Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

You ever have one of those days where it seems like no one is listening to you? :p
Honestly the RIP avatars are fucking with my head and I cannot keep track of posts with them anymore :lol:
 
Honestly the RIP avatars are fucking with my head and I cannot keep track of posts with them anymore :lol:

Same, that's why I always keep my avatars vaguely similar. :D
 
As many of you are no doubt aware, I will be moving from California to be with my family in New Hampshire in a couple of months. Due to various circumstances beyond my control, I may not have a place to stay while looking for work. So, keeping that in mind, I've been looking for vehicles roomy enough for me to sleep in if it becomes necessary. And I think this would be perfect:
https://pic.armedcats.net/p/ph/phoenixsac/2011/08/13/1242172826_tB6yU-M.jpg
I know it's weird, but think of it -
It has a lot of room in the back (I could just unroll a mattress pad and a sleeping bag and I'd be perfectly comfy.)
Hearses generally have low miles; and are well maintained
They ride well (At least, I've never heard any of the passengers complain about the ride quality.)
And if I had to sleep in the back, I don't think I'd have to worry about Plod knocking at the door, telling me to move along.

On the downside -
If I did meet a woman who agreed to go out on a date with me, this is what she would see when I pulled up in front of her house:
https://pic.armedcats.net/p/ph/phoenixsac/2011/08/13/i076385.jpg
I sincerely doubt that she would come outside.
Parking may be a problem - I can't think of too many businesses that would be pleased to have a hearse in their parking lot
And I don't think there are any interior door handles in the back. (Of course, there wouldn't need to be any, would there?)

:think: I may need to do some more thinking about this...
 
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Park in no-parking areas where you're not disturbing anyone. I mean, who's going to ticket or tow a hearse? Just don't stay in one spot for too long.
 
Parking may be a problem - I can't think of too many businesses that would pleased to have a hearse in their parking lot
Can you really be moved on for just driving a car that is not to everyone's taste? Anyways, would it not be easier/cheaper to just buy an old station wagon, a Country Squire or Roadmaster or something?

Where I used to live there was a family who used an old Mercedes W123 Hearse as a family estate. Looked rather spacious and drove everywhere at worryingly fast speeds! :lol:
 
Can you really be moved on for just driving a car that is not to everyone's taste?

If the parking lot is private property of the business, sure.

Without ever seeing one in person the Roadmaster feels like the appropriate vehicle for the job at hand.
 
Guess what needs new struts now too? Yup, and it's going to cost $513 according to the quote I got from Les Schwab (mainly parts, the actual labor cost is only $42).

That is most definitely worth more than the car is worth. I'm starting to think it may be time to talk to my Grandma very seriously (so she takes me seriously) and look into other car options. I also have to take it to a mechanic and have stuff looked into (such as one of the catalytic converters may need replacement and other things). I know catalytic converters are also quite expensive to replace along with struts. Hm.
 
Haven driven a Buick Roadmaster off and on for years, I can attest that they are good cars. The interior is unfortunate, but the engine and utility make up for the rest. The thing is a hoot to hook around in as well. :p

Make sure to get a '94-'96 for the LT1. Then swap in an Impala steering box and a shift kit and you will have much fun.
 
Guess what needs new struts now too? Yup, and it's going to cost $513 according to the quote I got from Les Schwab (mainly parts, the actual labor cost is only $42).

That is most definitely worth more than the car is worth. I'm starting to think it may be time to talk to my Grandma very seriously (so she takes me seriously) and look into other car options. I also have to take it to a mechanic and have stuff looked into (such as one of the catalytic converters may need replacement and other things). I know catalytic converters are also quite expensive to replace along with struts. Hm.

More expensive than you might think as California requires special certified catalytic converters made specifically for your year and model car now. Go price that out first then take the total estimate to your grandmother for best results.
 
It'll happily fit an 8x4 in the back to boot.
 
Yeah well I will probably get an estimate to go from if I take it to a mechanic I'd imagine, including the cost for labor and all of that. I remember when my Stepmom's old Bonneville had to get a new catalytic converter in order to pass emissions, it cost over $600 back in 2005.

The only other problem is that my Dad also feels like he has to help out considering I'm his kid and all, as he was kind of stressing out over how to pay for the strut issue in the first place when I told him about it and about the fact that there are other costly things that should be fixed *driver side mirror*. I tried telling my Grandma, but she responded, "I have no clue what you just said, your Dad is here so you tell him." I mean either way, even if I wasn't driving it the car would have the same issues because not much has been changed up or out (minus oil changes and things that needed to be fixed) since these were issues that faced it before my other relative who's car it "technically" is stopped driving it.

The cat isn't a totally crucial bit that needs to be immediately repaired which is why it hasn't been I suppose, but if it had been registered anywhere else it would've been sold off because it's been to many mechanics at least 8 times for the problem. They've all tried different solutions but none of them did anything or they couldn't figure it out [I think a couple of them weren't great mechanics] thanks to the fact that my Grandma lives in a county that has less than 60k population, it only has to be smogged when you get the car and then if you sell it later on.

(Basically, the new cat is not needed for any smog check, but I think it's part of the reason why I've been seeing mediocre gas mileage, as the spark plugs have noticeably helped out with an extra mpg or two since replacing. I'm aware that CA also puts in some amount of Ethanol in the gas and that also doesn't help with efficiency.)
 
Mn, well alright thanks for the information so far. I do quite appreciate it. (Sorry if I'm full of the gibberish in posts today, I think I only got about 5 hours of sleep and I had to work at 6:30 this morning. >Not morning person, can't fall asleep early most of the time. I'm trying quite a lot to make sense. I think I fail.)

I think one of the actual good mechanics that it was taken to said that either one or BOTH converters would have to be replaced. If both aren't working, then that would really be uber-dollars. (Car came with two since it is new enough for it to be a CA LEV vehicle and most CA vehicles have two or more standard I think?) When I get a better opportunity (I'm hoping this week sometime) I am definitely having the mechanic run a code scan along with having the valve lifters looked at.

Also I'd just like to add- I don't drive the Mirage a lot. I only take it to work, the store once a week, and on a rare occasion I go out for food. I take public transportation to school since the cost is free to me thanks to my going to the local university. I started driving the car at about 198k, and as of right now it sits at 203,505 miles. Also, I started driving the car about a month after I joined the forums, so about late March 2010. (That means I maybe drive a total of about 5k a year since I do go for short trips to my other house for visits.)
 
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Guess what needs new struts now too? Yup, and it's going to cost $513 according to the quote I got from Les Schwab (mainly parts, the actual labor cost is only $42).

That is most definitely worth more than the car is worth. I'm starting to think it may be time to talk to my Grandma very seriously (so she takes me seriously) and look into other car options. I also have to take it to a mechanic and have stuff looked into (such as one of the catalytic converters may need replacement and other things). I know catalytic converters are also quite expensive to replace along with struts. Hm.


DONT FALL INTO MY TRAP! Seriously folks...this is how it begins:

You do a major repair (in my case out of necessity- I needed to get to work + take my dad to work (scooters don't work well in the snow hurr durr) than force yourself to drive the car longer to "make up for the expense/get your money's worth"

Meanwhile it's nickel and dimeing you to death with little things....and you fix them..and fix them...and fix them, further emotionally warping your sense of the car's overall worth.

And now you'll end up saving up desperately trying to get a proper car replacement.

Get rid of it....NAO!

*goes and cries in the corner*

And for the peanut gallery (I use this with love I swear! :D:mrgreen:) I'm going to use my refund from financial aid and get a prooper car.
 
Haha you're telling me it's a trap? I knew that the car was going to not last very long after I got it. As far as I'm concerned I figured it was living on borrowed time to begin with. Trust me, if I was calling the shots I'd just invest in a better car that isn't so prone to needing so many repairs that cost way more than the car is worth. My Grandma unfortunately is that way (she won't admit it, but she has quite a hoarding problem, not as bad as on the TV show, but there's still unnecessary crap everywhere in her house and garage and her daughter is the same way who also has a ton of stuff all over the house).

For the most part she got lucky with the Toyota Camry she had, it never had much in the way of problems, but of course it does now that my Dad owns it. =P (They are still very minor and annoying, like the air fan doesn't rotate so he can't get air con nor can he even get vent air.) Of course she left it in her driveway for 4 years unused so I'm surprised it still even runs even decently well to be honest. But that's the older Toyota for you. Her Ford Taurus that she used to have (1991) and sort of damaged in a way that she decided it wasn't worth the effort or time to fix up was of course a major hassle. Every 5k miles something would break (usually radiator related or motor mounts) that had to be fixed. She would always fix it, but part of that was also that my Grandfather loved it because it was a Ford and didn't want to get rid of it. -shrug-

Some old people. =| She can be convinced sometimes of buying more expensive stuff in times of need (such as now, the only way how I have this job is because I have a car. I can't take the bus to work because I work WELL before the bus system even starts runs). And the only reason why the car looks terrible on the outside is because of the awesome paint job that Failsubishi Motors originally gave it and I can't really control where I park my car unfortunately (I'm in an area with a lot of trees, so a lot of tree stuff gets all over the cars).

edit: And my Dad just called me and told me that my Stepmom's F-150 broke down in the town he lives outside of. He called me hoping I was in the area (I'm not) or to see if my boyfriend could pick them up (he's stuck at work), my Grandma is doing something or just being weird, and my Aunt is rarely in the area (this is what happens when your Grandmother is also an enabler for other reasons also including why this whole car situation is poor at the moment).
 
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