"serious problems"

This is our Volkswagon Passat that we got over 3 years ago. We have always loved the car, and it has pretty much loved us back. Until just over a week ago we heard a funny noise as we were driving, and I took it in to get checked out. 2 hours later the mechanic comes out to the waiting room to tell me that our car has "serious problems". He then leads me out to the car and walks me through all of it's problems, and tells me that it will cost $2,500 to fix them all. WOW! I call Preston and he says not to fix them, but to drive back home (I was visiting my parents in Chicago, which is 3 hours away) and we'll check it out at the VW dealership there.

So, a few days later I'm driving it home and in the middle of the downtown Chicago express lanes my car begins beeping and flashing at me..."STOP. Brake Fault". Well, I had a "serious problem" on my hands. I couldn't very well just pull over in the express lanes with walls on each side of me....so, I continue to drive....the thing keeps beeping, and I'm rummaging through my diaper bag searching for my phone to call Preston. Anyway, I continued driving, out of fear of stopping and not knowing what to do, and made it home safely.

A few days after that we take it into the VW dealership and they tell us that yes, we do need to fix the $2,500 worth of stuff that is wrong with the car, but that the beeping had nothing to do with it....our ABS control unit was also out, which would cost us another $1,500. Our total would therefore be $4,000!!!!!!!!!! Again, I deny service and pull away with the car beeping away. I just couldn't fathom paying $4,000 to fix a car that was still in decent shape, or so we thought just over a week ago.

Preston and I discussed the issue. The car is paid off, luckily....so we were thinking that $4,000 may make it "like new" again, and we could keep it for many years to come. My sister, Keely, gave us the grand idea to call my brother-in-law Ed, who just so happens to be in the car repair business. Good ole' Ed quotes us under 1/2 of what the other places want us to pay.

So what am I doing tomorrow? Driving 658 miles in a car with "serious problems" to Manhattan, Kansas, with my 14 month old to have Ed fix our car. Car problems drive me crazy! Wish me luck!