My poor, poor car

OK, so I was driving home tonight, and the battery light came on in the car (I have a 1995 Buick Park Avenue Ultra, which needs a paint job). This means that the car is now running off the battery. I saw the voltmeter begin to go down, and I knew I had to make it home, fast. I stopped at my friend's work place and hung out there, where I let the battery "re-charge" for a few hours. Then I went for the gold and made it the rest of the way "home" (you know, the place where I'm sleeping on the living room floor of a friend's Section 8 apartment that I'm not really supposed to be staying in).

So, there's now something wrong with the electrical system. I don't know much about the inner workings of cars. All I do know is that I just replaced the alternator about four months ago, and it appears that this is the same -- or a similar -- problem. Oh, and did I mention that it's also a new battery -- less than six months old? So this means I'm probably going to have to get a new alternator. Plus, I still have to get the crankshaft pulley (after a lot of on-line research, I've found out that this is also called the 'harmonic balancer'), the seal, and possibly the crankshaft itself replaced. Not to mention, the A/C compressor, and an external temperature sensor that prevents the ventilation system from working properly.

Do I have the money for this? Of course not. I have exactly one penny in my pocket. All of my money is going into this car. Is it worth it to keep pumping money into the car? Probably not. But the thing is, I can't really get around all too well without a car, so I don't really see having much of a choice in the matter. If I can just fix everything at once, then things like this probably wouldn't be happening. But by leaving one or two things unfixed, it starts breaking down other systems, which is why I've been having so many problems.

The problem, of course, with fixing everything at once, is that I don't have the money for it. And not having the money to get my car fixed all at once (and not having money, period) just fuels the fires of my depression.

Maybe there are some really kind folk out there -- my fairy godparents -- who will help me pay to get my car fixed, once and for all, all at once.