Just when everything is going well.... you make plans to go to Funfest, in Effingham, IL... got the car all ready to go.. and...

R.I.P. Roxanne

September 22, 2013 at 7:10pm

Well I got an opportunity this weekend to attend Fun Fest in Effingham, IL... nothing but corvettes.... and a concert Bachman and Turner...(dont' know what happened to Overdrive)... all was going well, Brad Summers just got my vette all cleaned up and shiny for me, and Drew and I took off. All was going well, even ran across a couple other vettes headed the same direction... got to do my wave to them..got one back... just got past them a bit and TICK TICK TICK . RUMBLE RUMBLE.. I looked in my rearview mirror and saw SMOKE! Uh oh.. I think I blew a tire... so I pullled off on the left side of the road since I was in the passing lane and then smoke came rolling out from under the hood... oh no... this is not good. Drew opened up the hood... and nothing but white smoke... tons of it... honestly I was waiting for flames to start... I called 911 and requested a wrecker... and the dispatcher tells me to "get back in the car and get your seatbelt on"... um... if the car catches fire then what?... I understand I 74 is a busy road but there is a median to stand in to get away from the traffic... does that make any sense? ... as luck would have it.. no fire.. thank GOD! but on the ground was a HUGE puddle of antifreeze... and oil... maybe I blew a head gasket I thought... this really doesn't look good. The wrecker came and I asked him to tow me somewhere I hopefully wouldn't get too ripped off... ha.. good luck he says... you are in Champaign, IL a college town. But the only place he recommended wasn't open.. figures..so off to the local chevy dealership. We dropped the car off there and I tried to get a loaner from them so I could at least finish my trip and go to fun fest..no deal. He called Enterprise to pick us up. Fine I'll rent a car and get to it.. then figure out what to do with the vette when I got back. After waiting in line at Enterprise a while, finally we get down to business and I was going to rent a truck to get me there... yes a truck... a FORD pick up truck.. I'm sorry but desperate times call for desperate measures... and honey I was desperate! Get all the paperwork filled out, the cost was $59.00 and he goes to take my payment and says because I have an out of state license, I can't use a debit card (it even has a mastercard logo on it) I have to use a credit card ONLY... no cash allowed! Unbelieveable! Enterprise says that I could take off with their car and not bring it back... and that credit card gives them recourse... I guess a drivers license isn't worth anything these days???? Well then my friend I say to the man, we have a problem because that is all I have. Give me the phone, I call Hertz because there is a Hertz in Lafayette I can drop the car off to when I'm done. I called Hertz... and they said sure they will take a debit card... no problem, but the Lafayette office is closed on Sundays so I will have to keep the car until Monday. I say great... how much is the rental? $500!... Uh ..no! I hang up.. now I am getting very very upset... here I am in Champaign, IL with a dead vette, my kid, and me and still 2 hrs from my destination. Now what? The Enterprise manager was trying to help, he talked the dealership into vouching for my rental and having me pay through them instead.. Fine. So I said I'll have the truck in Lafayette on Sunday. Um ma'am you can't do that. Why? Because if we do this you will have to return it here. So how the hell do I get home then? ..... At this point I'm ready to go postal. He insisted that I call Avis... and their rental cost was $289.00 NO DEAL! I called the tow truck back and had them get me and my vette and take us home. I had HAD IT ! Now I"m mad... I paid $355.00 for the 2nd tow..the first tow cost me $85.00 and if I don't go, then I'm out the money for fun fest and the hotel room. By the time I got home, Drew had talked me into just taking the Kia over there and seeing the concert anyway... so reluctantly I did.
We arrive at fun fest at gate 4 which is what my parking pass said, (even though it was for the vette) and when I go to turn in gate 4... a volunteer man with a bad attitude gets snotty with me and yells gate 5 and gestures that way. FINE! I go to gate 5 and park with the general parking... at gate 5 I explained what happened to my car, etc and they were at least nice enough to explain that gate 4 is only for corvettes, even if I'm with a group I have to have a corvette or I have to park over here.. well that's okay, the guy could've handled it better... I mean screaming at me? Really? I finally find my group, and talk to Tim Fisher who has his awesome blue vette there and he genuinely feels bad for me. It's nice to get a little sympathy! We got some food, watched the concert, and had a good time. Went back to our motel, a super 8 motel, and the gal at the desk says OMG do you know how lucky you are? You got the room for $58! (thank you booking.com) and they were going for $150.00 per night! What is up with that? I asked her... she says oh they jacked the rate up because the corvettes were in town... (obviously they think people with vettes have money) so I said..well I have a vette and after paying almost $500 to tow it home and now it needs a new engine I can assure you I have NO MORE MONEY! She said she felt bad for the people so she was giving everyone the rooms for $75 per night instead.. wow..isn't it nice to be ripped off people?
So anyway, we went back today and shopped for stuff... no engines unfortunately but Tim and his friend Jerry are cooking up some options for the vette... getting a block for it etc. So I guess in the end... all will be okay.. I didn't want to put the vette up this early, I was still having fun driving it.. but she's down for the count now.. until when I don't have any idea... I'm heartsick over this. R.I.P. Roxanne... I sure hope we can resurrect you soon... sniff.