Do all bad things come in threes?

On the weekend, the car developed an ominous rattle.

Hubby didn't think it sounded too good, and booked the car in for a service some time next week. Then he mentioned the rattle to the mechanic (a high school friend of his, and a guy we trust). He didn't like the sound of it either. Could we swing by today, anytime, so he could have a listen?

So I went. And then walked home.

When you see three mechanics with worried faces hovering with a stethoscope over the bonnet of your car, you know you're in for trouble. Sure enough, Ollie had to stay at the car doctor's (our number plate is OLI, hence the car's nickname).

Seems we have a problem with the transmission, and unless we want another catastrophic event like I had last year, where suddenly the car stopped totally (while I was on a busy road, catastrophic indeed!) it needs to be looked at straight away.

So Hubby and I are pondering what to do next. Fix the car? This will be a few thousand dollars. Or buy a new car that can be converted to be wheelchair accessible? This is a decision that is hanging over us anyway, although we were hoping to put it off a little longer (and off course, we were hoping to be able to trade Ollie in, and not we're not sure if good old Ollie is worth much any more). Still, are the Car Gods are sending us a sign here?

We've been looking around, gathering information on People Movers that can be converted. I think we've settled on the Toyota Tarago, a choice partially inspired by the fact that it can be converted so the wheelchair user (Boo Boo) sits in the middle between the boys, rather than on her own in the back, and from feedback from our mechanic friend.

We spend yesterday evening trailing the Internet, finding out prices for old and new Taragos. Checking if there are any second hand wheelchair converted ones for sale out there.

And in the middle of one session, the power went. Hubby spent the rest of the evening trying to find out what happened, fix what he could, and make sure we at least have power for the fridge, microwave, coffee machine and cook top, so we can deal with the basics. He couldn't fix it all, and since we've had problems with this circuit before, it's time to ring the sparkie and split the circuit (after he fixed the current fault, probably another hungry bush rat chewing through a cable).

We went to bed wondering what the third thing will be...