Yet another car replacement thread

I have to say this thread is interesting to watch. The market there is unbelievable: -01 Infiniti, -06 Civic, or any 90s crap car with huge amount of rust, all in the same price category of ~2000 USD? I'm just amazed. Here the Civic would be around 10 000 ++ USD, Infiniti probably about the same, if you can find one, and on the other hand those old Neons etc would be in sub-1000 USD category...

What's amazing to me about this thread is how long it can take for one man to take so damn long over buying one single piece of shit while there are clearly so many to chose from :p

I imagine Ricks takes 6 hours deciding what cereal he wants in a store :p
 
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What's amazing to me about this thread is how long it can take for one man to take so damn long over buying one single piece of shit while there are clearly so many to chose from :p

I imagine Ricks takes 6 hours deciding what cereal he wants in a store :p


And he ends up buying cat food.
 
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What's amazing to me about this thread is how long it can take for one man to take so damn long over buying one single piece of shit while there are clearly so many to chose from :p

I imagine Ricks takes 6 hours deciding what cereal he wants in a store :p

What's more amazing is how he manages to eliminate prospective buys - window not working, spots of rust, etc...It is supposed to be a POS car for $1,500, you can't expect everything to work or be in perfect condition.
 
What's more amazing is how he manages to eliminate prospective buys - window not working, spots of rust, etc...It is supposed to be a POS car for $1,500, you can't expect everything to work or be in perfect condition.

Im fine with the windows not working. I'm a bit rust averse due to the revelation that the entire bottom of my escort was seemingly made of compressed rust. Let's just say I now look under each car I've considered flashlight in hand.

I looked at the mercury BTW. Cosmetically it needed work but that's what eBay and junkyards are for: the right hand mirror was broken off due to the former driver's admittedly poor driving skills. Interior would need a good vaccum for sure along with all the air fresheners because of the cig smell.

I'm willing to accept this stuff, no worries.

Mechanically the car did indeed have check engine lit. Seller said that his mechanic told him the code was for gas cap (because the seller literally lived in the middle of nowhere...nearest parts store was 45 minutes to a hour away....reallly...there was really no sensible way for me to get it scanned).

The car would also need at least two new tires but I guess I could afford to replace those. Its currently on snows though so I'd need to replace all 4 sooner or later.

There is a water leak somewhere near the windshield / front drivers door area.

The seller does say that the engine does do a "put putt putt" every so often. (What?) But insists it hasn't left them stranded. Says they put a new intake manifold on it a few years back after encountering issues during a summer vacation.
 
Im fine with the windows not working. I'm a bit rust averse due to the revelation that the entire bottom of my escort was seemingly made of compressed rust. Let's just say I now look under each car I've considered flashlight in hand.

I looked at the mercury BTW. Cosmetically it needed work but that's what eBay and junkyards are for: the right hand mirror was broken off due to the former driver's admittedly poor driving skills. Interior would need a good vaccum for sure along with all the air fresheners because of the cig smell.

I'm willing to accept this stuff, no worries.

Mechanically the car did indeed have check engine lit. Seller said that his mechanic told him the code was for gas cap (because the seller literally lived in the middle of nowhere...nearest parts store was 45 minutes to a hour away....reallly...there was really no sensible way for me to get it scanned).

The car would also need at least two new tires but I guess I could afford to replace those. Its currently on snows though so I'd need to replace all 4 sooner or later.

There is a water leak somewhere near the windshield / front drivers door area.

The seller does say that the engine does do a "put putt putt" every so often. (What?) But insists it hasn't left them stranded. Says they put a new intake manifold on it a few years back after encountering issues during a summer vacation.

That's suspicious. The 'gas cap' thing could be the gas cap - or the evaporative emissions system connected to the gas cap. Need the actual code to be sure.

I second Craig's idea - not just for checking out cars but to have around in case your new purchase has issues later on.

Did you call or try to contact any of the ones listed earlier?

http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4378407592.html
Check for terminal rust on the frame over the rear axle and one wonders when the timing belt was done last: http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4378120097.html

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I have to say this thread is interesting to watch. The market there is unbelievable: -01 Infiniti, -06 Civic, or any 90s crap car with huge amount of rust, all in the same price category of ~2000 USD? I'm just amazed. Here the Civic would be around 10 000 ++ USD, Infiniti probably about the same, if you can find one, and on the other hand those old Neons etc would be in sub-1000 USD category...

This is a regional thing. In other parts of the US, the pricing tiers can be and often are much different. In CA, pretty much any import will command a higher price and you wouldn't be able to give away an older truck or SUV, etc., etc.
 
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Tauri: No. They're about to need transmissions again and likely heater cores as well.

Elantra: That might not be too bad, but it is highly likely to need a new clutch soon due to age and mileage (Korean clutches were suspicious back then in terms of aging.)

Here's a better choice: http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4375527436.html
Might be worth looking at, but run away if it is an automatic. http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4375427686.html
http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4371712044.html

This is why you go looking at cars with your temporary transport as soon as you possibly can. Not wait until some nebulous date in the future. :p

Windows (multiple) not working on a Panther chassis car is usually the switch pack in the door failing. Cheap and easy to replace.

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http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4376731286.html
Well, here's a surprise... though it appears to be a scumbag dealer: http://york.craigslist.org/ctd/4376327692.html Have to take care of the rust on it ASAP though.
Driver door takes 10 minutes to pull off at a junkyard and about 15 minutes to replace: http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4376110143.html

Also, what of the Infiniti I posted earlier?


Buy a $20 OBD2 code scanner from New Egg or Amazon. Take it with you to all of your potential buys and check for codes.

That's suspicious. The 'gas cap' thing could be the gas cap - or the evaporative emissions system connected to the gas cap. Need the actual code to be sure.

I second Craig's idea - not just for checking out cars but to have around in case your new purchase has issues later on.

Did you call or try to contact any of the ones listed earlier?

http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4378407592.html
Check for terminal rust on the frame over the rear axle and one wonders when the timing belt was done last: http://lancaster.craigslist.org/cto/4378120097.html

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This is a regional thing. In other parts of the US, the pricing tiers can be and often are much different. In CA, pretty much any import will command a higher price and you wouldn't be able to give away an older truck or SUV, etc., etc.

contacted about the Infiniti suv, the F150 and left 2 VM's about the merc. I asked the pathfinder seller about the timing belt. reply: not sure. I'll call again about the merc and Infiniti tomorrow morning to see if i can take a look at that as well. the 03 accord turned out to be a scam ("step one...send me a MoneyPak.."). crown victoria

I should definitely pick up and learn to use a code reader. Philly/Philly suburbs are several hours away. I'd need to rent a car (not a problem, just something i'd have to plan for) to visit that far given my Dad's car.

EDIT:

Isuzu?: http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4376190782.html

Crazy (joking...if only it were Toyota reliable with cheap parts): http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4377931551.html
 
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My neighbor has an even more widely produced Isuzu, their Pickup. There are several critical gaskets and parts for his Isuzu he can't get any more and he's having to improvise more and more. He is looking at selling it for any price someone will care to offer him.

Crazy (joking...if only it were Toyota reliable with cheap parts): http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4377931551.html

Don't make me send an operative over.

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http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4379820202.html

Beat down this guy on price: http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4379668321.html

Could beat this person's price down too: http://harrisburg.craigslist.org/cto/4379717542.html

It's a shame you never cultivated more mechanical skills because I'm seeing tons of fixer-upper cars going cheap.

Find out what this needs for 'work': http://york.craigslist.org/cto/4379966138.html
Wonder what the story is here: http://york.craigslist.org/cto/4379950976.html
http://york.craigslist.org/cto/4379855400.html
 
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Visited the RL. Surprise surprise, the ad was nowhere near accurate.

Wasn't a private seller, twas a used car lot. The seller/manager said it was his personal car until he got a new one a few months ago. He says he recently drove it to Kutztown and back without issue.

The transmission worried me: shifts were slow and unusually abrupt for something said to be 100?.

He was willing to do a deal 1700 from 1950...but that transmission...especially because its a Honda / Acura product gives me pause

Onto one of the others.

That Toyota truck will need new floor boards apparently...:/
 
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Hmm, that Lincoln looks tempting. Probably the first time in my life where I sorta, kinda wished I lived in Pennsylvania. If I were Rick, I would probably buy that (or the Infiniti SUV). I like those big, floaty land yachts. You gonna buy something or not? You seem like one of those people who wander around the supermarket for hours and just end up with a can of beans.
 
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Hmm, that Lincoln looks tempting. Probably the first time in my life where I sorta, kinda wished I lived in Pennsylvania. If I were Rick, I would probably buy that (or the Infiniti SUV). I like those big, floaty land yachts. You gonna buy something or not? You seem like one of those people who wander around the supermarket for hours and just end up with a can of beans.

Whelp, good news. I bought something!

It's not the prettiest in terms of appearance (nothing a cheap paint job wont fix + the money I saved will give me the funds to do that) but the rest of the car is perfect.

Will it incite pangs of "oh that's cool?" Absolutely not. But it'll likely be reliable and efficient.

Deets to come tomorrow.
 
What did you get? You didn't ignore all of the suggestions like last time, did you?
 
What did you get? You didn't ignore all of the suggestions like last time, did you?

Depends on the definition of ignore. If you mean ignore the exact car suggested, then I guess yes. If you mean choosing a different *insert previously recommended car model+year here* after a test drive, fluid check, and look at the underside showed no real issues then nope.

Dun, dun, dun...

Rest assured, it's not a Failturn or anything with a terrible rep. :)

Ooh. Whatever you bought, I hope it lasts a reasonably long time!


Thanks. I hope so too!
 
So, what is it?
 
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