So we had this argument about the car and whether or not to have the tow truck take it to an expensive dealership on a Sunday.
I called two different dealerships and no answer. So I Googled for towing service and found one very close to home. It’s 24-hours and in a pinch, we can walk to the garage. It’s a mighty long walk, but one I used to do when I was a kid and REALLY wanted McDonald’s for lunch.
The nice man at the garage said he knew exactly where we were and that he’d stop by. I asked how much for the tow, he said $45 bucks. That’s it. I asked if we were going to need a new battery or if he was going to just charge it up. He said he’d have to take a look.
The guy comes out, and has this less than fancy gadget. He hooks up the battery and jumps the car. EASY.
Total cost? $35 smackaroos, plus a tip of $5. No need to join AAA at $85 a year.
My mother is a ditz. Well so am I.
I did the same thing about 5 hours later when I was ready to leave her house. I rolled the windows down, left the keys in the ignition, went to chat with the new and friendly neighbors I didn’t know, and promptly forgot where the keys were. I went back into the house and tore up my luggage when some logical thinking kicked in. Why were the windows down on the car? Derf. I left the keys in the ignition. Fortunately, not in the ON position, because I am kind of stuck in my habits and always put the keys back into OFF if I am getting out of the car.
Lessons for you?
1) AAA may not be your best bet. A local towing company might be cheaper if you’re in your own neighborhood when a breakdown happens.
2) A local garage might have better hours than the local dealership does. And they
3) Always leave your keys in the OFF position if you are going to leave them in the ignition. Better yet, just take them out and put them back into your pocket.
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Or get a jump next time and save yourself the tow.
We did get a jump from the guy. Therefore no tow. So we saved $10!
Oh. I probably forgot to add that we did try to jump the car off my battery, but the Volvo didn’t turn over at all.
This is why I keep a cheap-ass car battery charger in my trunk. One extension cord and 2 hours later I’m good to go. 30 minutes if I have a long enough drive ahead of me and feel like leaving the charger on 25 amps to give the car that last boost to get started.
I’ve always been against AAA until this year. Having 3 cars that have been getting on in age and 3 tows in the past 6 months – I figured it’d be worth doing for this year with all our traveling/driving/commuting and the fact that those tow bills do add up.
I’m not one of those people that signs up for life; once this year is out, I doubt we’ll renew. Instead, we’d rather just pay for tows as needed. For the time being, I’m actually glad we have it.
I cancelled my AAA membership after I waited four hours for them. Most warranties or insurance companies offer free roadside assistance, up to a certain point, which is what we do with both of our cars. Cost to us? $14 a year. Savings? $300 so far…
I have to admit that I’m one of the AAA for life types. I’m a spaz…I constantly lock my keys in my car, leave my lights on, and get flat tires. I think it’s definitely worth the cost for me. However, if you’re not a total spaz, I can understand how AAA might not be the best option.
Saving Diva – I am right there with you. I’ve had AAA for my spastic younger years. It was worth the money then. Now that I’m less of a spaz, I don’t need it anymore.
I keep AAA, but when you consider that I regularly make 500 mile (or more) roadtrips on the weekend, it doesn’t seem like such a bad idea. We drive older cars (no warranties here) so a breakdown far from home is not unrealistic. I also take advantage of some of their other membership benefits – free maps for one. Sadly, they don’t offer this service where I live now, but at my last place, AAA subcontracted a DMV branch – with discounts on licensing and registration for members, and the longest line I ever saw was 5 people!
AAA cost $45 (after $10 auto-renew discount) in New York.