So
My GFs car (2005 PT Cruiser GT Convertible) took a shit on us a month and a half ago. PCM died. We / our mechanic sent the PCM out to be refurbished, and after having to send it out a 2nd time (First time they just updated the software and didn't actually open it up), they told us there's nothing that can be done. So our next option was to buy one from one of these shady companies that sell refurbished PCMs (You send your old one back to them once you receive the 'new' one and they fix it and send it to someone else). Problem is, the 3-4 big companies that do it are shady as fuck. And it costs anywhere from $500-$1k (Because we have the GT- the PCMs are 10x rarer than the standard. People like to buy the NON-GT detuned Turbo models and toss in the tuned computer). Our mechanic basically told us to sell the car as it's not worth the risk and the money. Our problem is, the car is in excellent condition, less than 95k miles on it (91k I think?), and she loves the car.
Well, I was doing some looking on an PT Cruiser forum and found a guy who people have been ranting and raving about, who programs and flips PCMs for the community for fun (and a little profit). We have one ordered his ebay store, which we'll see in a few weeks once the dude gets back from a vacation he's on.
In the meantime, we've been borrowing my GF's dad's cars (a 2015 CRV, and also his baby- 2005 Mustang GT with 35k miles on it!), as well as using my car (94 Accord that needs to be taken behind the barn and shot... on it's last leg...)
Well we found that my best friend's sister in law was selling her car, an 03 Camry. It has 180k miles on it, but she has babied it since she's owned it. It's pretty immaculate for it's age. No issues besides needing a new power steering hose (slight leak, confirmed it is a hose and not the pump), and it burns a little oil. The only reason she's selling it is she inherited a newer car from a family member, and it makes sense to keep that newer car. She's also willing to take payments from my broke ass!
So now our plan is to get the PCM in the PT Cruiser and get it running again (No major issues with it), and then find a nice cliff to push my Accord off of (or sell it... yea probably sell it and get like $500 for it... seems more logical), and I, for the 1st time in my life, will have a car to drive that isn't 1 step away from breaking down / blowing up. Feels good.
And then we might find someone to buy the PT (I'm willing to bet money we can get more for it than we paid a few years ago and get her something newer.