esrosedotblog

DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS

In the last week or so there has been a noise in the running gear at the back of our Jeep Cherokee.

Thrum, thrum, thrum. Not very loud, but persistent.

I was taking the vehicle in for new seat belts (chewed through in the early days of Franklin's aggresssive teething phase) and casually told the service rep guy about the noise.

He said he would look into it. Or listen. Whatever.

Later in the day, a call. Bad news. The noise was from a bad bearing and other stuff in the differential. And we should really get the whole differential upgraded if we were going to do part of it.

2000 dollars.

Boom.

Now, the Cherokee is ten years old. It has not so many miles as you would think but enough. I love it. It is my vehicle when I am not in love with our Woody Le Baron.

But, this was the first time I said to myself (and John said at the same time) 'would it be better to get a new truck?'.

Now, this is not an uncommon place for us to be. Any of us. You!

We have something we love. It is getting on in years. Do we put money into keeping it upgraded? Or do we cut and run. Become part of the throw-away-culture.

I have made decisions both ways.

But there is no way to know for sure that I have made or am making the right decision.

Part of it is that while I know the Cherokee will continue to need repairs I do not know how much and how bad.

I do know that if I get a new car I will lose 5000 dollars at the same minute I drive off the dealer's lot.

And so on.

So, we are at a tipping point. Now is when we start saying 'well, we spent 2000 for the differential and they just took the dash off and cleaned everything for 750 and you just bought a new serpentine belt. It is like new! You can't sell it now'.

At the bottom line, there is no other truck that we like right now and I love my Jeep.

We keep it.