I do think I will invest in some emergency brake spring pliers. I had trouble doing the brakes on the Liberty too........... ended up putting a zip tie thru the spring, pulling the brake handle and tightening the zip tie...
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson
Most job-specific tools were invented to help professional mechanics beat the "flat rate" labor time paid for doing a job. When one is needed, it's sort of like that hideout gun- - - -you need it "real bad and right now!" The guy on the tool truck loves to arrive right after somebody has skinned a bunch of knuckles or lost a lot of labor money fighting with a difficult job with the wrong tools!
Jerry
Don't I know it! I half think the car manufacturers and the tool manufacturers get together twice a year to figure out new things to put on vehicles to force techs to buy more new tools! If they don't, I hope they give me a little consideration for giving them the idea! :rotflmao:
"Bipartisan" usually means that a bigger than normal deception is happening.
George Carlin
Stepson's Cobalt got T boned. No one hurt, but when the side curtain airbag (love that cars this cheap have side curtain airbags) deploys. It cost more than the car is worth so it it was totaled. Actually made $1000 on the insurance check.
Already took him another Cobalt. After crawling under 6 more of them....... they are really good on rust. One had a rusty engine cradle, but none of them had a hole in the body anywhere.. important in PA.
Another '05 w/ 140,000miles for $2900.......
"The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not." Thomas Jefferson
Looked at a Outback tonight, and I think I am going to buy it. It is R titled because of hail and it looks like someone went over it with a cloth covered ball **** hammer. However, inside it is very well maintained and it is a out of state car. The guy that sells these was a Subaru mechanic for 20 years. He ran it up on the rack and there was almost no rust. 130K mi, 4 good tires and a new insp sticker 3400.
Unless I can find a reason to not buy it by tomorrow AM, I am giving him a call.
Subaru Outbacks are pretty good. I've got a pal who has owned his for some years and it's very reliable. Toyota still holds the overall reliability record generally but Subaru and surprisingly, Kia, have shown very good track records, but only for the more recent model years, as they've made big strides in their QA standards.
Of course a lot depends on the individual vehicle and whether it's been maintained properly.
And living in western Penn? Rough roads, particularly with the salt on them for ice, rust inducing of course. I'm just stating from old experience however, when I lived in Pittsburgh in the early 70s. Mebbe the roads are a lot better maintained nowaways?
Economy cars and middle class cars are bought by people who can't afford luxury marques. It's a better than even bet that as long as the thing runs, scheduled maintenance has little chance of being performed on schedule, if at all. You don't often find a Celica or Sentra or Focus or Cruze or Civic with complete service records, or any records at all. Luxury cars are bought by people who respect their investment, and take good care of their vehicles.
etc etc.
I understand your point but if you're looking at people who buy good-condition used cars, it's an individual thing about the maintenance and doesn't really depend on the high value of the original car. At least that's how I see it around friends of mine over the years. Many of them own high-mileage imports and are very conscientious about lube & oil/filter. And as we all know, aside from generally not wrecking your engine by horrible driving habits, regular oil/filter changes are the lifeblood of long engine life.
I've got a friend who owns a big ol' town car and he loves it too. My '96 T-Bird has the same engine your car does, the 4.6l and it's a great engine, a bit of a gas hog, but hey. I did have to get a new head gasket and the other related work on such, which came to about $1k but that's show biz. The car already had over 100k miles on it when I bought it, and although it was dealership maintained, those miles do add up.
I do gotcha beat on the price, hands down. I paid $600. Honest. The original owner was a buddy of mine, he was getting married and moving to California and his bride to be wanted a new Mercedes as the wedding gift. So he essentially dumped the car into my lap for a drive-away price. I've owned the car for 10+ years and I've put about $2k into the works, which still means that I've come out ahead.
Like you, that big car (not so much as large as yours however) came w. all the factory option goodies, as my buddy had bought it new at a discount and so he'd checked all the boxes, performance and luxury. I do like the Great White.
Good buy Sam. A used luxury car - still your best investment, and still the most for your money.
The guy told me straight off that it needed a head gasket job which was one reason the price was low. Thankfully the shop I took it to apparently did a fine job, as I've had zero problems for about 9 years now with the engine. They did the normal stuff --- truing or milling the head as needed, all new bolts and whatever (I checked a couple websites on typical jobs and the work they did essentially matched the info I found).
The cruise control has never worked but I never use it. The Overdrive? I never tried it either -- I don't take long distance trips so pushing that little button on the shift lever never crossed my mind. (I wonder what this button does? CRASH!)
The radio was fritzed and cheap but I had a nice Kenwood system put in, standard pre-iPod stuff, typical AM/FM & CD player, some new speakers but nothing huge, just clean sound. The dudes who put it in came recommended to me and I guess that was okay too, as the sound system has worked perfectly for nearly 10 years too, aside from the occasional CD scrubber pass-through thingie, which is to be expected.
I also got a top rate alarm installed, the Viper brand. It's also worked 100%. Never had a "real" alarm but I'm okay with that. Makes a helluva noise and all the neighbors immediately look out their windows and doors, which is the right thing. Thankfully our neighbors are the good kind. Living in a centralized area (neartown Houston) you either get lucky or not. We've been lucky -- quiet and decent folks nearby, say hello and keep in touch, but not naggingly or pushy. And soon as there's any problems (loud drunks arguing on the street, car wreck, etc) the cops are there in under 5 min for a "real" 911 call. Saves on ammo, y'know, ha ha.
Back to the car stuff, thing I've noticed over the years is that teeny glitches in the vehicle's functioning are almost as annoying and if the thing simply doesn't start. Stuff like the moonroof not closing tight, the power seat being reluctant, seat belts not reeling back in, etc. I know that's silly but it's true.
Funny car stereo story... When I went to the place, they had everything from small stuff to huge monster speakers and whatever, boomboxes to play rap, you know.
I wanted a decent system to play CDs and AM/FM but nothing much else, just a fair quality w. small but nice speakers. So I settled on Kenwood (one of the more reliable brands) and picked a mid-price system that fit into the normal dash space of the old radio (I didn't want something hanging out the bottom of the dash). I briefly considered one of the multi-CD models where the CD rotary (5-6 CDs) fit in the trunk, but years ago I'd had a home stereo multi-player and never used it for any multiple disks, as I'd change my mind and I wasn't driving long trips. So a single CD player was fine. The price was okay and I caught a coupon that gave me $25 off.
So the guys install it and it looks great, and the guy hands me this thing. "That's your remote control." and sure enough, a little remote control to select CD tracks and stations and whatever. Naturally I didn't use it, just tested it out then dumped it into the center console.
So a girlfriend of mine I was dating a lot liked to choose the CDs or surf the stations, which was fine while we were riding along. And bad-boy me, I took the control and put it into the driver door pocket, and occasionally I'd reach down and push the eject CD button or the OFF button.
Drove her nuts that the darn player didn't work and I just laughed it off like no big deal. We broke up soon thereafter -- I wonder why?
A friend of mine bought a Porsche 928 (or whatever the 8 cylinder was) with 12K original miles for 12K. It's like new and made Porsche news nationwide.
I paid a lot for my 2005 Dodge pickup with 130K miles, but it's loaded. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. The Sabaru Outback is a lesbian vehicle to the point of being a stereotype. Which is fine with me.
Concealed carry is for protection, open carry is for attention.
KIA- - - - -isn't that an anagram for "Killed In Action"? In my sideline as a warranty claims investigator, I see some horrific electronic glitches on very low-mileage KIA's, like the one with 14K miles that had already had a new transmission and six- - - -count 'em- - - -computer swaps! Intermittent gremlins- - - -I drove the thing 30 miles in all sorts of oddball operation conditions, and couldn't duplicate a single one of a big laundry list of complaints. That one was the subject of a Better Business Bureau arbitration, determining if the dealer would have to buy it back from the owner.
Jerry
The cruise control has never worked but I never use it. The Overdrive? I never tried it either -- I don't take long distance trips so pushing that little button on the shift lever never crossed my mind. (I wonder what this button does? CRASH!)
The radio was fritzed and cheap but I had a nice Kenwood system put in, standard pre-iPod stuff, typical AM/FM & CD player, some new speakers but nothing huge, just clean sound. The dudes who put it in came recommended to me and I guess that was okay too, as the sound system has worked perfectly for nearly 10 years too, aside from the occasional CD scrubber pass-through thingie, which is to be expected.
.
I'm the opposite. I live on cruise control - I use it in town and even between stop lights. Love it. I leave my OD on too. And I love taking long trips in my Mark VIII - last month went to Laughlin for the Colorado River Fall Festival of the York Rite then up to Las Vegas to visit my son. Round trip (back to Tucson) was just over 1100 miles and every inch was a pleasure. My car came with a premium JBL sound system in great shape so I left it as is. If I do change it out, it will be so I can get satellite radio if I ever decide I want it. Keep on truckin'.
I live on cruise control - I use it in town and even between stop lights.
Me too - I'll use cruise control to drive 50 feet. Cruise control is one of only two concessions I'll willingly make to the American car market - the other is A/C. I want those two, 4 wheels, a motor and a ****!
But I think we're in a tiny minority. People speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down; ad infinitum. Drives me nuts!
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
Cruise wastes an average of 1-2 MPG unless it's used properly. Since the vehicle can't "see" that hill coming up, the throttle goes from steady to a too-big input as soon as the speed begins to drop a little. I like to set the speed control 5 MPH slower than the speed I intend to drive, and fine-tune the throttle input to accommodate the terrain. Connect a manifold vacuum gauge sometime and compare intake vacuum with and without cruise- - - - -lower average vacuum = lower MPG.
Jerry
True enough, but most people don't pay any attention whatsoever to the terrain. Lose 5-10 on the uphill, gain 5-10 on the downhill; or just speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down, forever - even on the flat. Time to answer the phone, slow to 15 under in the fast lane. Don't even get me started on texting...
Pick a speed - ANY speed - and drive it!
-Zorba, "The Veiled Male"
"If you get it and didn't work for it, someone else worked for it and didn't get it..."
KIA- - - - -isn't that an anagram for "Killed In Action"? etc
Jerry
Well, of course you're the guy with tons more experience and knowledge than I have. I was just remarking about friends who've got KIAs and say that the brand is pretty okay. But what do I know about cars? Nuttin' mooch.
Replies
Jerry
George Carlin
Stepson's Cobalt got T boned. No one hurt, but when the side curtain airbag (love that cars this cheap have side curtain airbags) deploys. It cost more than the car is worth so it it was totaled. Actually made $1000 on the insurance check.
Already took him another Cobalt. After crawling under 6 more of them....... they are really good on rust. One had a rusty engine cradle, but none of them had a hole in the body anywhere.. important in PA.
Another '05 w/ 140,000miles for $2900.......
Subaru Outbacks are pretty good. I've got a pal who has owned his for some years and it's very reliable. Toyota still holds the overall reliability record generally but Subaru and surprisingly, Kia, have shown very good track records, but only for the more recent model years, as they've made big strides in their QA standards.
Of course a lot depends on the individual vehicle and whether it's been maintained properly.
And living in western Penn? Rough roads, particularly with the salt on them for ice, rust inducing of course. I'm just stating from old experience however, when I lived in Pittsburgh in the early 70s. Mebbe the roads are a lot better maintained nowaways?
I understand your point but if you're looking at people who buy good-condition used cars, it's an individual thing about the maintenance and doesn't really depend on the high value of the original car. At least that's how I see it around friends of mine over the years. Many of them own high-mileage imports and are very conscientious about lube & oil/filter. And as we all know, aside from generally not wrecking your engine by horrible driving habits, regular oil/filter changes are the lifeblood of long engine life.
I've got a friend who owns a big ol' town car and he loves it too. My '96 T-Bird has the same engine your car does, the 4.6l and it's a great engine, a bit of a gas hog, but hey. I did have to get a new head gasket and the other related work on such, which came to about $1k but that's show biz. The car already had over 100k miles on it when I bought it, and although it was dealership maintained, those miles do add up.
I do gotcha beat on the price, hands down. I paid $600. Honest. The original owner was a buddy of mine, he was getting married and moving to California and his bride to be wanted a new Mercedes as the wedding gift. So he essentially dumped the car into my lap for a drive-away price. I've owned the car for 10+ years and I've put about $2k into the works, which still means that I've come out ahead.
Like you, that big car (not so much as large as yours however) came w. all the factory option goodies, as my buddy had bought it new at a discount and so he'd checked all the boxes, performance and luxury. I do like the Great White.
The guy told me straight off that it needed a head gasket job which was one reason the price was low. Thankfully the shop I took it to apparently did a fine job, as I've had zero problems for about 9 years now with the engine. They did the normal stuff --- truing or milling the head as needed, all new bolts and whatever (I checked a couple websites on typical jobs and the work they did essentially matched the info I found).
The cruise control has never worked but I never use it. The Overdrive? I never tried it either -- I don't take long distance trips so pushing that little button on the shift lever never crossed my mind. (I wonder what this button does? CRASH!)
The radio was fritzed and cheap but I had a nice Kenwood system put in, standard pre-iPod stuff, typical AM/FM & CD player, some new speakers but nothing huge, just clean sound. The dudes who put it in came recommended to me and I guess that was okay too, as the sound system has worked perfectly for nearly 10 years too, aside from the occasional CD scrubber pass-through thingie, which is to be expected.
I also got a top rate alarm installed, the Viper brand. It's also worked 100%. Never had a "real" alarm but I'm okay with that. Makes a helluva noise and all the neighbors immediately look out their windows and doors, which is the right thing. Thankfully our neighbors are the good kind. Living in a centralized area (neartown Houston) you either get lucky or not. We've been lucky -- quiet and decent folks nearby, say hello and keep in touch, but not naggingly or pushy. And soon as there's any problems (loud drunks arguing on the street, car wreck, etc) the cops are there in under 5 min for a "real" 911 call. Saves on ammo, y'know, ha ha.
Back to the car stuff, thing I've noticed over the years is that teeny glitches in the vehicle's functioning are almost as annoying and if the thing simply doesn't start. Stuff like the moonroof not closing tight, the power seat being reluctant, seat belts not reeling back in, etc. I know that's silly but it's true.
I wanted a decent system to play CDs and AM/FM but nothing much else, just a fair quality w. small but nice speakers. So I settled on Kenwood (one of the more reliable brands) and picked a mid-price system that fit into the normal dash space of the old radio (I didn't want something hanging out the bottom of the dash). I briefly considered one of the multi-CD models where the CD rotary (5-6 CDs) fit in the trunk, but years ago I'd had a home stereo multi-player and never used it for any multiple disks, as I'd change my mind and I wasn't driving long trips. So a single CD player was fine. The price was okay and I caught a coupon that gave me $25 off.
So the guys install it and it looks great, and the guy hands me this thing. "That's your remote control." and sure enough, a little remote control to select CD tracks and stations and whatever. Naturally I didn't use it, just tested it out then dumped it into the center console.
So a girlfriend of mine I was dating a lot liked to choose the CDs or surf the stations, which was fine while we were riding along. And bad-boy me, I took the control and put it into the driver door pocket, and occasionally I'd reach down and push the eject CD button or the OFF button.
Drove her nuts that the darn player didn't work and I just laughed it off like no big deal. We broke up soon thereafter -- I wonder why?
I paid a lot for my 2005 Dodge pickup with 130K miles, but it's loaded. I guess it all depends on what you're looking for. The Sabaru Outback is a lesbian vehicle to the point of being a stereotype. Which is fine with me.
Jerry
I'm the opposite. I live on cruise control - I use it in town and even between stop lights. Love it. I leave my OD on too. And I love taking long trips in my Mark VIII - last month went to Laughlin for the Colorado River Fall Festival of the York Rite then up to Las Vegas to visit my son. Round trip (back to Tucson) was just over 1100 miles and every inch was a pleasure. My car came with a premium JBL sound system in great shape so I left it as is. If I do change it out, it will be so I can get satellite radio if I ever decide I want it. Keep on truckin'.
Me too - I'll use cruise control to drive 50 feet. Cruise control is one of only two concessions I'll willingly make to the American car market - the other is A/C. I want those two, 4 wheels, a motor and a ****!
But I think we're in a tiny minority. People speed up, slow down, speed up, slow down; ad infinitum. Drives me nuts!
Put in what you're looking for and it'll check local dealers. That's where I found my Jeep Patriot.
I will fear no evil: For I carry a .308 and not a .270
Jerry
Pick a speed - ANY speed - and drive it!
Well, of course you're the guy with tons more experience and knowledge than I have. I was just remarking about friends who've got KIAs and say that the brand is pretty okay. But what do I know about cars? Nuttin' mooch.