Car Troubles

I wonder if we are cursed by some evil car fairy. Today our 20 year old came home from school saying her car is making a terrible sound and the "check engine" light is blinking, and "it smells". My husband test drove it and said he could smell an exhaust leak and yes the car was definetily rattling. My husband who, unlike me, knows a lot about cars said it could be the catalytic converter??? That doesn't mean anything to me. Give me some numbers! What are we talking about here? Probably$2000 was my husband's reply.

We sent our daughter to our mechanic who confirmed my husband's suspicions. Basically the car is driveable for a week or two. Our daughter has some decisions to make. By a "new" used car and take on car payments (because she spends every dime she makes, so she has no savings), or put $2000 into the car she has? That's the million dollar question. If she buys a used car she may run into other mechanical problems before she knows it. And if she spends it on the car she has now who knows what will break next. What a dilemma. Sad thing is we can't fix it for her. She is an adult, and she needs to take the consequences or she will never learn. She lives at home for free. She works almost fulltime and makes good money. She has made some poor choices regarding her finances and shopping habits. If we bail her out this will never end, so we have to stick to our guns and do the tough love thing. We've been around the block with her a few times, so we have learned a lesson or two. It's tough being a parent. You want to save your kids from all their problems. Part of me wish I could buy her a car and put the keys in her christmas stocking...but I'm not gonna!