Fund to Deal With Unexpected Car Issues

First off, an introduction... My name is David Flor, and I'm a software architect, game designer/developer, alternate reality game developer, and ENnie-nominated RPG publisher. Y'all probably know me as @BrainClouds  on Twitter.

Now, in the traditional RPG style, a little backstory...

Those of you that know me from Twitter know that my life isn't easy. I make a reasonable living, sure, but all that goes directly to the support of my family and leaves nothing to chance or inconvenience. I have no savings to speak of, and I effectively live paycheck to paycheck. So when things come up, there's no way to deal with them other than to hope and pray that a miracle happens.

Personally I've been very hesitant to do a GoFundMe... I find it inappropriate. It's a sense of personal pride if you will; I admit I have it better than most people who live through darker times and more troubling problems, but in the absence of viable solutions there aren't a whole lot of options. So here we are.

Rather than post a generic "HELP ME!" (which I have done on Twitter), I have decided to focus this GoFundMe on several car issues, and provide justification. Before I continue, there is one important thing to note regarding my car: I currently have quite a long commute I do every day.... SIXTY-FOUR miles each way, from South Miami/Kendall to Deerfield Beach, across practically two counties (from Dade to Palm Beach). So a car is somewhat essential.

You also may know I don't exactly have the best of luck with cars...

Here are the problems I'm immediately facing.

1) I have one bad tire with a broken valve stem, which prevents me from properly filling it with more air. This may seem simple, but the tire is also fairly worn. I could take it in to get looked at, and pray that it's simply a matter of replacing the valve stem, but the concern is: what if it's not so simple? I can't afford a tire replacement at this time. Driving 130 miles a day on a tire that's borderline flat isn't exactly a good choice for many reasons, and that's not to mention the state of the other tires.

2) I have not had air conditioning in at least two months. I don't know why either; I haven't taken it in to get looked at for fear that it will be something major I can't really do. Hell, even if it's something minor like a Freon reload I can't afford that right now. I've tolerated this for months because I choose to focus on other more important things - rent, for example - but as we enter the rain-soaked, 100-degree summers of South Florida, it gets quite unbearable... By the time I get to work, I'm a mess. 

3) I have 9,000 miles overdue for an oil change, and several thousand miles overdue for brakes. I don't even know when my last tune up was.

4) Driving 130 miles a day means I spent at least $10 in gas EACH DAY. There are times I can't even afford to cover that, so I've been known to work overnight at the office rather than drive home. And, because of the underpressurized tire, I'm using more gas than usual.

5) I have racked up a considerable amount of toll fees, and I'm a bit behind paying that. But my vehicle registration has to be renewed now in August, and those tolls need to be paid first before I can renew.

So I've set the goal at $500 for this Kickstarter, which should cover the majority of the above. Frankly, I'll take what I can get.

Hopefully, if all the above is addressed, I can get this burden off my chest and, God willing, get back to peacefully doing what I enjoy doing. I'm way behind on a lot of projects - including one Kickstarter - because my priorities and all my soul has been focused on fixing the immediate problems that make life unbearable. With your gracious support, maybe there will be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Thank you again for your support!