Nancy Collins Auto Fund
Donation protected
Hi. My name is Nancy A. Collins. Some of you may know me as the author of Sunglasses After Dark and the creator of Sonja Blue. Others may know me as a comic book writer, especially for my runs on Swamp Thing, Vampirella, and Army of Darkness. Many of you may not know me at all, but all of you are probably wondering why I am on GoFundMe?
Well, I'm here because I am in desperate need of help to replace my car--a 1998 Buick LeSabre Limited I quasi-affectionately call The P.O.S. Which, up until Wednesday, April 26th, at 3:30 pm, was my only means of getting to and from my day job as a substitute teacher. That's the P.O.S. pictured up there. Although by the time I get this page finished, she will probably be a crushed cube of scrap metal.
As I was returning home from work, it was unseasonably hot outside--almost 88 degrees--but all the idiot gauges on the dashboard were good, and the car was handling well. Then, just as I entered the parkway that marks the final leg of my commute, there was a loud noise and something came flying out from under my car, immediatey followed by huge billows of white smoke. Since there is no break-down lane or shoulder on the parkway, I had no choice but to continue to drive, with smoke pouring out theback of the car for at least 5 miles. My first thought was that my tail pipe or muffler had fallen off. Then I started to lose oil pressure, followed by the oil pressure gauge light turning red. That's when I knew I was not just screwed, I was seriously screwed. I continued to drive, hoping against hope I could make it home. I was a mile from the house when the car stalled out, but I managed to coax it back to life after coasting into a parking lot. Upon reaching where I live, I saw that the tail pipe and muffler were still attached to the car---but oil was gushing out onto the driveway. Although the engine still cranked, it now sounded like a cement mixer full of rocks and the dipstick was completely dry. According to a mechanic friend of mine, the head gasket is blown and the engine is permanently damaged from being run without oil. The P.O.S. is now toast, and within a week of its odometer rolling over to 150K. Thank you Planned Obsolescence.
I'm trying to stay upbeat but, to be honest, the sudden, catastrophic loss of my car has effectively cost me my job and seriously impacts my life on a daily basis, as I live in a development that is not within walking distance of *anything*.
Fo the last four years the P.O.S. had been a fairly reliable, if bedraggled, vehicle. However, this is the second major engine failure in six months (I had to have the manifold replaced last November) and I'm afraid this time I have to call it quits.
For the cost of rebuilding the engine or (more likely) replacing it entirely, I am better off finding another P.O.S. on Craigslist for the time being. That is why I have turned to GoFundMe. I really hate rattling a tin cup, be it IRL or online, but I don't have any choice right now. My pride has to take a backseat to reality. And my reality is that I am between contracts as a writer, I have no means of getting to work as a substitute teacher ( I can't Uber or Lyft--it's a 85 mile roundtrip commute), and have zero savings. If anyone reading this in the Metro Atlanta area has an older, but reliable car they're looking to get rid of, please let me know! Anything that can get me mobile again will be deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Well, I'm here because I am in desperate need of help to replace my car--a 1998 Buick LeSabre Limited I quasi-affectionately call The P.O.S. Which, up until Wednesday, April 26th, at 3:30 pm, was my only means of getting to and from my day job as a substitute teacher. That's the P.O.S. pictured up there. Although by the time I get this page finished, she will probably be a crushed cube of scrap metal.
As I was returning home from work, it was unseasonably hot outside--almost 88 degrees--but all the idiot gauges on the dashboard were good, and the car was handling well. Then, just as I entered the parkway that marks the final leg of my commute, there was a loud noise and something came flying out from under my car, immediatey followed by huge billows of white smoke. Since there is no break-down lane or shoulder on the parkway, I had no choice but to continue to drive, with smoke pouring out theback of the car for at least 5 miles. My first thought was that my tail pipe or muffler had fallen off. Then I started to lose oil pressure, followed by the oil pressure gauge light turning red. That's when I knew I was not just screwed, I was seriously screwed. I continued to drive, hoping against hope I could make it home. I was a mile from the house when the car stalled out, but I managed to coax it back to life after coasting into a parking lot. Upon reaching where I live, I saw that the tail pipe and muffler were still attached to the car---but oil was gushing out onto the driveway. Although the engine still cranked, it now sounded like a cement mixer full of rocks and the dipstick was completely dry. According to a mechanic friend of mine, the head gasket is blown and the engine is permanently damaged from being run without oil. The P.O.S. is now toast, and within a week of its odometer rolling over to 150K. Thank you Planned Obsolescence.
I'm trying to stay upbeat but, to be honest, the sudden, catastrophic loss of my car has effectively cost me my job and seriously impacts my life on a daily basis, as I live in a development that is not within walking distance of *anything*.
Fo the last four years the P.O.S. had been a fairly reliable, if bedraggled, vehicle. However, this is the second major engine failure in six months (I had to have the manifold replaced last November) and I'm afraid this time I have to call it quits.
For the cost of rebuilding the engine or (more likely) replacing it entirely, I am better off finding another P.O.S. on Craigslist for the time being. That is why I have turned to GoFundMe. I really hate rattling a tin cup, be it IRL or online, but I don't have any choice right now. My pride has to take a backseat to reality. And my reality is that I am between contracts as a writer, I have no means of getting to work as a substitute teacher ( I can't Uber or Lyft--it's a 85 mile roundtrip commute), and have zero savings. If anyone reading this in the Metro Atlanta area has an older, but reliable car they're looking to get rid of, please let me know! Anything that can get me mobile again will be deeply appreciated.
Sincerely,
Nancy
Organizer
Nancy Collins
Organizer
Fairburn, GA