From Bad to Worse, but a Good Day...

[xoxoxoBruce]

and in the end, the vehicle would still have been worth less than $2k.

I forgot I don't look at things like normal people do.
My tact is how much is it going to cost for how many more miles. I'm never concerned what the value is because I never sell or trade them but rather run them into the ground.
That's saved me a lot of money over the years but it's not a viable plan for many (most) people. It works for me because I always have at least 3 registered & insured, no kids to worry about if I break down and I'm pretty good at nursing them home. The biggest problem is they rust away in a few hundred K miles.
So hey, best of luck with your new toy, man. It sounds like your luck hasn't been *all* bad this summer.