Hey Guys,
It's been a LONG time since I've posted anything on this board. I got an email from Allpar.com the other night informing me that my account would be deleted if I didn't log in sometime soon. So I am logging in, but I also have a question. I will get to that in a minute.
First of all, I no longer have either of my EEK's. The Spirit had a lot of memories and I hated to get rid of her, but sold her to a high school girl several years ago who was grateful to have some transportation. I was in grad. school, and the car was beginning to need more maintenance than I had time to invest, or $$$ to pay someone else to work on it. I put over 100K on that car.
The Plymouth...I sold to my dad, and he has since sold it. I ran into some rust issues underneath from its past life in Minnesota, and it never rode as good as the Spirit for some reason. I don't miss the Plymouth, but still miss the Spirit from time to time!
I bought a cheap (Less than $5000) 2001 Hyundai Accent with a 4Cyl. that has served me well for the last 5 years. I got it with 48,000 miles on it, and it now has 115,000. Except for replacing 2 engine sensors, I have done nothing to the car other than normal maintenance including a timing belt. I like to think of it as the cheap Korean counterpart to the EEK. It was made in the days before Hyundai got fancy, and it's so simple, cheap, and easy to work on. Gets 36MPG on highway trips (and I have taken quite a few).
And the '94 Lebaron Convertible (from Valiant67) is still sitting in the barn awaiting a new top, transmission, and top motor.
Which brings me to my next question:
I may have found another EEK car - my dream car - Hypothetically speaking, let's just say that this car is a 1988 2.2L Turbo / A413 3 Speed that has.........less than 10,000 actual miles. Yes, these are verified, actual miles. It sat for so many years covered in a garage, and whether or not it was driven or started often, I don't know.
I do know that it has had a new battery and tires installed recently.
My question is...is this car a ticking time bomb? I have nightmares of purchasing a 25 year old car, and having every seal blow out from dry rot. Yes, the car is mint, but what's going to happen when you start driving it pretty reguarly. This would not be a daily driver, but would be a weekend car. The car may be mint, but all the parts are 25 year old vintage. Should I look into it more carefully, or run away from it. I know what most people will say...it's better to buy a car with high highway mileage, than one that's sat unused for so long.
What do you think?
And on a side note: How many familiar people are still here from several years ago?
It's been a LONG time since I've posted anything on this board. I got an email from Allpar.com the other night informing me that my account would be deleted if I didn't log in sometime soon. So I am logging in, but I also have a question. I will get to that in a minute.
First of all, I no longer have either of my EEK's. The Spirit had a lot of memories and I hated to get rid of her, but sold her to a high school girl several years ago who was grateful to have some transportation. I was in grad. school, and the car was beginning to need more maintenance than I had time to invest, or $$$ to pay someone else to work on it. I put over 100K on that car.
The Plymouth...I sold to my dad, and he has since sold it. I ran into some rust issues underneath from its past life in Minnesota, and it never rode as good as the Spirit for some reason. I don't miss the Plymouth, but still miss the Spirit from time to time!
I bought a cheap (Less than $5000) 2001 Hyundai Accent with a 4Cyl. that has served me well for the last 5 years. I got it with 48,000 miles on it, and it now has 115,000. Except for replacing 2 engine sensors, I have done nothing to the car other than normal maintenance including a timing belt. I like to think of it as the cheap Korean counterpart to the EEK. It was made in the days before Hyundai got fancy, and it's so simple, cheap, and easy to work on. Gets 36MPG on highway trips (and I have taken quite a few).
And the '94 Lebaron Convertible (from Valiant67) is still sitting in the barn awaiting a new top, transmission, and top motor.
Which brings me to my next question:
I may have found another EEK car - my dream car - Hypothetically speaking, let's just say that this car is a 1988 2.2L Turbo / A413 3 Speed that has.........less than 10,000 actual miles. Yes, these are verified, actual miles. It sat for so many years covered in a garage, and whether or not it was driven or started often, I don't know.
I do know that it has had a new battery and tires installed recently.
My question is...is this car a ticking time bomb? I have nightmares of purchasing a 25 year old car, and having every seal blow out from dry rot. Yes, the car is mint, but what's going to happen when you start driving it pretty reguarly. This would not be a daily driver, but would be a weekend car. The car may be mint, but all the parts are 25 year old vintage. Should I look into it more carefully, or run away from it. I know what most people will say...it's better to buy a car with high highway mileage, than one that's sat unused for so long.
What do you think?
And on a side note: How many familiar people are still here from several years ago?