Breakdown On A Texas Highway
We were driving along I-35 in Texas when we saw two people who looked as if they could use a ride. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post
ON I-35 NEAR COVINGTON, Texas -- Michael and I passed a Suzuki Forenza broken down on the side of the highway. A little further down the road, we saw its owners, walking under a sadistic Texas sun, lugging their belongings in a suitcase, a bucket and two bulging bags.
We pulled onto the shoulder behind them.
“Do you need a ride?” I yelled out the passenger side window, hoping to be heard over the groan of passing vehicles.
The couple stopped, glanced at the road between them and the next exit and decided, “Yes.”
Michael and I made room for them in the backseat, throwing our suitcases in the trunk and sweeping away the garbage we had accumulated from eating our last few meals in the car. We apologized for the mess (we hadn’t expected company) and then drove them to the closest gas station.
On the way, we learned they were Deborah Becker and Sean Montgomery. She’s a nurse and he treats waste water. They had been driving home to Austin, which was still about two-and-a-half hours away, when smoke started curling out of the car’s hood and black dots of liquid, possibly oil, sprinkled the windshield.
“Forenza stands for 'it catches on fire,'” Deborah said. “Smoke poured out of every orifice.”
They had been saving money to buy a new car, but expected it would replace Deborah’s old Dodge, not the Forenza, which was a 2006 and had only 66,000 miles on it.
But that's how quickly plans can sometimes change, how quickly financial hurdles can arise. In the time it takes to drive home, the unexpected can happen, and suddenly bills add up where there were none. The couple, who had saved about $2,000 toward a new car, said they weren’t sure if it was going to be worth salvaging the Forenza. For that reason, they had decided to lug all their belongings with them. They considered the possibility that they might never see the Suzuki again.
“It’s going to sting,” Deborah said,
“But we’re both employed,” Sean added.
“The thing is, whatever the sting is, we’re going to have to take it and move on,” Deborah said.
Their car may have broken down, but the couple showed no signs of doing so themselves. Instead, they hugged and kissed as we said goodbye to them at the gas station, where a relative planned to meet them. They were going to be fine, they said.
Turns out, they had refused six rides before taking one with us.
When we left Deborah Becker and Sean Montgomery in the gas station parking lot, they were hugging and joking about how they had just filled the car with gas before it broke down. Photo by Michael Williamson/The Washington Post
By
Theresa Vargas
|
July 24, 2009; 11:37 AM ET
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Posted by: bill_delgrosso | July 24, 2009 12:34 PM | Report abuse
Another in a series of articles in which the Post needs to find better victims.
Posted by: Bitter_Bill | July 24, 2009 1:07 PM | Report abuse
a engine replacement on a forenza is out of sight buy a new car with a 100:000 mile warranty
Posted by: caveman1957 | July 24, 2009 1:14 PM | Report abuse
I am impressed that they turned down 6 offered rides before finally taking the ride offered. Glad they accepted the ride from the author! it's nice to hear about couples that stay strong during tough times.
Posted by: captiolhillmom | July 24, 2009 1:31 PM | Report abuse
There is real news here. The couple's misfortune with the Suzuki Forenza proves the USNEWS ranking of the car as 37th out of 37 small economy cars rated. Unfortunately, the Chevy Aveo and Dodge Caliber also shared the breakdown lane. Honda lead the pack.
A breakdown on a country road may seem trivial, until it happens to you. If the engine catches fire, the car's scrap value is less than the cost of towing.
Republicans may chortle, "Well, I'd never be caught dead at the wheel of a PWT car anyway," but a burnt-out Lexus is just as unfixable, and you might have to spend some embarassing hours at the roadside as Jeeves tries to flag down help. You might even have to accept a ride in a Honda.
Posted by: jkoch2 | July 24, 2009 1:56 PM | Report abuse
"In the time it takes to drive home, the unexpected can happen, and suddenly bills add up where there were none."
To me this is the crux of the piece. If there is financial vulnerability any change is a potential crisis. For this couple the full impact of the car trouble is not yet known. But as someone who has lived on the economic fringes I know that even small fluctuations can bring dire consequences. Our economy's ills mean that many more American's find themselves similarly vulnerable.
Posted by: dcampbell1 | July 24, 2009 1:56 PM | Report abuse
The "Post needs to find better victims"? Wow... just... wow.
Posted by: Jumpy66 | July 24, 2009 4:24 PM | Report abuse
I thought Suzuki made fairly decent cars. A 3 year old Forenza with only 66K should still be a good car. I wonder if they had been checking the fluids and doing other simple maintenance on it.
Posted by: brewstercounty | July 24, 2009 4:31 PM | Report abuse
There will almost always be people in worse and in little better condition during rough economic times. This series is recording the collective experiences of two journalists crossing the county by car. Bitter_Bill, what would a "better" victim be? One doesn't have to be a protagonist in the Grapes of Wrath to be affected by the recession.
Posted by: derutadiva | July 26, 2009 5:40 PM | Report abuse
Update: The car threw a rod 7/12/09 and is still awaiting warranty repair. We are waiting for a signature (still!) before parts will be ordered, and the time estimate for parts delivery is 2 weeks. Then, the repair can be started. Until then, I am walking to work. The bus to my hospital takes twice as long as walking. Isn't that incredible?
Sean said something in the interview that I wish had appeared in print: We don't see ourselves as recession-proof; we are only recession-resistant. Despite being a nurse, and all the talk of a nursing shortage, I am being sent home early every week so that the hospital can save money. We have family and friends now out on strike, and their strike pay is less than unemployment.
We help support other family members. These other obligations prevent us from buying another car this year. We are not victims; we are volunteers. And we laugh because none of this is the worst that has happened, or could happen, or probably will eventually happen to any of us.
We appreciate Theresa and Michael. They were so funny and kind. They even offered to drive us all the way back to Austin, on their way to San Antonio. Isn't that amazing?
Posted by: Deborah_Becker | July 28, 2009 7:34 AM | Report abuse
What I take from this article is the critical nature of transportation expense. The story takes place in Texas which has a near-total lack of public transportation.
You have to own a couple cars in Texas - in case one breaks. Or a good motorcycle will get you by.
Posted by: Heerman532 | July 28, 2009 3:37 PM | Report abuse
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I'm confused- why is this even a story? A car breaks down, they get a ride, they get their car fixed. They are saving for a new car, and they are both employed. Hmmmm seems like you're really stretching to make this a story about a normal human experience. Last time I checked, people had to endure much worse in both good times and bad.