"Serro" Miles

My mommy (remember that is how we Korean/American kids roll) bought a car this year…which in and of itself is a normal occurrence for most.  She wanted a “new” car…so my sister, Angel, went along to assist at the Toyota dealership because my dad was a “Toyota” (by the way in his Maine accent it sounded like Tie-yo-tuh) kind of guy.  She test drove a “new” Toyota corolla and liked it…but she informed the dealer that she did not want it.  She wanted a “new” car, a “serro mile” car.  If you didn’t catch that, she wanted a “0 mile” car…not a 120 mile car or a 11.5 mile car.  She wanted a “serro” mile car.

So after the dealer deciphered what the adamant little Korean woman wanted, he set about searching the lot for a car that literally had never been driven before and had “serro” miles on it.  He found one.  She bought it.  She was happy.

I felt this was a bit ridiculous and unnecessary as I can’t imagine the drastic difference between a 0 mile car and a 130 mile car…like are there super crazy test drivers out there or do said test drivers leave a “used” feel to the car…until yesterday.

Yesterday we took our “new to us” Mazda in that we bought last year.  The repair was $3200….well…that is a lot.  Apparently when the car was in a minor accident before we bought it, it messed up a sensor, but the sensor did not fully fail until 6 months after we purchased it…kind of one of those one in a million occurrences that are very unlike winning the lottery.  Maybe we should have been clued into the issues when we discovered shortly after purchase that the button to turn on the windshield washer fluid on the windshield activated the windshield washer on the back window - but still turned the wipers on on the windshield…and vice versa (You may have to read that a couple times to get it.) We got it fixed.  It was cheap and simple.

Now we are no dummies…at least I hope not…we do our research to an intense level.  We are “consumer reports” kind of people.  In fact my only favorite magazine as a child was the “Consumer Reports” magazine that arrived in our barn-shaped mailbox monthly.  I read it from cover to cover.  I helped my mom purchase her first minivan when I was a teenager through my research.  Even though I was a skinny, tiny little shy twig of a girl, I negotiated with the sales person until the price was closer to what the car was really worth - according to my trusty magazine.  My mom backed me up by stiffly nodding her head no, and pretending to get up and walk out while saying “I leave now.”  Maybe she wasn’t pretending.  We got it for the price we wanted. (By the way it was a new Mazda minivan.  I just don’t know if it had “serro” miles.)

You may think that this one bad luck occurrence would not turn this used car family into those “naive” people that drive “serro” mile cars off the lot and lose thousands of dollars in value before they pull into their driveway…but this is not the first time…oh no.

We bought a well researched Toyota highlander about 11 years ago.  On the drive home, all the lights turned on (you know the ones that say this was a really bad decision).  Anywho…we took it to a Toyota dealership the next day.  They gave us a rundown of what was wrong with it and informed us it was a really good deal.  We drove it back to the used car dealership.  They offered us other vehicles because the cost of repairs was not at all profitable.  We declined and had them fix it.  They did and we drove off happy with our three kids in tow, until…

The next summer, we were in Missouri when the car just decided it was done being a car and turned off.  Upon inspection at the Toyota dealership, the hybrid engine had failed because of flooding, so it was going to cost a million dollars…$7500 to put in a used hybrid engine.  Here’s the thing, we don’t remember driving through a flood…fast forward to when it was finally repaired…the original dealers had never put in the plugs that are in a package with bold letters “DEALER MUST PUT IN PLUGS UPON DELIVERY.”  The plugs were what keep water out of the engine.

Later on the transmission failed and we paid another million dollars for that…$4500…for a used one.

So that Toyota highlander is on its way to 300,000 miles through sheer grit, determination, and multiple repairs (We are on a first name basis with the all repair guys.)…so we don’t feel completely swindled.

So we’re done with being frugal and wise because that has not worked out for us.  Our next car will be a “serro” mile car.

When Daran called me yesterday, to tell me how much it was going to cost…he warned…”Are you sitting down?”…and upon hearing the number I laughed out loud like Sarah laughed at the absurdity of having a baby in her retirement years.   

As I added that to my normal summer support raising season stress, I chastised myself for my lack of faith.  For someone that has seen so many miraculous fourth quarter comebacks by Jesus, I feel a bit pathetic…so this morning as I sit in my quiet spot…by my window…with my carefree unconcerned yorkie snoozing beside me…observing the mommy bird and the baby birds and their lackadaisical trust-filled way of living in which they just believe breakfast will be there…I am reminded that “lemon” cars are not even a speed bump for God.

I’m not sure what you are trusting God for today…money, salvations, repaired relationships, non “lemon” cars…but lets sit together and remember that our God is indeed a fourth quarter God and has never once failed us.