.