I totaled my reliable (and paid off!) Subaru in February of 2023.

My credit was poor, but I was preapproved at a well-reviewed used car lot in an area that is also known locally for its various reputable car dealerships.

As if foretelling the fool I was to become, I signed the paperwork on April 1, 2023 for a vehicle that can only reasonably be described as “cursed.”

What may look like a 2021 Nissan Kicks is in fact a money-sucking death trap that was completely totaled and rebuilt with aftermarket parts before being sold to me without airbags or a working transmission.

The NYS Attorney General and state DMV got involved, and the car was again rebuilt from scratch before being proclaimed fixed and safe to drive.

It lasted four months before its next breakdown.

Over the past two years the car has spent more time in shops than out, and has cost us upwards of $12,000 in repairs. It has had its transmission replaced, engine rebuilt, airbags reinstalled, computer systems replaced, new front and rear bumpers, and none of it has made the car drivable for more than a matter of weeks. It has broken down on highways, side streets, and bridges, costing us upward of $1,000 each time.

We are now at a point where despite having negative equity, we're willing to sell the car for scrap and absorb the remaining loan into financing an older but more reliable vehicle.

The only problem? The Nissan is in the shop again. We only had it back for two weeks this time before it crapped out while driving the 3.1 miles home from work. The issue is apparently that one of the car's motor mounts is turned completely sideways and is no longer supporting the engine. The shop that had it last month is refusing to look at it again, saying there's no way they could even have approached the motor mount. The shop that has it now says $1300 and we can have it back.

We're just trying to get it out of the shop so we can sell it at a loss. We've eaten every emergency cost over the last two years and just don't have any more to give after paying a $1,000 deductible less than a week after our wedding.

We understand that times are harder than ever and that funds are especially tight during the holidays, but we appreciate anything you might be able to contribute. Here's hoping we can start the new year in a car that won't kill us.