All tires are not created equal

I love coming out on a Monday morning to find a flat tire. You know it's going to be a GREAT week when that happens.

I drive the B9 Tribeca, by Subaru. I love the car. It is nothing short of luxurious and I am shocked each morning when I get in and there is no hot coffee waiting for me. I mean, it is loaded, leather seats, DVD player, GPS, 6-CD player that plays mp3s....love it. It handles awesome in the snow as well - All wheel drive. Before we got the Tribeca, I drove the Subaru Outback limited wagon, which I also loved, but it didn't handle well in the snow, which I was shocked about.

Anyways, the Tribeca has a "low tire pressure" icon that seems to come on, ALOT. It seemed to me that it was temperature dependent - when the temp dropped, the icon popped up. After a few days with riding around with the warning, I put air in the tires, and guess what? That's right, the low pressure icon stayed on. however, it did turn off once the temp warmed up.
So, this time, when the icon came on, I payed no attention to it. And, yup, it bit me in the ass, as yesterday, I came out to a flat. After waiting close to an hour and a half for AAA to come and put the lame Half-spare on my car, I headed into work.
I stopped at National Tire&Battery Warehouse on my way in, to try and get the tire fixed. Of course, they didn't carry the tire I need. The guy did tell my that the tire was $211!!!! If they ordered the tire, it wouldn't come in for a week, so I passed, because I can't drive around on the donut for that long.

When I got to work, I called the Subaru dealer where I got the car. They didn't have the tire either, but could get it in a day, versus a week. However, they said the cost of the tire was $300!!!!! WHAT????? $300????? for a tire????
My hands are tied. For 300 frigging dollars, I fully expect the tire to make me coffee in the morning for crying out loud.

On a more positive note, the silver lining to having a flat on a Monday morning is getting to work to get your year end bonus. THat lessens the blow of a $300 tire, for sure.