How old was it? Car issues are SUCH a pain in the tuchus. A couple of weeks ago I got to work and then got a frantic call from Mr. Kris, because his car was completely dead. It's 15 years old and IMHO has seen better days. He was worried because he needed to get Jack to school - unfortunately, his friend (who lives upstairs from us) wasn't answering his phone, so they walked to school (straight up the street, but about a mile there). He came back and I had contacted AAA for him - turned out that when he got his battery replaced a few weeks before that, there was something in the connection that was loose (I'm not as clear on the details as to whether it was something done by the people that put in the battery or if it was just something worn that they didn't notice). Thankfully it was a quick and cheap fix (around $50!). But I am dreading the day when it conks out. I had initially planned for when his car died I'd give him mine and get myself something new, but he doesn't like driving mine since it's a car and not an SUV. Part of me still thinks I should've let State Farm total out my car when it was recovered and used that for a down payment on a new one.
I hope you're able to get a good trade in and get a new vehicle soon! And glad you got some of the money back from your contractor - I missed most of that story! I need to find a good handyman/contractor to fix stuff in our house.
My good news is that my phone is charging again - I was sitting next to it, with it charging and sitting on top of my laptop, when I realized it kept stopping and starting charging (it makes a connect noise). I unplugged it and thought it might be an issue with the cord, so I plugged in a portable power bank I have and it gave me that DING DING DING of moisture death. I had a horrible time with my previous phone and a malfunctioning charging port and I thought it might be the same thing. I unplugged it and shook it and a small piece of dirt fell out but it still made the noise when I plugged it in. Searched around and found an article on samsung.com that the phone might need to be updated - half an hour later and it's charging now! Fingers crossed it's ok, I can charge it wirelessly but it's a pain in the butt to do it (I have to take it out of its case). My phone is about 18 months old, I definitely don't want to have to get a new one.