Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

I'm pretty sure a solution just presented itself. Give her a piston ring.

:lol: She might go for that. I told her I want to get a junkyard 4.8L LSX and use the block/rods/pistons for a table and the cam for the lamp in my future man cave. She said as long as it never comes out of the "cave." :mrgreen:
 
The salvage yard is very tempting....:lol:
I'll look up the current steel rate at that yard tomorrow (car rate will be somewhat less than that because of all the plastics and fuzz and shit that goes to the York Country incinerator).

If you think you could limp it to Baltimore without grenading it, you can nab $300 at the Crazy Ray's pull-a-part - which is more than the car would pull on the parts car market and likely a bit higher than the straight up salvage price because of the low weight.

Hell, I'll sweeten the pot. If you dispose of the car either place on a weekend, I'll give you a ride home in my crapmobile.
 
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Ok, new candidate and it is not a Vette. May go check it out tomorrow. If I get it, it's getting full exhaust ordered Monday, and maybe take it to the track Wednesday. :lol:
 
Definitely more than what he'd be able to sell it for. Destroy this turd, already...
 
DOT code for that is U9EP TU7 1206
U9 = Cooper Tire, Tupelo MS
EP = P175/70R14
TU7 = brand/model it was sold under, no index. Should be four digits.
1206 = date of production - 12th week of 2006.

However - the nonstandard brand/model section makes me wonder if this is even valid. If it isn't, then the tire is *really* old.

Interesting. Thanks. Yes the tire's brand "sigma" or "shadow" or whatever is so "off-brand" haha. I don't/didn't drive the car super often in the grand scheme of things: Until fall 2010 til now, the longest drive these tires would have experienced is the 45 minute drive to york pa. That would explain why the tread held up so well.


And he was probably right. You didn't think this might be a problem???

He only replaced the two front tires...if he said that the two rear tires were bad, believe me...i'm enough of a sucker to agree to it. :p

And yet you kept it instead of scrapping it.

I kept it because I felt it's issues were minor and I could take my time driving it, contemplating, and saving for it. I also felt the weird subconcious need to get my moneys worth out of the big repair...im horrible like that. Getting better though.

One ethical way to sell it would be as a parts car with full disclosure.

I might do that if it doesn't go to scrap.

Do not buy new tires. Find a bus or pay someone to drive you if you don't buy another car before your next day of work.

Sadly, he probably already did buy new tires.

NO! I have not bought new tires yet! :lol: I'll let my parents know tomorrow...chances are high that my dad will suggest buying one replacement tire though...he knows I want a newer car though.

I'll look up the current steel rate at that yard tomorrow (car rate will be somewhat less than that because of all the plastics and fuzz and shit that goes to the York Country incinerator).

If you think you could limp it to Baltimore without grenading it, you can nab $300 at the Crazy Ray's pull-a-part - which is more than the car would pull on the parts car market and likely a bit higher than the straight up salvage price because of the low weight.

Hell, I'll sweeten the pot. If you dispose of the car either place on a weekend, I'll give you a ride home in my crapmobile.

Awesome, I'll consider it!

Definitely more than what he'd be able to sell it for. Destroy this turd, already...

:lol: working on it...
 
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You know, at this point I suspect we are all being trolled.

No one can possibly be that stubborn regarding a shit car... can they?

*raises hand sheepishly* I love my Taurus...I really do. And besides, look at it. No one will ever steal the damn thing. :p

Photos of the tire:

http://img718.imageshack.**/img718/3861/img20110721171535.jpg

Strange that it did that...but it was a very cheap tire....


Me: "How long ago did that happen?"

Other posters: "Earlier today."

Me: "Has he stopped screaming yet?"


Dude, if that's not a sign from God saying "Get rid of it..." then there's nothing on this Earth that is. :blink:
 
*raises hand sheepishly* I love my Taurus...I really do. And besides, look at it. No one will ever steal the damn thing. :p




Me: "How long ago did that happen?"

Other posters: "Earlier today."

Me: "Has he stopped screaming yet?"


Dude, if that's not a sign from God saying "Get rid of it..." then there's nothing on this Earth that is. :blink:

:lol: it was actually nowhere near as eventful as I thought....I heard a *BANG* and felt a vibration/thumping...I was in the fast lane at the time so I assumed that it was the engine or transmission...and was kinda like "ok it has died, died....i can justify a new car now with no problem to the parents..."

To get out and see that it was just my ancient off brand tire ripping apart was kinda disappointing...not gonna lie. You guys might get it, but it's going to be very hard to convince my non-enthusiast parents that I need a new car. "why not just get that tire (or both rear tires) replaced...bam...car works."
 
You guys might get it, but it's going to be very hard to convince my non-enthusiast parents that I need a new car. "why not just get that tire (or both rear tires) replaced...bam...car works."

Download tons of videos of cars failing catastrophically due to breakdowns and say


"You know...this could be me next...."
 
I think I may just happen to absolutely hate driving. If I could survive without a car, I would, gladly. Screw it. But it's not the car itself, or working the controls myself, it's the 87% of drivers who're complete morons. They make driving a miserable experience you wouldn't ever want to repeat. I look forward to the day cars can drive themselves.
 
For fuck's sake. This is not a laughing/joking/emoticon matter anymore. At this point you're just self-harming by holding onto the car any longer, and unlike blood dripping off a slashed wrist, the damage you're doing to yourself is not as obvious. Of course, if past experience is any indication, you'll shrug off this warning just like every single piece of advice given to you by people far more knowledgeable and experienced than either you or me, but it's the absolute most that a mere internet acquaintance can do. Scrap. That. Car.
 
To get out and see that it was just my ancient off brand tire ripping apart was kinda disappointing...not gonna lie. You guys might get it, but it's going to be very hard to convince my non-enthusiast parents that I need a new car. "why not just get that tire (or both rear tires) replaced...bam...car works."
This is not a matter of enthusiasm, it's one of reality. Two new, good tires will cost $120. Cool. The engine will go next - and when it does, it'll be a catastrophic, block-busting failure that's going to cost AT LEAST $2000 just in parts. Figure another $1500 in labor. That's $3620 in foreseeable expenditures. There's also a statistically significant chance that your disintegrating engine will find a way to catch fire. Fire is Not Safe(TM).

If it blows up, you can only get scrap metal price for it. Figure like 7 cents a pound (which is generous, I'd expect 5 cents a pound given all the plastic content of that particular car), and the car weighs 2300lbs minus the weight of wheels, glass and fluids (which don't count) So call it 2200. That's $154 in your pocket.

If it burns, you can only get scrap metal price for it - but they're still going to give you the car rate because they're assholes like that. The car is now SIGNIFICANTLY lighter - call it 1500lbs. So you walk away with $105.

If it doesn't blow up and you sell it to pick-a-part - even with the spare tire on, you've got $300 in your pocket. And you can probably get them to let you keep the frickin' battery since they take them out anyway. I know a man that will sell you a Maserati Biturbo for $1500 or less. It'll be just as unreliable, but it'll be WAY COOLER while it does it.


So you can spend untold amounts of money fixing a broken car, or you can patch it for the moment only to have effectively thrown that money away, or you can get cash in your pocket to help towards something that either sucks less or sucks better.
 
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(...) I know a man that will sell you a Maserati Biturbo for $1500 or less. It'll be just as unreliable, but it'll be WAY COOLER while it does it.


So you can spend untold amounts of money fixing a broken car, or you can patch it for the moment only to have effectively thrown that money away, or you can get cash in your pocket to help towards something that either sucks less or sucks better.

I am still undecided if that?s pure genius or pure bullshit. :lmao:
 
For fuck's sake. This is not a laughing/joking/emoticon matter anymore. At this point you're just self-harming by holding onto the car any longer, and unlike blood dripping off a slashed wrist, the damage you're doing to yourself is not as obvious. Of course, if past experience is any indication, you'll shrug off this warning just like every single piece of advice given to you by people far more knowledgeable and experienced than either you or me, but it's the absolute most that a mere internet acquaintance can do. Scrap. That. Car.
Yeah I wasn't kidding a couple days ago when I was calling this a sign of serious mental illness. This is worse than trying to get the captain to go to the therapist. :|
 
Moving to Colorado in 2 weeks. I have been preparing for the trip, and apart from getting the car ready, I need to think about the legal side of the trip.

As I explained a few months ago, my driver's license expired since I am a student and the DMV only gives me a license as long as I am a student. I'm still a student, but due to the fact that I will be a CO student, the WV DMV refuses to extend my license. They said - get a CO one. Easier said than done when you are 1200 frigging miles away!!!

Anyways, I will make the trip using my Bulgarian license which is in English and is accepted in the US. My worry now is about the insurance. I reviewed my Geico policy online and there is a field where I can update my license information and I can specify that it is an International License. However, I am wondering - will that affect my policy premium irreversibly? It's okay if they make me pay more for the 1 week that I'll drive with the EU license, but as soon as I get to CO I will get my proper license again and want to know that my quote will be back to normal.

It makes sense...but I won't be surprised if Geico decides to pull a fast one on me.
 
I know a man that will sell you a Maserati Biturbo for $1500 or less. It'll be just as unreliable, but it'll be WAY COOLER while it does it.

Fail with style :lol:
 
Photos of the tire:


http://img196.imageshack.**/img196/6230/img20110721171619.jpg

Strange that it did that...but it was a very cheap tire....


That tire shows very serious sign of dry rot and damage from underinflation. Do you do any kind of maintenance or at least take it to a shop that does???? If you touch your tires and your hand turns black is an indication of rot.
 
Moving to Colorado in 2 weeks. I have been preparing for the trip, and apart from getting the car ready, I need to think about the legal side of the trip.

As I explained a few months ago, my driver's license expired since I am a student and the DMV only gives me a license as long as I am a student. I'm still a student, but due to the fact that I will be a CO student, the WV DMV refuses to extend my license. They said - get a CO one. Easier said than done when you are 1200 frigging miles away!!!

Anyways, I will make the trip using my Bulgarian license which is in English and is accepted in the US. My worry now is about the insurance. I reviewed my Geico policy online and there is a field where I can update my license information and I can specify that it is an International License. However, I am wondering - will that affect my policy premium irreversibly? It's okay if they make me pay more for the 1 week that I'll drive with the EU license, but as soon as I get to CO I will get my proper license again and want to know that my quote will be back to normal.

It makes sense...but I won't be surprised if Geico decides to pull a fast one on me.
You can change insurance providers whenever you feel like it, so if Geico decides to fuck you just switch to something else once you get the CO license.
 
Moving to Colorado in 2 weeks. I have been preparing for the trip, and apart from getting the car ready, I need to think about the legal side of the trip.

As I explained a few months ago, my driver's license expired since I am a student and the DMV only gives me a license as long as I am a student. I'm still a student, but due to the fact that I will be a CO student, the WV DMV refuses to extend my license. They said - get a CO one. Easier said than done when you are 1200 frigging miles away!!!

Anyways, I will make the trip using my Bulgarian license which is in English and is accepted in the US. My worry now is about the insurance. I reviewed my Geico policy online and there is a field where I can update my license information and I can specify that it is an International License. However, I am wondering - will that affect my policy premium irreversibly? It's okay if they make me pay more for the 1 week that I'll drive with the EU license, but as soon as I get to CO I will get my proper license again and want to know that my quote will be back to normal.

It makes sense...but I won't be surprised if Geico decides to pull a fast one on me.

First issue is the Geico insurance. They WILL screw you. Second, if you keep your address in WV then it shouldnt matter. Can you do that?
 
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