Reliable Car for Cole-Giermann Fam

After 8 years of struggling to keep our 2001 Ford Taurus on the road, it is looking like it is time to let it go. In the past year we have spent more than $5000 in repairs for a vehicle that is unreliable and has become increasingly dangerous.

I am a full time graduate student with a year left before I return to work. My fiance has worked very hard to keep our family housed, fed, and clothed over the years. The car is a consistent burden on our family that always causes a crisis when it breaks down. We do not have expendable cash to spend, and saving is not an option due to our paycheck-to-paycheck living and the fact that what little state aid we receive (now just medical coverage for my kids) would be revoked if we have over $3000 in the bank for more than a short period of time. 

This car survived the Oak Grove tornado earlier this spring despite driving straight into it and being picked up and dropped. We have needed repairs on the brake system, ball joints, and heating/cooling system for months but have yet to be able to cover them. Now the ignition is locking up and must be forced forward, it will start but refuse to leave "park" unless we put it in neutral before starting the car, and our brake lights are either on all the time or not functional at all. These repairs could easily be another $1000+ we do not have to spend.  Even if they were covered, with the track record our car has it would be a matter of months before another major repair would be necessary. I could continue to request small amounts for repairs each time we are stuck with a new "surprise" or we could do what should have been done years ago and get a new vehicle.

My fiance is looking at having to take on a second job in addition to his 40 hour a week position with the county. This would put a strain on our family and most of all on his physical and emotional health. We need help covering the cost of a reliable car within a reasonable price range. We cannot risk buying another used vehicle from a private seller for a few thousand... if we wind up with another money pit car we will be financially ruined and unable to seek another option. 

We will be taking out a loan to cover the cost of a new vehicle because the need is immediate. However, without your help that debt will not be repaid quickly and would threaten our livelyhood and progress forward to financial stability and independence. I am starting this fund to help repay the cost of a new vehicle as quickly as possible. All funds provided will go directly to the loan used to purchase the vehicle and other taxes and fees. Please help us trade in our beaten up and dangerous family car for a more reliable vehicle. 

(Images below from after the tornado incident... aside from the window repair and the taillight it isn't much better today than it was when photographed)

Thank you for your time and consideration.

- The Cole and Giermann family