Vent: My car's AC died right before a family road trip

So my car's air conditioning just gave out completely yesterday, right as we were packing for a trip to see my in-laws. The weather forecast says it's going to be over 90 degrees the whole drive. I called the first repair shop and they quoted me at least $1,200 to fix it, which is money I just don't have sitting around right now. I felt totally stuck because we already booked a rental house and promised the kids. My win was deciding to just not fix it. We packed a bunch of frozen water bottles, bought a couple of those battery powered fans, and mapped our route to stop at every big rest area with shade. It wasn't comfortable, but we made it without touching our emergency fund. Has anyone else had to get creative with a big, sudden expense like this?

4 comments

4 Comments

kimfisher2mo ago

Honestly, that was a really smart call to just work around the problem. Tbh, a lot of people would have panicked and put that huge repair on a credit card without thinking. You basically did a real-life cost-benefit check. Was a perfectly working AC worth draining your emergency fund or going into debt? For a single trip, probably not. Ngl, it stinks to drive in the heat, but stressing about money for months after would have been way worse.

nguyen.blake2mo ago

I drove from Phoenix to San Diego last summer with a broken AC and it was brutal, hitting 115 degrees through the desert. I have to disagree with @kimfisher here, because safety and health should come before money in a case like that. Heat exhaustion is a real risk, especially for kids or pets in the car. Sometimes a big repair bill is just bad luck you have to accept, and going into a bit of debt to stay safe is the right call.

phoenix_lewis1mo ago

Yeah 115 is no joke, a cracked window won't cut it in that kind of heat. I think you're right to prioritize not passing out on the highway over a couple hundred bucks.

karencampbell2mo ago

My emergency fund is basically just a coffee can labeled "bad ideas.