|
Thread Number: 27824
/ Tag: Other Home Products or Autos
Cars! |
[Down to Last] |  |
| Post# 310851 , Reply# 1 1/4/2015 at 10:03 (3,398 days old) by ManchesterVacs (Manchester) | ||
 We have a Chrysler 300C which I got new in 05 and it has never missed a beat. My wife uses that now. We have a Merc Sprinter van for the shop as well.
I have a Range Rover Sport now. I'll stick a photo here of it and the van as some may appreciate the registration plates. | ||
Post# 310853 , Reply# 2 1/4/2015 at 10:28 (3,398 days old) by gottahaveahoove  (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
My aunt had 2 Lincoln Town Cars. I drove her everywhere. | ||
|
Post# 310854 , Reply# 3 1/4/2015 at 10:34 (3,398 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
Her Lincolns were Midnight blue.
She lovs blue cars.
Mine is red. I've had 3 red cars so far. It really doesn't matter, as long as it works. Some hate/ridicule red cars or the people who drive them. Isn't that ridiculous????? We like what we like... Some little sporty sexy cars look very sharp in red... candy apple red can be a fun car! | ||
| Post# 310861 , Reply# 4 1/4/2015 at 12:42 (3,398 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
 Our current car is a 2000 Ford Focus 1.8 LX with 183,000 miles on the odometer and still going strong.
It's predecessor was a rather better looking 1997 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Ghia, but unfortunately as is the way with Fords corrosion got the better of her undercarriage and it would have been too expensive for us to repair.
Fortunately it was sold on to a mechanic who did the work himself and put the car back on the road, however it was declared off the road about 6 months ago and now the registration number can no longer be found on the DVLA website, indicating it may have been scrapped.
| ||
| Post# 310865 , Reply# 5 1/4/2015 at 13:54 (3,398 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
2000 Buick Park Avenue.Bought 9 years ago, second one.Need some soft ride, can't ride in brother's new MB, too much jarring getting through to my joints and back. It works well and does better mileage than many would guess.Paid for, cheap to insure, dead reliable.
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 310867 , Reply# 6 1/4/2015 at 14:05 (3,398 days old) by smow69 (Muskogee Oklahoma) | ||
|
chevy equinox dont have it yet but picking it up monday afternoon so excited always wanted one from the time thay came out got my wish.charcoal grey very nice.i will post pics after i get it. | ||
|
Post# 310881 , Reply# 7 1/4/2015 at 16:15 (3,398 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
 I have a 2000 Nissan Xterra SE I bought from my brother in 2007, and a 1990 Oldsmobile Custom Cruiser wagon I bought in January, 2013. Our dad was GM all the way after he got rid of our 1951 Mercury coupe. His mother left him GM stock when she passed.
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 310902 , Reply# 8 1/4/2015 at 20:15 (3,397 days old) by constellation86 (Roy, UT) | ||
|
I have had lots of cars over the years. I always had GM stuff but I had a Buick Park Avenue that fell apart at 100,000 miles. I was tired of having problems and breakdowns so I switched to Toyota. My current car is a Camry hybrid. My wife has the van in the back. Nicholas | ||
|
Post# 310960 , Reply# 10 1/5/2015 at 08:47 (3,397 days old) by countryguy (Astorville, ON, Canada) |
||
My last 4 vehicles have been Toyota made. I have sworn off of GM and Chrysler after having numerous problems with their vehicles. I have yet to try Ford. Currently I have a 2012 Toyota Venza AWD. Previous to that I had a 2008 Lexus (division of Toyota) IS250 AWD, 2004 Toyota Solara, and a 2001 Toyota Solara.
Gary | ||
| Post# 310962 , Reply# 11 1/5/2015 at 09:23 (3,397 days old) by thunderhexed (Edmond, OK) | ||
Hyundai Elantra
I've always had a soft spot for smaller cars. I've had larger cars, and for some reason, I've always gone back to smaller ones. I guess it's because my very first car was a small Honda and I've just gotten used to them - plus I enjoy driving an economically efficient vehicle due to my 45 min commute to work.
It's been a very comfortable car so far and came with an excellent warranty! Has everything I need on it and gets loads of compliments!
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 310987 , Reply# 12 1/5/2015 at 15:00 (3,397 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
My Current ride is a Hyundai i20 1.6 Turbo. Its wickedly fast. I bought it because I needed something with better fuel consumption due the the fac that I had moved our vacshop to a bigger premises but it was much much further away. It was supposed to be my to and from work car but it has become my all the time car due to the fact its so much fun to drive and a bit of a sleeper, Its looks hide the monster beneath.
I have always had massive cars before, and this is my first pocket rocket. I also have a Merc e class 124 series that has a 5L v8 fitted. This now hardly gets driven :( . I love mercs and am busy with another Merc project having just finished off a 123 coupe and then selling it to someone with far to much money :) | ||
| Post# 311004 , Reply# 14 1/5/2015 at 16:13 (3,397 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
|
These days smaller cars are just as safe as big cars Often even safer than big cars that are only a few years old. Just view u tube to see what happens when they smash a smart car into a 10 year old s class Merc. Logic dictates that you would be better off on the big merc but modern saftey features say other wise.
many of your bigger SUV's actually have a poorer crash rating than smaller cars due to their harder design for off road or commercial underpinnings. If your car has poor crumple zones to absorb impact you become the crumple zone. Last year in June my wife was driving the car I pictured above. It was pouring down with rain ( first heavy rain for a few weeks) Their was a large diesle spill on the road and she hit it and went straight into a bridge post at about 60 kph She walked away from the accident with no injury's and again thanks to modern technology they simply unbolted the front end and fitted a new one. We had the car back in two weeks. 7 months on not a rattle or a squeek from it. The repair bill for the car came to just over $7000.00 thank heavens for insurance .
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 311042 , Reply# 15 1/6/2015 at 08:59 (3,396 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
One car that I think is pretty cool is the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. I'd like to have one in good shape one day. The 1987-1991's are said to be the most desirable. 
| ||
| Post# 311044 , Reply# 16 1/6/2015 at 09:28 (3,396 days old) by Kirbysthebest (Midwest) | ||
|
This post has been removed by the member who posted it. | ||
| Post# 311065 , Reply# 18 1/6/2015 at 12:58 (3,396 days old) by midcenturyfan (Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England) | ||
I am also a car enthusiast. I have various vehicles, dating from the 1930's to the 1970's. I have attached photos of some of my collection.
Robin. This post was last edited 01/06/2015 at 15:16 | ||
| Post# 311070 , Reply# 19 1/6/2015 at 14:53 (3,396 days old) by ManchesterVacs (Manchester) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 311076 , Reply# 20 1/6/2015 at 15:38 (3,396 days old) by electrikbroomgu (Rome, NY) | ||
Cars
I currently have a 1981 Pontiac Trans Am Nascar edition pace car replica that is enjoying it's annual nap while Winter rages on. She comes out in May. My Summer driver is a 1996 Caprice and my year round car is a red 2013 Impala LT with moon roof and a monster 3.6 liter V6 under hood that really makes this car fly when needed and gets 31 plus MPG on the open road. I only have a pic of the 96 Caprice at the moment and here she is with only 88K miles on the clock. No troubles with these GM cars. There is a reason Caprices, Impalas, Crown Vic and Taurus's were used for law enforcement and severe taxi use. They are long lasting reliable sedans and all the ones my family and friends have owned over the years have been very reliable overall.
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 311179 , Reply# 21 1/7/2015 at 15:26 (3,395 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
|
Joel
I Love the Caprice . We never got them here but their are a few floating around because of Movies that are been Filmed in Cape Town. Most are in USA Cop Car Colours although I ave seen a few yellow ones too. I love how big they are. With most of our cars been German or Japanese based we do not get really big cars here so these stand out in traffic. Gareth | ||
| Post# 311201 , Reply# 22 1/7/2015 at 18:20 (3,395 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
To all that think old large cars are 
Safe you need to see this proof that they are not safe at all ...
All I can say is thank God they don't build em like they used to !!! Dan CLICK HERE TO GO TO Kirbyloverdan's LINK This post was last edited 01/07/2015 at 18:47 | ||
|
Post# 311206 , Reply# 23 1/7/2015 at 18:49 (3,394 days old) by bagintheback (Flagstaff, Arizona) |
||
 My family is also loyal to Toyota. Our current vehicles are a 2007 Camry Hybrid and a 2006 Sequoia. Absolutely zero mechanical issues over the life of the cars. Many times we'll drive over a 100 miles a day in the Camry. Most their use was in the hot central Arizona desert, which can be brutal. Both have about 120,000 miles on them, but with such great reliability we don't plan on turing them in anytime soon.
However, I must say that Grand Wagoneer is pretty sleek. I'd probably prefer a smaller early Cherokee, but you can't go wrong with a woody! | ||
|
Post# 311212 , Reply# 25 1/7/2015 at 22:12 (3,394 days old) by tazcatsdad (Buffalo, NY) |
||
I just upgraded ... I had been driving a 2008 Honda Civic LX for the last four years, and this past August I decided that it was time for a change. So I bought my first Hyundai: a 2013 Sonata GLS. It's a radical departure from everything I've ever driven! It has everything in it that I wanted and then some.
Hyundai has come a long way here in the USA since their first car, the Excel, debuted in 1986: they've made great strides in design and quality, and because I'd heard nothing but good things about them from people I knew who had them I decided I'd give one a try -- and I'm glad I did.
Oh -- in the 30+ years that I've been driving I've also owned two Fords, a Chrysler, a Suzuki, two Nissans, a Mitsubishi, a Pontiac, an Oldsmobile, and four Chevrolets. And I'm sorry to say but because of all the problems that the company itself has been embroiled in PLUS an extremely bad customer service experience I had with a local dealership, I will never buy another GM vehicle. I wish I didn't have to feel this way about an American company, but ...
Bill W.
View Full Size
| ||
|
Post# 311213 , Reply# 26 1/7/2015 at 22:12 (3,394 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
Tyler.
You are so correct. I personally love the Lincoln Town Cars and Cadillacs.
Every safety feature is there. There are so many airbags it's like being surrounded by a giant marshmallow! I know VERY well how "unsafe" those big cars from the 50s were. One July5,back in the '60s, a drunk driver ran a stop sign, hit our car head on. This was before DUIs, DWIs, lawsuits, Oprah! The front seats was like a sofa "bench". There were NO seatbelts in the car... they came later. We were hit so hard, I was thrown into the back of the front seat. I was seated in the back seat. I ended up w/ a broken back. To this day, I have absolutely NO recollection of it at all. The mind CAN be very kind. When my mom died, I found all of the papers detailing the entire event. I'm sure it's better I don't recall it. I DO remember wearing a brace for years, though. So, yes, everyone realizes how unsafe older cars can be. But, 1990s............. whole different story. | ||
| Post# 311215 , Reply# 27 1/7/2015 at 22:27 (3,394 days old) by vacuumfreak95 (Aransas Pass, Tx) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 311221 , Reply# 28 1/7/2015 at 23:26 (3,394 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
I drive the inventor of gasoline powered automobile
And the pioneer of today's safety features in automobiles ,Numerous technological innovations have been introduced on Mercedes-Benz automobiles throughout the many years of their production, including:
The internal combustion engined automobile was developed independently by Benz and Daimler & Maybach in 1886 Daimler invented the honeycomb radiator of the type still used on all water-cooled vehicles today Daimler invented the float carburetor which was used until replaced by fuel injection The "drop chassis" – the car originally designated the "Mercedes" by Daimler was also the first car with a modern configuration, having the carriage lowered and set between the front and rear wheels, with a front engine and powered rear wheels. All earlier cars were "horseless carriages", which had high centres of gravity and various engine/drive-train configurations The first passenger road car to have brakes on all four wheels (1924)[72] In 1936, the Mercedes-Benz 260 D was the first diesel powered passenger car. Mercedes-Benz were the first to offer direct fuel injection on the Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing The "safety cage" or "safety cell" construction with front and rear crumple zones was first developed by Mercedes-Benz in 1951. This is considered by many as the most important innovation in automobile construction from a safety standpoint[5][verification needed] In 1959, Mercedes-Benz patented a device that prevents drive wheels from spinning by intervening at the engine, transmission, or brakes. In 1987, Mercedes-Benz applied its patent by introducing a traction control system that worked under both braking and acceleration an Anti-Lock Brake system (ABS) was first offered on the W116 450SEL 6.9. They became standard on the W12The (W211) E320 CDI which has a variable geometry turbocharger (VGT) 3.0-litre V6 common rail diesel engine (producing 224 hp or 167 kW), set three world endurance records. It covered 100,000 miles (160,000 km) in a record time, with an average speed of 224.823 km/h (139.70 mph). Three identical cars did the endurance run (one set above record) and the other two cars set world records for time taken to cover 100,000 kilometres (62,137 mi) and 50,000 miles (80,000 km) respectively. After all three cars had completed the run, their combined distance was 300,000 miles (480,000 km) (all records were FIA approved).[74][clarification needed] Mercedes-Benz pioneered a system called Pre-Safe to detect an imminent crash – and prepares the car's safety systems to respond optimally. It also calculates the optimal braking force required to avoid an accident in emergency situations, and makes it immediately available for when the driver depresses the brake pedal. Occupants are also prepared by tightening the seat belt, closing the sunroof and windows, and moving the seats into the optimal position.6 S-Class starting production in 1979 and first sold in most markets iAt 181 horsepower per litre, the M133 engine installed in Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG is the most powerful series production four-cylinder turbocharged motor (as of June 2013) and has one of the highest power density for a passenger vehicle.[75] Half a century of vehicle safety innovation helped win Mercedes-Benz the Safety Award at the 2007 What Car? Awards.[72]n 1980. Airbags were first introduced in the European market, beginning with model year 1981 S-Class. Mercedes-Benz was the first to introduce pre-tensioners to seat belts on the 1981 S-Class. In the event of a crash, a pre-tensioner will tighten the belt instantaneously, removing any 'slack' in the belt, which prevents the occupant from jerking forward in a crash In September 2003, Mercedes-Benz introduced the world's first seven-speed automatic transmission called '7G-Tronic' Electronic Stability Programme (ESP), brake assist,[73] and many other types of safety equipment were all developed, tested, and implemented into passenger cars – first – by Mercedes-Benz. Mercedes-Benz has not made a large fuss about its innovations, and has even licensed them for use by competitors – in the name of improving automobile and passenger safety. As a result, crumple zones and anti-lock brakes (ABS) are now standard on all modern vehicles. "The best or nothing " "When only the best will do " I love their mottos Dan | ||
| Post# 311227 , Reply# 29 1/8/2015 at 01:18 (3,394 days old) by ryan1994jeep (Georgia) | ||
Jeep All The Way You can't go wrong with a Jeep. I had a 1994 Grand Cherokee that had 280,000 miles when I traded it in. Then I bought a 2007 Grand Cherokee that's fixing to roll on to the 200,000 club. I will always have one. It's never let me down or on the side of the road. I have to admit I am a sucker for a Chevy Tahoe, Range Rover,and Land Rover LR3/LR4.
On another note Jeep is supposed to be bringing back the Grand Wagoneer. I liked the Jeep Commander when it came out in 2006. I always thought they should have called it the Grand Wagoneer. | ||
| Post# 311232 , Reply# 30 1/8/2015 at 02:13 (3,394 days old) by midcenturyfan (Kings Lynn, Norfolk, England) | ||
|
I obviously agree that modern vehicles have infinitely better safety features than were available in the past. This is obviously a good thing, and I work in a hospital, so I see car crash victims.
However, I still enjoy driving historic vehicles, and I am prepared to accept the risks involved, in the same way that people that play sports, or climb mountains, accept the risks. This seems to offend some people. I have even had a lecture about the safety of classic cars from someone who rides a motorcycle. Robin. | ||
|
Post# 311242 , Reply# 32 1/8/2015 at 08:34 (3,394 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
I love seeing all the cars on this thread, and all the places they're located. Safety, I can remember reading that the 1956 Ford got some heat from critics and buyers because it was "implied" that the product was unsafe. Ford introduced the deep dish steering wheel, safety belts, possibly the padded dash, I'm just going from memory, I haven't done an in depth safety study. I was almost killed in a 1995 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera SL four door. It had the front safety harnesses mounted in the doors, and a big old fat airbag that helped chip my front tooth, and helped me get some fractured ribs. I'm sure the harness helped a lot too. Better than being dead though. I broke every bone in my right leg, and ankle. My Custom Cruiser has the belts anchored in the front doors too, and a thinly padded steering wheel center. I do not want to crash in that car.
Olds Custom Cruisers were the least luxurious of the 1977-1990 B bodied "box wagons" that we wagon nuts refer to the Pontiac Safaris, Chevrolet Caprice Estates, Cruisers, and Buick Estate Wagons of the same period. I looked at the Buick Le Sabre/Electra Estate wagons, the ultimate plushmobiles when ordered that way. You could get really cheap Estates with government fleet interiors and zero options. I even love the fake burled woodgrain they slathered their interiors with. | ||
| Post# 311246 , Reply# 33 1/8/2015 at 09:42 (3,394 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 311265 , Reply# 34 1/8/2015 at 11:27 (3,394 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Every single innovation starts | ||
| Post# 311288 , Reply# 36 1/8/2015 at 15:03 (3,394 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
|
"The best or nothing "
That's why we drive a Ford...
Sorry, couldn't resist.
In seriousness though, over the past 7 years Fords have seen us through thick and thin and never ONCE broken down (and I'm not talking about new models, I mean older cars that you would expect to have issues). I can't comment on Mercedes', but I can be certain they couldn't do better. Maybe not worse, but certainly not better... The only difference is, they cost more! | ||
| Post# 311308 , Reply# 37 1/8/2015 at 16:54 (3,394 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
If I were to | ||
| Post# 311318 , Reply# 39 1/8/2015 at 18:20 (3,394 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Oldsmobile Toronado | ||
| Post# 311319 , Reply# 40 1/8/2015 at 18:27 (3,394 days old) by rugsucker (Elizabethton TN) | ||
|
almost but not quite Oldsmobile-yes,Cadillac-yes,Toronado-no. They had airbags in the steering wheel(that could not have the tilt/telescope option)and at the glove box location.The glove box was moved to front center on these few airbag cars. Now-the year? and time of first patent? | ||
| Post# 311322 , Reply# 41 1/8/2015 at 18:38 (3,393 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
Chiming in here.
I'm devoted to Subaru's. Many of the larger American autos - Ford, GM, Chrysler - I've driven and like very much (but they got no station wagons :-() Have no use for over-engineered, gimicky bloated cost European fad cars. For my size and needs, Subaru has the luxury and performance I desire. Their AWD system is demonstably superior to everything else out there in the consumer market. Got a buddy has a Subaru Tribeca. Puts to shame all other SUV-sized 'luxury' brands. The Lincoln line has my attention. I'll be at the Detroit Auto Show in a few weeks scoping it all out...
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 311323 , Reply# 42 1/8/2015 at 18:50 (3,393 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
|
Love the new Mini.Have a few dicests & such. Have the Dealership debut RC model as well.
My first three cars were Minis through the 70 - 80s. A baby blue 1962 sliding window puddle-jumper, a Green 75 w 1275 cc, and lastly a Black de-seamed last of the Canadian model 1986 Cooper S. Good memories. Dr buddy in San Francisco bought one of the first fully loaded, green with the white roof & sunroof like the one front of picture. Drove it while visiting and took us all the way up the Observatory Hill. What a hoot!
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 311326 , Reply# 43 1/8/2015 at 19:26 (3,393 days old) by Marks_here (_._) | ||
Mine is in my avatar
1983 Cadillac El Ballero ordered in 1982 for my high school graduation present, hand picked all the interior combinations, colour trim lines including the grille with flying lady (which I took off & replaced with Caddy shield) & trunk straps, imts car telephone/pa system and delivered in 1983. I should have gotten the convertible but I liked the bars on the side because it reminded me of the Zimmer Golden Spirit that my neighbour had but didn't want to copy them.
| ||
| Post# 311329 , Reply# 44 1/8/2015 at 21:10 (3,393 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 311375 , Reply# 46 1/9/2015 at 09:55 (3,393 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
Ford LaTosca, and Alex Tremulis-something different Alex would be 101 on January 23, worked at Cord, Tucker, Kaiser, and Ford, before starting his own design studio in 1963. Interesting story. CLICK HERE TO GO TO arh1953's LINK | ||
| Post# 311379 , Reply# 47 1/9/2015 at 10:18 (3,393 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 311384 , Reply# 48 1/9/2015 at 10:48 (3,393 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
1966 Oldsmobile Toronado | ||
| Post# 311388 , Reply# 49 1/9/2015 at 11:11 (3,393 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 311394 , Reply# 50 1/9/2015 at 12:00 (3,393 days old) by aeoliandave (Stratford Ontario Canada) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 311453 , Reply# 53 1/9/2015 at 21:05 (3,392 days old) by fanonthefloor (Augusta,Georgia) |
||
|
I drive a 1999 GMC Yukon which I love. I love Gm trucks from that time period because they were built very well and had a lot of modern conveniences. | ||
| Post# 311456 , Reply# 54 1/9/2015 at 21:51 (3,392 days old) by Dustin (Jackson, MI) | ||
I have had several cars over the years,the majority of them being GM, and those have been the most reliable. My first car, back in about 2008, was a 1987 Dodge Caravan. That was pretty much my training wheels for a real car, I loved it but it needed lots of work. I had it a year almost to the day, then sold it and got my favorite car to this day: a 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme- drove that for about a year until the frame rusted out and it wasn't safe anymore, then saved my pennies and bought a 1992 Cadillac Sedan Deville- beautiful car and only had about 100,000 miles, drove great, and really floated, but oh boy was it thirsty! And only ran on premium, at about $5 a gallon. That didn't last more than a few months, and I traded it in on my worst nightmare: 2000 Mazda 626. Only had 100,000 miles when I bough it, and I spent more on repairs (and oil!) than gas. I put 20,000 miles on it, and it burned a quart of oil every 200 miles... When it could no longer be driven (without a new engine), I sold that and bought my current car, a 2003 Chevy Impala, which I have been very pleased with. It is unfortunately pretty much worn out (engine and transmission), because the previous owner didn't maintain it at all. I bought it with 162,000 miles, and have ran it up to 188,000, with little more than oil changes. I would buy another Impala in a heartbeat, but I do believe my next car is going to be a 1996 Nissan Maxima with about 240,000 (Immaculately maintained, rust free!) Miles. Looks nearly new and drives like new; a family member is getting a new car in the spring and I am buying the car from them. Seems like a lot of miles but I know it's been maintained properly and that makes all the difference!
| ||
|
Post# 311461 , Reply# 55 1/9/2015 at 23:02 (3,392 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
Beautiful | ||
| Post# 311968 , Reply# 56 1/14/2015 at 17:13 (3,388 days old) by oliveoiltinfoil (England, UK) | ||
I also love cars, specifically VAG products. My first car was a '98 Audi A3 TDI with 160,000 miles on the clock. It is now my 17 year old cousins and it is still going strong, not a squeak or rattle, doesn't use a drop of oil.
I am very fussy when it comes to build quality, and no other car manufacturer builds cars like Audi, not even Lexus. The extensive use of stainless steel bolts, nuts and screws, laser seam welding, forged steel door hinges, 9 layers of paint add up to cars which are built like tiger tanks. In Europe, one of the most durable engines available isn't an American V8 from the 80's, but the 1.9PD TDI diesel which was used in Audis, VW's, Skoda and Seats during the later 90s up until only 5 or 6 years ago, replaced by the more efficient common rail TDI's. Volkswagen group cars reach spaceship mileages. They are still sellable at 150 - 200k. It is all about how they are looked after. They are highly tuned, precision made pieces of kits. I know, I have been to Volkswagen Wolfsburg, as well as being able to get the opportunity to go to the R&D facility. They have every other make of car their, stripped down, comparing their parts to see how they can make theirs better. One of the engineers said to me "our last real rival was Honda. Not anymore" Tells you a lot. There are people who claim VW's are unreliable, getting bad rep for reliability and DSG problems, but considering that Volkswagen sold more cars than GM and Ford for the last 2 years, you are going to have more VW's in than Toyotas for example, who only sold 18,000 units, compared to Volkswagen 110,000. They are excellent cars. Love my A6. I get just over 50PMG on a long run, mid 40's around town. Lovely cars. | ||
| Post# 312230 , Reply# 57 1/16/2015 at 18:51 (3,385 days old) by Brandon_W_T () | ||
|
Wish we had the A6 wagon in the USA. Sexy car. Saw them all over europe. | ||
| Post# 312364 , Reply# 58 1/18/2015 at 10:00 (3,384 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
Saw my dream car sitting out yesterday! A 1958 Oldsmobile. I love this car! If I had the money, I'd make them an offer they couldn't refuse! I'm going to see if my mom will make them an offer. If I could get this, I'd be on cloud nine! | ||
| Post# 312372 , Reply# 59 1/18/2015 at 11:20 (3,384 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.) | ||
|
Wow! Definitely worth checking out! | ||
|
Post# 312386 , Reply# 60 1/18/2015 at 12:45 (3,384 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | ||
|
Post# 312429 , Reply# 61 1/18/2015 at 18:37 (3,383 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
| ||
| Post# 312430 , Reply# 62 1/18/2015 at 18:54 (3,383 days old) by s31463221 (Frenchburg, KY) | ||
58 Olds...
That car is gorgeous! I LOVE the 50's model cars and that Olds is begging for someone to take it home and give it some TLC! Keep us posted, I REALLY hope you can get it! Since I'm posting on this thread, here's my current driver....a 2014 Ford F-150 with the Ecoboost engine. First new one I've ever owned and so far I've put a little over 17,000 miles on it since August! Sorry, not the best photo of it, but all I currently have!
| ||
| Post# 312438 , Reply# 63 1/18/2015 at 20:09 (3,383 days old) by Dustin (Jackson, MI) | ||
|
Over the last couple years I've been extremely happy with my 2003 Impala, but I have decided I won't ever be buying a 2015 Impala. We rented one Friday for a trip to Rhode Island (My Dad is getting a truck from my Brother and we are driving that back), and I truly hated it. Extremely uncomfortable ride, seats were like sitting on bricks. Lots of road noise, steering was WAY too sensitive. The car was really tiring to drive. I had to stop about 2 hours in because my left leg was killing me. Literally could not walk for 5 minutes. Terrible blind spots on all 4 corners and both sides. I figured since it was the same model as mine, I could just whip into a parking space, nearly took out two cars on the way in. The touch screen interface was extremely distracting. I have to say the V6 had plenty of zip. Got about 32 mpg or so. The car had 15,000 miles on it, and literally as we dropped it off, the Check Engine light came on. We had reserved a Nissan Altima, but when we went to pick it up, none were available, so we were upgraded for free to the Impala- Went from a "full size" car to "premium", which included a full leather interior- normally wouldn't be an issue, but I am allergic to any and all things leather- felt terrible by the time we dropped it off, and was sick for 24 hours afterward. Will never rent or drive another one, that's for sure.
| ||
| Post# 312442 , Reply# 64 1/18/2015 at 20:47 (3,383 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
1958 Oldsmobile My mom and my grandfather, he knows a lot about cars, are supposed to go look at the Oldsmobile tomorrow. Wish us luck! I REALLY hope I can get this car! The picture is under the hood of the Oldsmobile. 
| ||
| Post# 312584 , Reply# 66 1/19/2015 at 20:55 (3,382 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
The stupid morons running the place said that they would not sell the Oldsmobile because it's "just for looks." My blood starts boiling and I'm surprised I didn't strangle the SOB. Maybe I'll go back with $4000 cash money. When money talks, people listen. | ||
|
Post# 312608 , Reply# 67 1/20/2015 at 03:04 (3,382 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
Good luck with those morons with the Oldsmobile. I'd love to have one of those. I love the entire lineup of GMs '58's.
A dealer in Melbourne, FL is selling a bare bones 1965 Buick Electra 225 town sedan, with the posts, but no frames around the door windows. Just the standard power features, but has wind up windows, air, PS, PB, automatic. I'm not too hepped up on it because I'm in enough trouble with old cars and money. It's gorgeous, was traded in to a Chevy dealer up there. This post was last edited 01/20/2015 at 03:41 | ||
|
Post# 312631 , Reply# 68 1/20/2015 at 07:25 (3,382 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
GM 5 For '58 | ||
|
Post# 312769 , Reply# 69 1/21/2015 at 08:24 (3,381 days old) by bvac6 (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
||
Cars
I recently picked up an 1984 Caprice Classic (link to thread). I had one in high school and to this day I still kick myself for selling it! I also have my grandmothers 97 Mercedes E320 which I absolutely adore! (named it Dotty) Beyond that I also have a 2007 Crown Vic Police Interceptor and a 2010 Ford F150 Raptor. I love my vacs and my cars! :)
CLICK HERE TO GO TO bvac6's LINK | ||
|
Post# 312811 , Reply# 70 1/21/2015 at 14:22 (3,381 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
| ||
| Post# 312821 , Reply# 71 1/21/2015 at 15:37 (3,381 days old) by bisonian (Where the buffalo roamed! (Ocala, FL)) | ||
|
Excuse me? The people who own the Oldsmobile don't want to sell it. It's THEIR property, to do with as they wish. How exactly does that entitle you to call them "stupid morons" and an "SOB"? | ||
| Post# 312854 , Reply# 72 1/21/2015 at 19:35 (3,380 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
Because they are LETTING IT SIT OUT AND ROT! They KNOW that and they are intentionally NOT selling it. As far as I'M concerned, they can KEEP those fancy titles! I hope I have made my point. | ||
| Post# 312860 , Reply# 73 1/21/2015 at 20:40 (3,380 days old) by vacuumfreak95 (Aransas Pass, Tx) | ||
|
Vehicles:
My Mother has a 2004 GMC Yukon XL 1500 with 180,000 miles on it. It's been a good car,we haven't really had many problems with it until lately.....My Father has a 1999 Ford Ranger XLT with 255,000 miles on it and still working, he also has a 2009 Ford Ranger XLT with 74,000 miles on it and very reliable also. As a said above I have a 2003 Buick Lesabre with 82,000 miles and has had little problems as well. We have had pretty good luck with GM and Ford.
| ||
|
Post# 312897 , Reply# 74 1/22/2015 at 05:05 (3,380 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
1958 Chevrolet Nomad wagon in original condition These folks suggest you want to rat rod it, they wanted to customize it. The true survivor it is deserves careful restoration of ruined parts and preservation. The owners of the '58 Olds are on a power trip, surely someone besides sonnydad called them on their silliness. (don't want to be dressed down for name calling)
CLICK HERE TO GO TO arh1953's LINK on eBay | ||
|
Post# 312908 , Reply# 76 1/22/2015 at 09:05 (3,380 days old) by bvac6 (Fort Wayne, Indiana) |
||
|
Not selling I can totally understand sonnydad's frustration with that. There is a guy near me that has had a 79 Chrysler Newport wasting away in his yard since I was in high school! I wanted to restore it but he wants such a ridiculous amount of money for it that I can't help but be furious at him about it. Yes it's his property but he's letting a cool car just rot! | ||
|
Post# 312919 , Reply# 77 1/22/2015 at 12:10 (3,380 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
I wanted a 1958 Pontiac Star Chief 4 door hardtop when I was in high school, the seller wanted $200 for it. A so called friend screamed me down for wanting it. There are many cars I'd still buy if I ever got the chance, not just a few. And some models I'd buy again.
Somebody at the end of the street got a '65 Cadillac coupe years ago, don't know which model. It ended up near the highway and stayed there for years, with the trunk lid open a few inches. The car is back down the street again, and really needs to be towed to the crusher. The story is that the owner was in prison for taking a baseball bat to some man's skull. I think he's out, the car has moved around from in the driveway to crossways over the driveway, not under it's own power. | ||
|
Post# 313335 , Reply# 78 1/25/2015 at 15:07 (3,377 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
Continental Mark II for 1956-Modern Formal | ||
| Post# 313595 , Reply# 81 1/27/2015 at 21:17 (3,374 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Rex my Mercedes sales consultant
Brings new Mercedes by my house that's how I purchase my cars plus when they need service they come to my home and pick up my Benz's at my house and leave a Mercedes in its place to use during service .
I don't remember the last time I went to the Mercedes dealership as all car purchases and service pick up is done at my home . Congratulations on your new Highlander it's a really Kool SUV enjoy many miles till your next one :) Dan This post was last edited 01/27/2015 at 23:47 | ||
| Post# 313625 , Reply# 83 1/28/2015 at 07:59 (3,374 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Yes Rex
All paperwork is done at my house it's all done on his iPad via docusign same way I do Real Estate from my iPad all contracts signed on the spot .I had a toyota years ago I loved it they are good cars . I switched to Mercedes Benz in 1995 I had an E300 diesel I loved then it went to an S class to another S class to another E class to Another S class to my SL 550 convertible to a CLK convertible to a GL450 and an ML350 . I am very comfortable in a Mercedes as all controls are where they should be inside the car I can operate the cars blindfolded plus the safety of driving tanks I love Mercedes Benz I drive them because I love German cars and I am lucky that I can .
I owned a BMW 750li which I hated the ride was too hard but it handled flawlessly ESP around corners . My first car was a 1985 Cadillac Eldorado Birritz that I bought in cash with vacuum sales money I have been selling vacuums since the age of 5 my first sale was $25.00 for a 1060 ❤️HOOVER❤️ I have always been a hustler when it comes to work and making money I work VERY hard for EVERYTHING. I owned many cars Range Rover ,Ford ,Jaguar, Acura and Infiniti . Yes they take your trade back to the dealership . My sales guy drops off registration and license plates when they are ready too . I love that they provide that service it is more comfortable at my house we sit down in my living room it's like having a friend over which he is . That's another reason I prefer Mercedes Benz because of the way they will sell you a car at your home and pick up your car for service and leave a car for you to use . Reliability is too notch just like Toyota and the cost to maintain them is not as high as most people would have you believe . Dan This post was last edited 01/28/2015 at 08:48 | ||
| Post# 313677 , Reply# 86 1/28/2015 at 22:02 (3,373 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Harley
That is another reason I stick with Meecedes Benz because of their white glove home delivery service .
They have a life customer with me ever since my 1995 Mercedes E300D they won me over . I am very good friends with my sales consultant I buy Benz's from him he buys homes from me . We joke I tell him if you buy a few more rental properties I can buy a new Mercedes and we help each other out that way . We do have a 3 day return policy plus Mercedes offers 90 days in my state plus lemon law buy back also . Dan | ||
| Post# 313698 , Reply# 88 1/29/2015 at 06:26 (3,373 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
I am not sure Rex
If the other brands do that as well . You would think they would I know every Mercedes Benz dealership will pick up your car for service and leave you a car to use . They have always done that the car sale part I guess depends on the Dealer and State laws .
I love the customer seevice by my Mercedes Benz dealership that keeps me as a customer and will stick with them plus the cars fit me perfectly just like you enjoy your Toyota there is a car for everyone . My Dad and Grandfather have bought many cars by going in for service next thing you know a new car would pull up 😁 The iPad has really changed how business is done it makes my job easier and when people are ready to buy you have it in your hand draw up contracts then sign and send it off via email it's amazing . Dan | ||
| Post# 313779 , Reply# 90 1/30/2015 at 07:34 (3,372 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Rex , Us Realtors use digital technology
I even went to a new Dentist and they handed me an iPad to fill my information out , digital paperwork is the future .
The receptionist handed it to me and sat next to me and said I'm here to help you use this I said I carry one with me and use it daily I'm good thanks 😜 That's how car dealerships should be treat us right and we will continue to do business with them it has worked for you and I . Dan | ||
| Post# 316490 , Reply# 92 2/22/2015 at 19:09 (3,348 days old) by sonnyndad () | ||
|
1983 Ford F100 I got this 1983 Ford today from a family member. It's in pretty good condition. It just needs a few things. For those of you in the VCCC, you will be seeing this is St. Louis this June. 
| ||
| Post# 317170 , Reply# 94 3/1/2015 at 21:19 (3,341 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
Another GM guy here
I come from a GM family, literally. My dad was a district sales manager for Oldsmobile from 1959-1991. Except for a couple of VW bugs I owned in high school, I have only had GM cars, most of them Oldsmobiles. The two cars I own now are a 1995 Olds Aurora and a 2011 Chevy Impala LT, fully loaded. The Aurora is my weekend toy and the one I turn wrenches on the most. The Impala is my daily driver and is one of the most reliable vehicles I've ever had. Of course, it's still practically new with just under 20,000 miles on it.
| ||
| Post# 317354 , Reply# 95 3/3/2015 at 16:57 (3,340 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
I did some clean up/ detail work. I think it turned out well!
| ||
| Post# 319642 , Reply# 96 3/29/2015 at 13:33 (3,314 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
|
So I decided it was time for a Truck again. In Sa We dont get anything bigger than what you guys un the USA call compact pickups. We did get the F250 for a while but most people who need anything that size Get a proper truck like a Isuzu.Any how I bought the biggest one I could find. Nissan Navara 4Lv6 double cab. You guys call it the Nissan Frontier. These are hugely popular here in Sa, any double cab is. They outsell their suv counter parts by almost double. Most are diesle but I am not a diesle fan so I opted for the 4L v6. Its insainly powerful. I got it with the canopie aswell which makes it very versitile and I can pack lots of vacuums in the back
| ||
| Post# 319643 , Reply# 97 3/29/2015 at 13:43 (3,314 days old) by Kirbyloverdan (Egg Harbor Twp . NJ aka HOOVERLOVERDAN ❤️) | ||
|
Very nice my brother | ||
| Post# 319649 , Reply# 98 3/29/2015 at 14:14 (3,314 days old) by gsheen (Cape Town South Africa) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 319723 , Reply# 99 3/30/2015 at 16:00 (3,313 days old) by FantomFan (Rochester, New York) | ||
I'm keeping my options open. | ||
| Post# 319840 , Reply# 100 3/31/2015 at 18:02 (3,312 days old) by kirbytradition7 (Denver (Aurora), CO, USA) | ||
I currently own a green 1998 Pontiac Bonneville (purchased in 2002). It still runs great and is beautiful. Green, my favourite colour, looks great on it.
If I ever purchase another car, I definitely want a station wagon. Here are several possibilities for a station wagon for me in the future: 1) A 1978 Chrysler LeBaron Town & Country station wagon--in green (my family had one in my childhood)--my dream car. 2) A Volvo station wagon (eg, V-70 or XC-70) 3) A Dodge Magnum wagon. In Europe I saw the Chrysler 300C Touring estate--the Euro-Chrysler sister to the Dodge Magnum. If only it were available in the US at the time... Why wasn't the 300C Touring available in the US? | ||
| Post# 320366 , Reply# 101 4/4/2015 at 11:40 (3,308 days old) by Firebirdman55 (Owensboro Kentucky) | ||
Here's my 1999 Mercury Cougar...laser red, V6, 5 speed...189K miles. Had it for several years. Been a fun car!
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 321303 , Reply# 102 4/10/2015 at 17:59 (3,302 days old) by portable (Corvallis, OR) | ||
 I drove my Toyota Corolla for almost 12 years, and then sold it to a friend back in December. My "new" car is a Toyota Camry, a 2011. Toyota makes such nice products. I had a top of the line Camry in the 90's that I drove for 11 years, then my ex drove it for another 11 years, until it was stolen off the streets of Portland in a drug-related crime spree.
Here's the "new" one: | ||
| Post# 321562 , Reply# 103 4/12/2015 at 11:06 (3,300 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 321806 , Reply# 104 4/13/2015 at 14:13 (3,299 days old) by vacuumdude (Spokane WA) | ||
|
I may be crazy but... Its a 4300LP 03' INTERNATIONAL best vehicle ever, so yea im 16 and absolutely NUTS | ||
| Post# 322220 , Reply# 106 4/16/2015 at 21:23 (3,295 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
*Imperial March Theme*
Muhahahaha.........I've returned from hiatus! Been gone too long I think, used to have good times here, looking forward to having more :P
Ah........Cars.....lovely! not just Lovely, De-Lovely..... DeLovely,DeLightful, DESOTO! :P (If you don't get a kick out of that V8,see a doctor.you may have contracted PRIUS-ITIS! :O) | ||
| Post# 322238 , Reply# 107 4/16/2015 at 22:43 (3,295 days old) by cb123 (Mobile, Al.) | ||
 | ||
|
Post# 322252 , Reply# 108 4/17/2015 at 03:38 (3,295 days old) by tolivac (Greenville,NC) |
||
|
Very beautiful DeSoto-like the colors!Sounds nice----LETS GO FOR A ROADTRIP!!!!!And yes--those Dysons!Sadly since its a two door-the rear seat is good only for pets and bookbags. | ||
|
Post# 322254 , Reply# 109 4/17/2015 at 05:12 (3,295 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
Arrive in style | ||
|
Post# 322255 , Reply# 110 4/17/2015 at 05:22 (3,295 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
It's The Smart Way to Go Places! | ||
| Post# 322323 , Reply# 111 4/17/2015 at 19:42 (3,294 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
|
Smart and beautiful way to go places! | ||
| Post# 322366 , Reply# 113 4/18/2015 at 08:55 (3,294 days old) by vac-o-matic (Saint Louis, Mo.) | ||
|
Swivel seats.... I seem to remember swivel seats back in mid-70's Monte Carlos. I thought those were great...wonder why they went away? | ||
| Post# 322370 , Reply# 115 4/18/2015 at 09:39 (3,294 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
Since we did have them til the 70s? Maybe it was a seatbelt/ shoulder belt issue?Gosh could use them now.I keep the leather on my Park Avenue slick as snot so I can spin in the seat, getting very difficult to get in or out of the car. Mom has an almost new? 93 Honda Civic, are you sure you don't want to keep my car? NO thanks.
| ||
| Post# 322387 , Reply# 116 4/18/2015 at 12:00 (3,294 days old) by super-sweeper (KSSRC Refurbishment Center) | ||
|
Kenkart, | ||
|
Post# 322432 , Reply# 117 4/18/2015 at 16:30 (3,294 days old) by arh1953 ( River Park, in Port St. Lucie, Florida) |
||
|
Super-sweeper | ||
| Post# 322929 , Reply# 118 4/22/2015 at 15:15 (3,290 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 323386 , Reply# 119 4/26/2015 at 12:02 (3,286 days old) by orecklover () | ||
|
FantomFan, Those large sedans are very popular in my family! My uncle drove a Crown Victoria, he is now getting a Grand Marquis. My grandparents both drive Grand Marquis; a 1999 and 2003. | ||
|
Post# 323476 , Reply# 120 4/27/2015 at 16:46 (3,285 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
I DO like a lot of American cars. I've always had Chevrolets. Just my thing. My aunt had 2 Lincoln Town Cars. loved driving those. I have friends who are Cadillac people. A friend of mine, (accountant) has several cars... just had a "custom made Mercedes".....it's unbelieveable. Not my thing, but, hey.. I had another friend, (antique dealer), had a Benz... didn't like it at all. But, I'd never 'bash'.To quote the great Johnny Matthis, 'It's not for me to say". | ||
| Post# 323520 , Reply# 121 4/28/2015 at 09:14 (3,284 days old) by jmurray01 (Scotland) | ||
|
I have always been and will always be a Ford guy.
The blue oval gives me 100% confidence that it will go wherever you want and get you home again. Yes, some people dislike them and say they are unreliable, but not in my experience!! Our current Ford, a year 2000 Focus 1.8 LX has been with us for over 2 years now and has NEVER been in the garage for anything other than scheduled maintenance. Same with our previous 1997 Fiesta 1.25 Ghia which we had for 5 years. Same story, nothing other than oil changes and MOTs. Amazing for what are now classed as "old" cars. My dream one day would be to acquire a 50s or 60s American Ford and import it over here to Scotland. | ||
| Post# 323529 , Reply# 122 4/28/2015 at 09:52 (3,284 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 323637 , Reply# 123 4/29/2015 at 15:46 (3,283 days old) by BikerRay (Middle Earth) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 327034 , Reply# 124 6/16/2015 at 11:54 (3,235 days old) by Sries (Tacoma WA) | ||
My family has a...
1998 Chrysler Town and Country lxi. And a 2004 Dodge Durango limited edition. Chrysler products seem to be the only cars that work for us. :)
| ||
| Post# 327153 , Reply# 125 6/18/2015 at 09:00 (3,233 days old) by S31463221 (Frenchburg, KY) | ||
|
Town and Country
Rhonda,
Like you we have had some type of Chrysler product since my wife and I have been married. For the most part I really can't complain about them, however at the moment our Town and Country and I aren't getting along too well.....
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 328354 , Reply# 126 6/29/2015 at 23:49 (3,221 days old) by redneck () | ||
|
I've got 2 trucks, a 1982 F150, 302 automatic and a 1997 Dodge w150. That one is my baby, she's got a 5 inch lift, 328 engine, 4 speed manual and true dual cherry bomb exhaust. Sure, both get around 12 feet to the gallon haha. But I love my old pickups. | ||
| Post# 430429 , Reply# 127 8/22/2020 at 21:35 (1,340 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
My first car was a 2001 Chevrolet Malibu. Good little car that got great gas mileage and was very reliable. Unfortunately started having transmission problems at about 150,000 miles and I kept driving it a while but the repairs were more than I was interested in. Sometimes I wish I still had that car, you can never replace your first car, I don't think.
My current driver is a 2016 Ford Taurus Limited, has every option on it. Got it certified used about a year and a half ago. I have about 25,000 miles on it. Like it, but it's just not as nimble as that Malibu was. At some point, I want to get an older Dodge Grand Caravan or Chrysler Town and Country for hauling things with and to not put so many miles on the Taurus... especially going to estate sales and thrift stores, etc on weekends. Hopefully I can find an older one that wasn't driven much. | ||
| Post# 430461 , Reply# 128 8/23/2020 at 11:28 (1,340 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Up to 9 cars here I'd need my own thread to go through em all lol | ||
| Post# 430478 , Reply# 129 8/23/2020 at 14:22 (1,340 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
Wow, how time flies. I no longer have either of the cars mentioned in my earlier post. The Aurora is one car that I just plain kept too long. The problems kept mounting up and I finally donated it to my local public radio station for a tax write-off. My weekend toy now is a 1995 Cutlass Supreme convertible. Great fun on sunny days when it isn't too hot.
A vehicle that passed through my hands during this time, which I probably should have kept, was my late father's 2002 Oldsmobile Silhouette minivan. It was a great hauler. I ended up selling it to a single mother, who really needed it, so I know it went to where it was supposed to be. The Impala met a somewhat ignoble fate right before Christmas last year when I got rear-ended in a three-car collision caused by a drunk driver—at noon on a Sunday! The car was still perfectly drivable after the accident but the insurance company wrote it off as a total loss, anyway. I have to say that mechanically, it was absolutely the most trouble-free car I've ever owned. Even before I got the (quite generous) insurance settlement, I found a 2013 Buick Lacrosse hybrid to replace it. It was on an independent lot up in Danville, Va. and the guy wanted to move it before the first of the year so he wouldn't have to pay inventory tax on it. The car only had 57,000 miles on it and had been ridiculously well maintained. His asking price was so low that I really didn't see a whole lot of point in dickering. I was able to write a check to cover the purchase and almost recouped the whole thing from the insurance. So far, I'm quite pleased with it. | ||
| Post# 430482 , Reply# 130 8/23/2020 at 14:56 (1,340 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
|
Impala and LaCrosse
My driver's ed car was a base model 2006 Impala LS, when the new model came out. I've always liked those W body Impalas, and wanted an LTZ model, but when it was time for me to buy my first car a few years later even the earliest 2006 models were still too expensive.
I tried to find one again this time, since they were actually still made alongside the new Impala model until 2016, but I couldn't find any around here for sale. I like the Buick LaCrosse and saw a few, I wish I had test drove one of them. But I stupidly couldn't get over being a 29 year old in a Buick. That to me says Buick has been able to appeal to the younger crowd with their newer cars. I wish I had tried one of the newer Chevy Impalas too, but I didn't. Oh well. I had a 2014 Dodge Charger rental for a while when my old Malibu was in the body shop. That was a nice car too, but it just felt so big to drive. I think it was because the body stuck out on the sides like old 60s and 70s cars. Since most sedans are out now I don't know what I'd replace my Taurus with. Probably a Toyota Avalon, Hyundai or Kia sedan something, or a Ford Explorer. | ||
| Post# 430484 , Reply# 131 8/23/2020 at 15:16 (1,340 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
fan-of-fans wrote:
But I stupidly couldn't get over being a 29 year old in a Buick. I reply: Shortly after I got the LaCrosse, a friend of mine saw me getting out of it and she couldn't believe it was a Buick. It definitely doesn't feel like the grannymobiles Buick is traditionally known for. The funny thing is the Epsilon body LaCrosse is essentially an imported design from GM of China, where it's considered a prestige brand and is actually the only reason Buick still exists at all. The government pressured GM to drop all of its brands except Chevy, Cadillac and GMC during the 2009 bailout but GM countered that it was better to take the axe to Pontiac, which was outselling Buick domestically at the time, and spare Buick because of its popularity in China. And even though the LaCrosse was dropped from the domestic lineup in early 2019, it's still being made for the Asia-Pacific market in Taiwan. | ||
| Post# 430495 , Reply# 132 8/23/2020 at 18:50 (1,340 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
Currently I have a 03 Honda Accord. That's my 'good' car. It's in good shape, minus a few dings and hail damage. It's got 260k miles on it, but before everyone fawns over how reliable Hondas are, know that it came from rural Idaho, where it saw nothing but highway miles. So those were very easy miles. It was a chance occurrence, the previous owner was visiting Chicago, and broke down near my shop. It needed a transmission, and she didn't want to spend the money, so it became mine. Good thing I'm a transmission mechanic.
It was about the right time, too, because my other 'good' car was rapidly becoming my 'bad' car. That was a 94 Chrysler Concorde. I really liked that car, it was big and comfortable, but it had been in a MAJOR accident many years prior and though I did a lot to fix it, it was never completed and it looked like crap. Speaking of looking like crap, my long-time 'fun' car is a 93 Chrysler LeBaron convertible. Enjoy the picture of it, which is from 2006, basically the height of its life. As I got it a couple years before that, it was an ugly old beater. I did a crazy amount of work to make it the beauty you see below. I also upgraded just about everything on it. It was a base model from the factory, now it has just about every option. (Let's not talk about how many scrap yard LeBarons gave their parts to accomplish that.) Sadly, it's not 2006 anymore, and she's starting to rust away. It's probably been ten years or better that I've retired it for winter - to spare it from road salt - but even that has not helped. I'm looking for another one, preferably one with a problem, but with zero rust. That way, I have a perfect parts car to take all the goodies from. Still driving it, though. Just put in a new gas tank. The old one had been leaking for years. First it would leak if filled past 3/4, then it'd got so bad I couldn't fill it past 1/4. And a 1/4 of 18 gallons doesn't get you very far. That's part of being the 'fun' car though, it's a constant battle to keep it running. It actually has dozens of little problems. But that's part of the fun.
View Full Size
| ||
|
Post# 430506 , Reply# 133 8/23/2020 at 21:48 (1,339 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL) |
||
I ran through more beaters in high school than some people will own in their life. When I started driving I was rolling around an an 82 Ford F250 dump truck from my grandpa. The brake lines ended up rotting out, and the truck was on it's last leg as it was.
We scrapped the ford and I bought a used Mercury Grand Marquee. I dont remember the year. It had the feature where you could remove the key and keep the car running. Nice in the winter to keep the heat on while you ran into the pharmacy! But sadly the computer started going out and it would shut down at random. Shame, it only had 102000. That was replaced by a $500 94 Caprice Classic wagon that was a neighbors winter car. I could put my feet on the road while driving, the floors were so far rusted out. It ate it's head gasket. This was followed by another family vehicle...a 1996 Plymouth grand voyager. I racked up miles on that like crazy. I removed the rear seats so I could haul lumber, and frequently hauled my riding mower to the farms to mow farmsteads. Being a 90s Mopar, the tranny gave out around 120k miles. This was when I started driving a 2013 Honda ridgeline pickup. As ugly, and lightly built as it is, that truck has taken 7 years of abuse as a farm truck. About 80k of it's 106k miles have been with overloaded trailers that do not have brakes. The truck is starting to show its salt rot, and the tranny slips pretty bad. I've rebuilt the front end once, and it needs another rebuild. This fall we are putting it out to pasture. The body looks like swiss cheese... My little fun truck is a 1979 International Scout II Terra named Oscar. I won't get into the juicy details, but I had to rebuild the entire braking system (lines, booster, master, and converted from drum to disc brakes), as well as oodles of ignition work to get this old guy roadworthy. He's my summertime toy.
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 430547 , Reply# 134 8/24/2020 at 16:02 (1,339 days old) by JustinAjax (Georgia) | ||
I love that Scout! Currently I have a 2011 GTI that a buddy and I are replacing the engine in. I bought it new, drove it four years, then sold it to a friend. He sold it back to me last year and I didn't do too much inspection on it. It was just going to be a fun car not driven very often. He's a good friend and I assumed he had taken care of it. I was autocrossing it back in February and blew the engine. Man was I pissed! My buddy found a rebuilt 2.0T EA888 up in Virginia so we road tripped up there in his van and picked it up last month. The pic is when the old engine came out. We have the new engine in it now and it's up and running finally but still needs a lot of fine tuning.
My other car is a 2019 540i that's been trouble free until last Friday when the fuel filler door wouldn't open. At the gas station. With 6 miles range. I made it home and they towed it from there. So sad seeing your car up on a tow truck! It still had a bit of gas so the tow driver drove it up onto the truck and drove it off when he got to the dealership. They got the fuel filler door open and ordered a part that should be here this week. But when I got in my car at the dealership it smells like an armpit now. It's like a "Seinfeld" episode. My first car was a VW Corrado. Bright yellow. LOL. I really wish I could find one to wrench on in decent condition but every one I come across has been modded to hell and back. | ||
| Post# 430558 , Reply# 135 8/24/2020 at 18:58 (1,339 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
I have to car shop now! My Park Ave was totaled two weeks ago, difficult to deal with after 15 years of ownership and loving. No idea what will replace, I had planned for many more years. Always made it home, never leaked or used fluids, comfortable, pretty 😢😢
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 430570 , Reply# 136 8/24/2020 at 22:24 (1,338 days old) by Scvacuumguy (SC) | ||
 | ||
| Post# 430581 , Reply# 138 8/24/2020 at 23:38 (1,338 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Speaking of gms. The only gm branded vehicle I've got currently is my 2010 Tahoe ltz. Great truck. Good for taking in into the desert for fun.
Got limo tint on it for extra comfort.
I guess it's my only gm not counting the wrangler with a Chevy v8 in it | ||
| Post# 430590 , Reply# 139 8/25/2020 at 08:27 (1,338 days old) by Scvacuumguy (SC) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 430595 , Reply# 140 8/25/2020 at 09:15 (1,338 days old) by gottahaveahoove (Pittston, Pennsylvania, 18640) |
||
|
My aunt had 2 Lincoln Town Cars | ||
| Post# 430601 , Reply# 142 8/25/2020 at 10:33 (1,338 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Mmm no par with Mopar here lol. Biggest lemon of a vehicle ever. Our dodge Durango with a fully built srt motor after the original gernaded itself as they all tend to do.
Well this one's blown again too after using only the best heavy duty srt parts
This sad thing has been just truly awful. Thanks chrysler... Lol. Never again | ||
| Post# 430661 , Reply# 143 8/25/2020 at 22:27 (1,337 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
"Transmissions aren’t Mopar’s strong point."
Tell that to the TorqueFlite. A transmission so good that Ford literally copied it, and both the TorqueFlite and Ford's C6 were used for more than 40 years. And when I say Ford copied it, I've literally held the parts in my hands one Ford and one Chrysler, could not tell the difference. As for more contemporary transmissions, most of them are crap, no matter who makes them. | ||
|
Post# 430662 , Reply# 144 8/25/2020 at 22:49 (1,337 days old) by Air-WayCharlie (USA) |
||
I had a 1969 Chrysler Imperial LeBaron coupe that was a killer! The TorqueFlite transmission was great and trust me, at that point in my life I was hard on a car. That car went through a lot and never failed me. It needed minimum maintenance but a lot of premium fuel.
Fast forward......it was the only Chrysler I owned until 2015. I had been driving Cadillacs since the mid/late 70's, (except for a dismal time in early 80's when Cadillac was awful), including a 76 Eldo convertivble, and many sedans and Fleetwoods. I test drove a 2015 Chrysler 300C for fun after seeing it featured on, "Breaking Bad", and found a car with true balls. It has the HEMI engine which is a V-8 but with two spark plugs per cylinder so it is a version of a V-16. It is good on gas, loaded with creature comforts and flies down the road. I just put a set of Pirelli tires on it and now it handles better than ever. AND, if I am not mistaken it is an 8 speed automatic TorqueFlite transmission. It gets a good workout. I bought the car new and to date no issues. I just change the oil and filters and follow the Chrysler recommended maintenance. I love it when drivers see me merging on the freeway or entering a lane at a traffic light and they think, "okay, here comes Grandpa with the white hair--another Q-tip behind the wheel", and then I leave them eating my dust. :) | ||
|
Post# 430699 , Reply# 145 8/26/2020 at 16:47 (1,337 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL) |
||
|
My place of Employment is Mopar exclusive in all our 20,000GVWR and smaller trucks. We run them plenty hard, plowing snow and pulling overloaded trailers. In 45 years, and a combined 1.5 million miles across the vehicles we only had one transmission fail early (90K), but knock on wood the rest have been very low issue
| ||
| Post# 430729 , Reply# 146 8/26/2020 at 22:25 (1,336 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
As for bigger Mopars, have a story.
I was driving by some kind of shipping depot. Maybe 10 big Chevy Kodiaks where driving out pulling full size semi trailers. The Kodiak is a big truck that's like one step down from a semi truck. Among the Kodiaks was one little Dodge Ram pickup with a 5th wheel pulling the same trailer! The little Mopar that could! | ||
| Post# 431273 , Reply# 148 9/5/2020 at 02:02 (1,327 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
Shame, those are nice cars. My Concorde (essentially the same car) lasted a long time. Never needed transmission work, not that it would've been an issue for me. I dunno what this nonsense is about their transmissions. I'll grant you, I've heard it from many people, never seen it myself. Sure, I've put transmissions in a few of those... but only a few. I've put transmissions in damn near every car. Let me tell you, I've done scores of Honda transmissions for every one of those I've done. And the ones I have done have had no problems, I can't recall even one of them even coming back to me. There are several other units that are prone to comebacks, but that's not one that springs to mind.
There are certain things in the automotive world that people get stuck in their heads that it's true. ie, Cadillac Northstar engines, Chrysler transmissions, LeanBurn, not being able to mix coolant types, using transmission fluid in the power steering, etc. Honestly, I wonder how bad of a transmission mechanic you have to be to screw up an A604 (technically a variant), it's about the simplest one out there. I honestly couldn't tell you. Boggles the mind that someone who calls themself a transmission mechanic would say something like that. Far more likely they just didn't want to work on an older car, or were unfamiliar with that car. Also, that transmission is very well computerized for something from the 90s. The computer is programmed to compensate for wear and tear, specifically with the intention of keeping it working as well as it could for as long as it could. So when it 'just' stopped, in reality it was probably going out for a while, but was being compensated for. | ||
| Post# 431275 , Reply# 149 9/5/2020 at 02:15 (1,327 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
I've got two Chryslers with bad transmissions here haha. 545rfe in the 04 Durango needing a rebuild. Getting pretty jerky and slippy
The 93 wrangler still retains its original aisin ax-15 5 speed that's all but gernaded itself. Probably due to being bolted to a Chevy v8
View Full Size
| ||
| Post# 431315 , Reply# 150 9/5/2020 at 14:35 (1,327 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 431318 , Reply# 151 9/5/2020 at 15:39 (1,327 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
Nice!
The Kia Optima is a very nice car. My former girlfriend had 2013 model and she absolutely loved it—right up until she fell asleep at the wheel and hit a semi with it. The exterior of the car was totally demolished but the interior was hardly damaged, other than the airbag deploying. The best part was she walked away without any major injuries, other than a minor concussion and a few bruises. The bottom line is the car did its job protecting her admirably.
My oldest nephew has had two Hyundai Sonatas, which is essentially the same car as the Optima with a few different cosmetic flourishes, sort of like a Buick Regal and an Olds Cutlass Supreme, back in the day. He has nothing but good things to say about them. His dad leased both cars for him, the first when he was a senior in high school (early graduation present) and the second one when he was a junior in college and had run up the miles on the first one. He wisely bought the second one for the residual value when the lease expired. What better used car to buy than one you've been driving since it was new? | ||
| Post# 431320 , Reply# 152 9/5/2020 at 16:01 (1,327 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 431337 , Reply# 154 9/5/2020 at 19:45 (1,326 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.) | ||
|
@ suckolux Are you doing alright now? I saw your post above about your car being totaled. Were you injured? I'm so sorry to hear this. You had a great car that you really liked. I hope your alright and I hope your replacement car gives you great satisfaction too! Billy | ||
| Post# 431355 , Reply# 155 9/6/2020 at 08:27 (1,326 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
Thanks for asking Bill, doing ok! Missy was a beast and knocked me a couple feet sideways in a parking lot, a T bone. Both doors shoved inside, but the windows and locks still worked! Miss my big girl, 15 years of always made it home. Insurance was not enough to find a nice car really, so my brother assisted in finding this. It's identical to the rental they gave me for a week, which I enjoyed.
| ||
| Post# 431642 , Reply# 156 9/11/2020 at 15:56 (1,321 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
So on top of all the other major expenses I've had over the past couple of weeks—new HVAC system for the house, new air conditioner for my Buick—the transmission on my old convertible decided to go out last Sunday. I had it towed to a transmission shop and they just told me a little while ago they had to order a "core unit" for it, which I think is mechanic speak for another used transmission to rebuild and put in place of the original. It'll be ready the middle of next week but I'm really not looking forward to adding that bill to the ones I've already had to pay. Ugh!
| ||
| Post# 431643 , Reply# 157 9/11/2020 at 16:08 (1,321 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Core unit probably just means a rebuilt transmission and yours gets sent back to be rebuilt and put in the next car down the line.
No shop puts new transmissions or motors in a car even on basically new cars/under warranty interestingly enough. | ||
| Post# 431647 , Reply# 158 9/11/2020 at 18:10 (1,321 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
That makes a certain amount of sense from a logistical standpoint, certainly less work for the shop that way, although the terminology is a bit counter-intuitive in this case. If you buy, say, a rebuilt alternator at the auto parts store, they'll charge you a refundable "core deposit" for your old alternator. I had always assumed that "core" referred to the old part and once that part is rebuilt, it ceases to be a called core and becomes a rebuilt or re-manufactured part.
| ||
| Post# 431654 , Reply# 159 9/11/2020 at 22:03 (1,320 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah) | ||
I
Wouldn't take that chevy bajaing in the nevada desert. It's A great vehicle but the weight and body roll I'm sure you get the point.
Kia optima are very nice cars. My brother in law just traded his in for a 2019 fully loaded full extended cab. It has a duramax with allusion transmission. The sticker price was over $55k. He got it for 37. There both nice vehicles. My 04 corolla has cold air intake. It's nothing special but dependable. My wife drives our 2010 rav4 v6. It's awd 265 hp. It goes 0-60 in 6.1 seconds which was quickest in it's class. I put borla exhaust on it. They don't make a cold air or regular air intake for it. I just like toyota they last and fun to drive. Les | ||
| Post# 431659 , Reply# 160 9/12/2020 at 00:59 (1,320 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Oh Of course I wouldn't go Baja racing in my Chevy lol. It's a stock truck not a prerunner race truck.
It's what we take far into the desert to go shooting. Good truck for hauling our gear | ||
| Post# 431660 , Reply# 161 9/12/2020 at 01:00 (1,320 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
"Core"
No. A core is a used part, of either unknown or non-working condition. If they said they need to get a core unit to rebuild, it means exactly that. They need another unit to rebuild, presumably because either your unit is too far gone, or to save time. In my shop, we often do the same thing... rebuild a core unit and use that. Usually on transmissions that we know commonly have catastrophic failures.
Although, yes, terminology in this industry is piss poor. | ||
| Post# 431662 , Reply# 162 9/12/2020 at 01:03 (1,320 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
I now read you took it to a Trans shop not just a general mechanic was going to say almost no mechanic shop does their own transmission rebuilding unless they are a more well established larger shop.
That makes more sense with the core confusion now | ||
| Post# 431669 , Reply# 163 9/12/2020 at 07:56 (1,320 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 431692 , Reply# 164 9/12/2020 at 16:35 (1,320 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
My training is in technical communication, so I tend to regard language in probably a more exacting way than many people do.
The guy at the transmission shop didn't elaborate but I'm assuming my transmission suffered a catastrophic failure that either rendered it beyond repair, especially since it had already been rebuilt once, or that it just made more sense from a labor standpoint to start with a less damaged unit. I'm assuming the core units they order go through some sort of triage process by the supplier and thus the shop has a good idea of what they're getting. Othewise, it would be a total crap shoot whether the replacement would be any better than what they took out of the car. | ||
| Post# 431704 , Reply# 165 9/12/2020 at 22:42 (1,319 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 431898 , Reply# 167 9/16/2020 at 06:55 (1,316 days old) by vacuumlad1650 (Wauponsee, IL) |
||
|
Chrysler used to sell the slant-6 to John deere for some of their hay equipment. We retired a hay swathe about 3 years ago powered by a slant 6 with over 20000 engine hours on it, and not a single teardown. That is a LOT of engine hours, gas or diesel. It was cold blooded and didn't want to start below about 75 degrees, but man once it started it ran like a dream!
| ||
| Post# 431900 , Reply# 168 9/16/2020 at 08:25 (1,316 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
We had a tree shaker/ gather device that was designed and build here for nut harvest designed around the slant 6! I managed a quick lube for 6 years and we had a 1969 Plymouth Valiant, little old guy, minister spotless car! Regular customer! I got called down to the pit one day, his car was in, nothing drained out of the oil pan! I got the customer to ask what was up?? HE said my daughter said she checked it! I said must have been the auto trans! Solid lifters, so no tapping, we changed the oil and filter and he drove it for years! His car lived 15 miles away!
| ||
| Post# 431945 , Reply# 169 9/16/2020 at 21:56 (1,315 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
tbh, I've only ever serviced one slant six, and that was only very minor things. My friend's dad used to flip cars in the 70s, and he swore by the slant six. He said he had one that was going to the bone yard, so he decided that he'd blow the engine for fun. Revving at full throttle it took over ten minutes to blow. A lesser engine wouldn't have lasted one.
Here's a little story about the slant six that I thought was pretty cool. It's the 60s and NASCAR (back when they still used cars that were stock, and not stockcars) decided they would have a race for midsize sedans. Ok, so Ford, GM, and Chrysler all entered their midsize, six cylinder, family sedans. The Plymouths and Dodges racing all had the slant six, which at the time, was a totally modern engine. They had also put their racing team on the cars to give them all the go they could. Seven Plymouths and Dodges were in the race, and not only did all seven of them finish the race, but they all took the first SEVEN places! They had such an embarassingly massive lead over Ford and GM that NASCAR declared the race too boring, and never attempted it again. While the legendary slant six was a completely modern engine, Ford and Chevy were still using ancient straight sixes, based on prewar engines. That, and they didn't really put any effort into making them fast. Meanwhile Chrysler's racing team came up with a simple but effective mod, the Hyper Pak. It's just an intake manifold with absurdly long runners. Gives the engine a ton of low end torque, at the cost of high end torque. But they figured that you need it on the low end to pull out of a corner. Apparently it worked. And as is tradition with NASCAR, they screwed over Chrysler for winning too much. | ||
| Post# 431959 , Reply# 170 9/17/2020 at 00:24 (1,315 days old) by broomvac (N/A) | ||
I’m a big fan of cars, too, and have a couple myself. German sedans—in particular, diesels—are my personal favorites. Currently in the stable:
- 2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (OM642 3.0L V6 turbo diesel) - 2017 Passat TSI SE w/LED light package (EA888 1.8L I4 gasoline direct injected/turbocharged) Love em both. Would like to get an A6 or A7 TDI next. Or a W212 Bluetec. Previously owned: - 2014 Passat TDI SE 6MT (CKRA 2.0L I4 turbo diesel) - 2009 Mazda 6S (3.7L V6 gasoline NA—don’t know much else; my ex-GF drove this one) - 1995 Volvo 850 5MT (2.4L I5 gasoline NA—5 cylinders sounded great) | ||
| Post# 432037 , Reply# 171 9/18/2020 at 15:33 (1,314 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
The Convertible's back home...
I was surprised to get a call from the transmission shop earlier today that the 'vert was ready for pick-up. Based on my most recent conversation with them, I wasn't expecting it until next week. The bill was worse than I'd expected at $2,100 but that included $600 for the transmission core. If the invoice is any indicator, the rebuild was pretty comprehensive. The car drives fine although it's a little sluggish starting off. Once it gets out of first gear, it's fine. The best part is the slop in the shifter is absolutely gone. Pull the lever back to the detente at 'D' and it's firmly in drive, not third. I tried to engage the guy in conversation about the old transmission but he's apparently one of these people who tries to get through life with as few words as possible.
We had heavy rains here yesterday, which I believe was the remnants of hurricane Sally, so there was a ton of water in the vinyl boot into which the top folds. Fortunately, a couple of minutes with a wet/dry vac and a wipe-down with a towel took care of it. I'm thankful the boot is watertight, even if the top isn't. Oh well, that's something else I can start saving up for, along with the air conditioner and the ABS. Such are the joys of owning an older car. | ||
| Post# 432044 , Reply# 172 9/18/2020 at 17:06 (1,314 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432059 , Reply# 173 9/18/2020 at 21:28 (1,313 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432060 , Reply# 174 9/18/2020 at 22:06 (1,313 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432071 , Reply# 176 9/19/2020 at 00:50 (1,313 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
human - shouldn't the top boot hole thing have drains? Maybe they're clogged with leaves or debris.
kirbyklekter - modern 8 speeds are just as rebuildable as any older trans. They still work on the same concept, and have the same parts... just a lot more of them. Adjustments in general are very passé, the computers take care of that. And that is as it should be, imo. Having bands to adjust when there's a perfectly good computer that could do it in real time makes no sense. | ||
| Post# 432079 , Reply# 178 9/19/2020 at 09:20 (1,313 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
MadMan wrote:
shouldn't the top boot hole thing have drains? Maybe they're clogged with leaves or debris. I reply: The 'boot' I'm referring to is really little more than a vinyl sack that separates the passenger compartment from the trunk. As far as I can tell, it's actually doing its job as a last line of defense to keep the trunk dry. The convertible top has pulled loose under the rear window, so it's not weather-tight and the boot provides a barrier to keep water out of the trunk. There was easily a gallon or more of water back there and not a drop in the trunk. | ||
| Post# 432100 , Reply# 180 9/19/2020 at 22:23 (1,312 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
They did have high performance options I think they called it the hyper pack in the late 60s maybe like four barrel and headers! I had a 68 Plymouth valiant with the 225 super 6 it might have been a two barrel I don't remember too long ago, but my best friend had a 66 Bel air with a 283 four-barrel and at the stoplight drag race I could kick his butt torque
| ||
| Post# 432114 , Reply# 181 9/20/2020 at 04:31 (1,312 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.) | ||
|
@suckolux I rode shotgun more than once in friends cars at red light races where we had our butts served up on silver platters. The look on my friends faces as the opposing driver waves buh bye and we're left saying what the? Was your '68 Valiant an automatic or stick? | ||
| Post# 432117 , Reply# 182 9/20/2020 at 08:26 (1,312 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432164 , Reply# 183 9/20/2020 at 22:50 (1,311 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
I think the slant six stopped being in cars in the late 70s, and stopped being in trucks probably in the late 80s. But it's not uncommon for good old fashioned bullet-proof engines to continue to be in demand long after they stop going in cars. Look at I think it's the Chevy 454, they literally haven't stopped making them since the 60s... still make 'em!
Marine use was easily another use for the slant 6. I mean, if you wanted a 6 cylinder for a boat engine, you probably wouldn't want anything else. @human - my LeBaron also has the vinyl sack you describe... it has two drain tubes that allow any water to drain out on the street. | ||
| Post# 432286 , Reply# 186 9/22/2020 at 13:54 (1,310 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
I had a couple of first generation Auroras, a 1998 model that got wrecked and a 1995 model that replaced it a few years later. The '98 model was a wonderful car and I was completely sickened (but thankfully not at all injured) when it got totaled. The '95 model had some issues that I was never able to fully resolve. I spent way too much money on it and finally threw in the towel a couple of years ago and donated it to the local public radio station. I put a link below for an Aurora enthusiasts' forum that I used to be much more active on.
I had a 2011 Impala up until last December, when it got rear-ended and totaled. I think it was a later body style than your 2005, although they both were on the 'W-body' platform. Although it never captured my heart the way the Aurora did, especially the '98 model, It was quite a nice car in its own right. The design was well thought out with lots of good interior storage and a cavernous trunk. It was also absolutely the most mechanically reliable car I've ever owned. I had it for five years and never once had a major repair. Other than putting a set of tires on it, nothing ever went wrong with the car that I couldn't handle myself. CLICK HERE TO GO TO human's LINK | ||
| Post# 432318 , Reply# 188 9/22/2020 at 21:40 (1,309 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
I haven't driven or ridden in the most recent iteration of the impala but my present daily driver is a 2013 Buick LaCrosse, which is built on the same Epsilon II extended platform. In many ways, it feels like a thematic successor to the Aurora. I imagine mine would feel more Aurora-like if it had the 3.6L, 300hp V6. Mine is the 4cyl hybrid, which gets great gas mileage for its size but performance at best is adequate but not exciting.
| ||
| Post# 432320 , Reply# 189 9/22/2020 at 21:54 (1,309 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432346 , Reply# 190 9/23/2020 at 11:31 (1,309 days old) by weltron (Michigan) | ||
|
@human If you can sometime, take a newer V6 Impala for a drive. With that V6, it's downright quick for what it is and will pull 30 on the highway. It's really a very nice car. On a side note, one time I had my 99 Aurora on a road trip. Managed to get 28.4 mpg with the V8. I was pretty impressed. | ||
| Post# 432351 , Reply# 191 9/23/2020 at 12:32 (1,309 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
My '98 Aurora, which I believe would have been mechanically identical to your '99, would get 28 mpg or a little better, which I also found amazing. The '95 was a little thirstier. About the best I ever got on the highway with it was about 24, which was only a hair better than a '97 Cadillac DeVille I briefly owned, which topped out at 23 on the highway. I'm sure the V6 Impala or LaCrosse would be a real kick in the pants. The DeVille had a 300hp Northstar V8 and even at 4,000 pounds, that car would flat out move.
The LaCrosse hybrid, on the other hand, will do 27 in town and 37 on the highway. I suppose the fuel economy is a worthwhile trade-off for the comparative lack of horsepower. The hybrid system is a little weird. Rather than taking over for the gas engine, it uses the electric induction motor, which doubles (triples?) as a starter and alternator, in tandem with the the little four-banger to supplement its modest power to the tune of an extra 15hp during hard acceleration. Interestingly, the car has no exterior badging to indicate it is a hybrid. The only external indicator, if one knows what to look for, is a lack of cutouts for dual exhaust on the rear bumper. My mother has a nearly identical car and when my dad bought it, he was in complete denial that it was a hybrid because of the lack of badging. Although he understood the function of the recursive braking system, I'm not sure whether he ever fully accepted that the car was a hybrid. | ||
| Post# 432362 , Reply# 194 9/23/2020 at 14:49 (1,309 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
|
Post# 432364 , Reply# 195 9/23/2020 at 14:53 (1,309 days old) by rivstg1 (colorado springs) |
||
my fleet
I'm currently doing some restorative work on a '65 Buick Riviera that I picked up last year ( electrical, mechanical (windows/hidden headlights), and mostly interior work.
My '57 Cadillac Sedan Deville runs like a top, still need a few electrical things , and about to replace the seat covers etc). '89 Jeep Grand Wagoneer I"ve had for 7 years is finally running good again...now needs some cosmetic work and the interior headliner/seats are failing. plenty to keep me busy! | ||
| Post# 432378 , Reply# 196 9/23/2020 at 20:02 (1,308 days old) by Brando_husky (Las Vegas Nevada) | ||
|
Kirbyklekter
No difference in mechanics on cars in different parts of the country. Some areas are less likely to have ethanol fuel as the only option but from what I've seen it's nationwide common to see ethanol fuel predominantly. Especially in Midwest | ||
| Post# 432380 , Reply# 197 9/23/2020 at 21:23 (1,308 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
California Emissions...
My '98 Aurora was sold new in San Francisco and the RPO code sticker in the trunk showed it was equipped with California emission controls so there must have been a difference but I'm not sure what it was. That said, I do remember car ads in the mid-'70s showed a second set of slightly lower fuel economy numbers for California cars.
| ||
| Post# 432399 , Reply# 198 9/23/2020 at 22:29 (1,308 days old) by Lesinutah (Utah) | ||
|
Impala | ||
| Post# 432409 , Reply# 199 9/24/2020 at 00:57 (1,308 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
lol I've been fighting my LeBaron tooth and nail to get the 14.9 mpg I'm getting right now. That's city driving, mind you. The brakes were holding, so I did pads, calipers, and hoses all the way around, and that got it up from 13 mpg. Now when I'm stopped at a light, and let go of the brakes, the car will roll freely. Also did spark plugs, wires, air and fuel filters, oxygen sensor, replaced the leaking gas tank (which I thought would've helped, but didn't!!), and cleaned the throttle body and IAC valve. Also sealed up a couple of minor vacuum leaks.
It's got the digital mpg readout on it. It does this stupid thing where if I don't let up off the gas pedal ever so slightly, and press the clutch to get it out of gear, the mpg drops to 1 and SLOWLY climbs back up even though I'm coasting. So I drive really carefully to keep the number up. I think that thing screws with the numbers, but I don't really know if it's actually dumping extra fuel in the engine during that time. | ||
| Post# 432419 , Reply# 202 9/24/2020 at 13:02 (1,308 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
RE: Ethanol...
I remember back in the late '70s when gas stations would proudly advertise they sold "gasohol" and then after the initial novelty faded, the euphemism became "ethanol enhanced," which to me seemed like a contradiction in terms since ethanol in gasoline is more of an adulteration than an enhancement. In concentrations greater than 10 percent (E10), ethanol is bad news for most cars unless they're Flex-Fuel vehicles, which have Teflon coatings on most of the fuel system parts to prevent ethanol damage. Although my 2011 Impala was a flex fuel vehicle, I never tried running E85 in it, mainly because gas stations around here that even sell the stuff are very few and far between.
Most stations around here sell only E10 gasohol but there are a few that offer non-ethanol gasoline, usually for anywhere from 80 cents to a dollar more a gallon. When gasohol was first becoming prevalent about ten years ago, the difference in fuel economy and performance was quite noticeable in the Cadillac I had at the time. Gas mileage would drop about 20 percent from about 16 around town to about 13. Likewise, performance was also reduced. My anecdotal evidence seems consistent with guidance in the owner's manual for my flex-fuel Impala, which recommended against high ethanol fuels, even though the car was designed to accommodate them since they would reduce both fuel economy and performance. The explanation the manual gave is that ethanol stores less potential energy by volume than gasoline, which makes perfect sense to me. Aside from that, the main problem with gasohol is a relatively short 'shelf life'. When it is stored for more than a very few months, it attracts moisture, which contaminates the fuel, and the ethanol will eventually separate out of the gasoline. I'm not sure whether it sinks to the bottom of the tank or floats on top, but it's a good idea when a vehicle hasn't been driven in a while to add fresh fuel to the tank before driving it much so the turbulence of new fuel coming in will mix everything back together and any moisture contamination will be diluted. Similarly, I always give the gas can for my lawnmower a little shake before filling the mower and when mowing season's over, I pour whatever remains in the can back into one of my cars so I can start off with fresh fuel in the spring. | ||
| Post# 432475 , Reply# 203 9/25/2020 at 03:41 (1,307 days old) by MadMan (Chicago, IL, USA) | ||
|
Ethanol
All the bad crap you hear about it are old wives' tales. Some of it has some loose basis in reality, but the short story is that it's actually better than gasoline in every conceivable way with the exception of energy density. And on that point it's only a 10% difference, so not a big deal.
There is no such thing as 'ethanol damage.' Ethanol is just vodka, it's a solvent, yes, however gasoline is 10 times as harsh of a solvent. So all the fuel system components can easily handle it. Again, you're hearing old wives' tales. The notion that it could cause damage is from lingering bad memories of Methanol with an 'M.' Another type of alcohol sold as a gasoline alternative in the 1970s, which is actually an even harsher solvent than gasoline and does cause damage. Hence where the old wives' tales originate from. As for lawn equipment, well, it's all still carbureted. I've heard some people say that small engines don't run so well on 10% ethanol. Maybe. I've never had a problem. Maybe the carbs simply need to be adjusted? As for gas sitting around... that's never a good thing, period. It's not meant to sit around. Also, gas is formulated differently nowadays. It's meant to evaporate easily, which it does when left around, so you're left with bad gas. Apparently this used to not be the case decades ago, when it was formulated to NOT evaporate easily. TLDR: don't fear ethanol. It's actually good, 10% is fine. Some cars may not agree with E85, but it won't harm anything. | ||
| Post# 432484 , Reply# 204 9/25/2020 at 08:00 (1,307 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432527 , Reply# 206 9/25/2020 at 21:20 (1,306 days old) by human (Pines of Carolina) | ||
|
We have summer and winter blends here in N.C. as well. I think its nationwide. The summer blend usually comes to the stations sometime around April. The price generally starts trending upward in march when supplies tighten as Gulf Coast refineries shut down for maintenance and to switch over to summer formulations. There are predictable demand spikes just ahead of the extended Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day weekends.
I'm not sure when winter formulation generally returns, October maybe?, but I usually get better gas mileage in cooler weather. I filled up yesterday and noticed an immediate improvement in mileage over what I'd been getting the past few months so maybe it's already here. | ||
| Post# 432531 , Reply# 207 9/25/2020 at 22:29 (1,306 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
|
Impala
We had 2006 Impalas when I was in driver's ed (summer 2006). They were still on the old W-body platform which I think went back to '88, but all new sheet metal and interior for '06. Ours were base models, cloth split bench seat up front with a column shifter.
I loved that car for some reason. I remember reviews at the time said it was "dated", and it did to me remind of an older car, but that's what I liked about it. I thought the front end looked a bit like a '94-'01 Lumina. And it did turn out they made that body style Impala for quite a long time. It was in production through the 2016 model year alongside the all new 2014+ model, I think mostly for fleets and rentals. One thing I didn't like was in later years they "deleted" the Impala emblems that were behind the rear wing windows. Although they were always there on the new '14+ body style. I wanted an LTZ Impala when I got my first car a few years after driver's ed, but even the '06es were too expensive. So I got an '01 Malibu which was a great car, but at the end it needed a transmission rebuild and I didn't feel like fixing it. I actually drove it that way for a while. I felt bad dumping it but I wanted to move on to something more modern. Still wanted an Impala of the '06-16 gen when I replaced it as I thought that would be a logical upgrade and familiar, but I couldn't find any. I should have test drove one of the new models, but ended up at the Ford dealer instead. Another car I really wanted to try was a Kia Optima or Hyundai Sonata. They only sell Kias here though and I couldn't find a used Optima equipped the way I wanted. But they are both beautiful cars. | ||
| Post# 432532 , Reply# 208 9/25/2020 at 22:42 (1,306 days old) by fan-of-fans (USA) | ||
|
My grandfather used to be a car salesman, and though he had gotten out of that business when I was growing up he always was getting a different car or truck.
He had a '96 Century, a Chrysler LeBaron at some point, then a '99 Taurus, all bought new at the time. I think he liked the Taurus because he kept it for about 5 years which was a rarity. Around 2004 he got a new style at the time Chevy Malibu but for some reason he didn't like it. Traded that on a Chevy Aveo and he REALLY didn't like that. I still don't know why he thought it would be an improvement over the Malibu. No idea! LOL Eventually he got a Buick LaCrosse in 2005 which reminded me a lot of the 2006 Impala and it was a pretty good car, and like the Taurus he kept it about 4 or 5 years, but after that only got Honda SUVs. Usually along with the "new" car he would have an older car as well, or a new truck. When he had the '04 Malibu he got a used '94 Buick Regal. It was a beautiful aqua green with a tan interior. I get the impression he really loved that car as he would drive it when he'd come to visit more than that new Malibu and I remember riding in it a lot. He also had at one point a '92 Buick Skylark. It was very basic and had manual windows and locks, which I thought was odd for a Buick. That one was supposed to become my first car, but it didn't end up happening and I didn't get my first car until about 5 years after. Not sure what happened to it but I guess he sold it on. | ||
| Post# 432548 , Reply# 210 9/26/2020 at 07:09 (1,306 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
| ||
| Post# 432595 , Reply# 211 9/26/2020 at 18:06 (1,306 days old) by kirbyklekter (Concord,Ca.) | ||
|
@ suckolux Are you liking your present car so far? | ||
| Post# 432598 , Reply# 212 9/26/2020 at 18:32 (1,306 days old) by suckolux (Yuba City, CA) | ||
|
I actually am, but still adjusting. Mileage is good, but the insurance and license is double, hopefully less maintenance and repair it will even out or better. Thanks for asking.
View Full Size
| ||
| Forum Index: | 
| Other Forums: |
|
|
|
|
|
Comes to the Rescue!
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}
;){kind=link}