What kind of car do you drive?

RE: Re: RE: Re: RE: What kind of car do you drive?

1997 BMW 318i Convertible - fun car to have but the stick sucks in traffic. I have to wear a hat with the top down or my bald head burns. It needs about $3K in work - new catalytic converter and clutch. I'm at the crossroads to getting another car because the $3K does not add any value to the car.

The wife drives our boy around in a 2000 Toyota Avalon.

Not sure when we are moving to the minivan.

 

Spencer: Cool!

Smokin': Do you TYPICALLY drive the car 20 minutes or more each time {70% or more} you start it? If so use Mobil1 {can ONLY vouch for that brand} Synthetic. Guarantee if you qualify above and change oil at least every 25kmile {yeah, that's what I mean} that everything the oil touches will remain good.
Tip: Stay The F%%% AWAY from any oil that references the Keystone State or oil filters with name starting with F and four letters. Yes, I mean those highly advertised oils and filters; LOTS of us 'car nuts' feel that way. I can tell looking at an engine in older car when that evil brand oil was used, even when the owner claims to have changed oil every 3,000.
Good - Valvoline, Purolator

EricD: I'm not a big Beemer fan and your clutch failure doesnt surprise me.. though the experience was 20 years ago - only absolute clutch failure I ever had.. it was in a Mustang but the 'Made in Germany' clutch just failed, rather than wear out.
But since it's a Beemer, even I would consider getting it fixed. Else put it in ad on website for Beemer nuts who will give you GOOD price for it.

 

Petty, you say you are a car 'nut', what cars/types of cards do you like?

I grew up around cars my whole life, my father was a mechanic in the 50s/60s and used to drag race a 1923 T-bucket and a GTO. Now the very, very, very proud owner of a 1932 Ford Coupe, with enough horsepower to just be street legal. A super-blower is attached as well. Mmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Just interested.

 

I was on the fringe in the mid-late sixties, guys I ran with raced A Gas Superchrged, and Super Stock equiv. in Goats, Nova's, and Malibu's. Plus the hotted up 55-57's.
I street raced a little but didnt care for the teardowns and rebuild they were always doing.
Here's my progression, right after getting out of the Navy in 64.
From THIS:
but a $250 beater, and without those stupid bumper guards and go-faster fender skirts -NOT COOL-!
To this:

then:

then, brand new with big engine, 4 speed and BENCH SEATS!

and THEN.. I got married.
But this, many humdrum cars later ...

..was the hottest, most exotic, and fun to drive car I ever owned!
Which is NOT really a "Mustang" except for most of the skin and was REALLY This {US version of Cosworth Sierra}:


Except the SVO was hotter AND more reliable than the Sierra! See 'Mobil1' reference. I know THAT for a fact, cause I bought 3 XR4's to make 2 for my oldest sons.

 

Thanks for the advice Fog. The good thing is that the clutch is wearing out, and I have been driving it for several months - further wearing it out. I use an independent mechanic, and he has been working on my cars for years, so he gives me pretty good advice. He sort of has to because I do his tax return.

Overall, the car is in good shape. I bought it used, and the guy before me took great care of it. Ideally, it will maintain value.

 

I always wanted a merkur xr4ti. What a cool car. America was not ready for it, ahead of its time.

 

2006 PT Cruiser (Inferno Red)

Not great, but it is the first car I have owned that I didn't have to stick the key in to open it.

 

Ya think? I had Two of them, remember?

Poor braking (undersized)
Poor front suspension, several parts needed upgrading to avoid wheel shimmy/wandering.
Electrical system problems {typ of german}
Clutch wear problems {typ of german}
Bad underhood design result in poor ventilation.. cooked batteries.
No Intercooler till 88

None of those existed in the domestic SVO version. However the Merkur FELT like it was a better car.

 

I hang on to cars for awhile. When I get a new one, I drive them til they just about quit. Right now, I've got the 98 4-Runner and the wife drives an 06 Toyota Rav-4. The V6 in the Rav really gets that car to point be in a hurry.

Overall, I've been pretty lucky with cars. I've taken care of them and they've keep me on the road and not in the shop. I got 190k out of the Ford Tempo and 230k out of the Nisssan Stanza before I cashed them in.

 

Thanks for the advice Petty... I do drive @ 20 minutes to work everyday wtih some long distance travel 100+ miles on weekends occasionally... I bought the car used and changed the oil @ every 5k, like a jerk I didnt use synthetic, about 2 years later it died while driving on the service road of the Long Island express way... the engine I replaced it with was in better condition and maintained by a VW enthusiast... I also seeked out a private AUDI mechanic who is more interested in my car than me.

The first time I took it to him (wheel bearing) he noticed it was running rough and took it upon himself to replace a bad vacuum hose. He replaced the hose, apparently gave the whole car a once over, and politely requested that "If you dont like your car, sell it."

When we were discussing the car in general he implored me to use nothing but synthentic.

Thanks for the advice.

 

You're welcome... and I urge you to read what I wrote earlier, LITERALLY. When I say I can only vouch for Mobil1, I mean that in every sense.. it is proven. No other 'big company's oil has reached that level of confidence and I dont just speak for myself... several Pros on the Ford NG agree, though I'd never tell them my maintenance records.

Especially dont fall for MLM customer-sold SpamOil.

Put it this way, if my car was a kid I'd be in jail for neglect.. but the LAST thing I ever expect is for a car I've driven more than 10K to have an internal engine failure.

 

2003 Hyundai Elantra

 

My wife drives a pimpmobile (white 2001 Buick LeSabre with tinted glass and all mod cons).

I merely drive people crazy.

 

Petty the car nut, ha! I'm on my 15th car in my 8 years of legal driving. Current being the R-package Mazda miata I currently slide around the mountains.

Others Include: Toyota MR2, Supra, Mitsu GS-T Eclipse 68 Ford mustang etc etc. Fulham, then cars that is my thing.



And only Shell Rotella T-Diesel oil gets put in my motors. It passes all SAE standards and comes out the color it goes in. The best oil for the buck.

 

I drive 2000 honda if commuting down, or 1993 dodge dakota if i take bus. Wife drives 2005 Nissan Murano

 

2000 Saturn LS with 114k on it. It's my 2nd Saturn (I totalled the other one, a '94 SL, 3 months after I paid it off; of course, IT drove away, the brand new Ford Explorer that hit me didn't...)

Wife has a 2005 Town & Country LX.

Next car will either be a Toyota Prius or some full sized luxury sedan with leather seats and all the works. All depends on $$$.

 

a 1967 Cadilac El Dorado Convertable
Hot pink!
With whale skin hub caps
An all leather cow interior
And big brown baby seal eyes for headlights
YEAH!
I drive around in that baby
At 115 miles per hour
Getting one mile per gallon
Sucking down Quarter Pounder cheeseburgers from McDonalds in the old-fashioned non-biodegradable Styrofoam containers

Anyone know where that comes from?

 

Pettyfog, I got a quick question for you. Are you not just a bit nervous putting synthetic oil in high mileage vehicles? I have had several seepage issues in the past switching between dino oil and synthetic. I know it is technically the same weight (5w-30 is 5w-30 synthetic) but i firmly believe synthetic is thinner. I was thinking of switching both my cars to synthetic but I am apprehensive. My windstar has 52,000 miles on the odometer and my chevrolet aveo 1,500.

 

That's an old myth, based on some fact.

Where it originally came from was the fact that synth cleans up the internals and the gunk that collected, including around seals, was cleaned up too. In other words, if you flushed the engine well and used regular oil it would probably leak, too.

What engine in the Windstar? {And 52,000 is barely broken in}

The original Mobil1 did seem to have a molecule that tended to capillate, according to some, but techs say that Mobil has included an additive to prevent that .. {probably swells the seals}

I've had synth in several hi-mileage cars {starting at over 100k, except on the SVO} with no drops on driveway.
I cant say the same for those at present time but it has nothing to do with the synth. The formula has been changed slightly as I said.

If you still retain concerns, their is ONE {only ONE} maker of additive that I can recommend: Lucas.

I added to a tranny that was slipping and leaking in a 143k mi beater I got for cheap and put over 100k on it since with no problems, same car had med to bad PS fluid leak, used lucas and slowed it by more than 90%.

So if you change to Mobil1 and start getting a driveway drip, I'd say a 1 bottle treatment at first then 1/4 every change ought to stop it.

Also if you chnge to M1 from the keystone state brands, or were lazy and didnt change on sched, do change the filter only at 1,000. first oil change at 3,000.. then just the filter in the next 3000. following driving paradigm I described to Smokin.. 9000 is fine for M1. No F__m oil filters!