|
|
10-07-2015, 07:52 AM
|
#101
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Texas
Posts: 10,932
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by braumeister
I'm not the least surprised by others mentioning their tribulations with the Fiat 128. Another of its little "features" was that the fuel gauge would frequently get down to about ⅓ and stick there.
If you didn't constantly monitor it (and who makes more than an occasional glance at it?) you were SOL when it finally ran out completely. I had a few interesting adventures when I ran out of gas on a lonely highway while thinking I had plenty!
|
I think if I knew that was happening, I'd start looking for a gas station to fill up soon after the gauge dropped below half a tank and/or carry an extra gallon or two of gas in a spare tank in the trunk. Running out of gas once would be enough for me to make some accommodations.
|
|
|
|
Join the #1 Early Retirement and Financial Independence Forum Today - It's Totally Free!
Are you planning to be financially independent as early as possible so you can live life on your own terms? Discuss successful investing strategies, asset allocation models, tax strategies and other related topics in our online forum community. Our members range from young folks just starting their journey to financial independence, military retirees and even multimillionaires. No matter where you fit in you'll find that Early-Retirement.org is a great community to join. Best of all it's totally FREE!
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest so you have limited access to our community. Please take the time to register and you will gain a lot of great new features including; the ability to participate in discussions, network with our members, see fewer ads, upload photographs, create a retirement blog, send private messages and so much, much more!
|
10-07-2015, 07:54 AM
|
#102
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Apr 2013
Posts: 11,078
|
While I never owned one I drove quite a few of the early 80's GM diesels. The sawmill I worked at bought a bunch of those for execs and buyers. Total garbage, one of the 8 were always in the shop only to return shortly after it had been fixed. Under powered pos, that couldn't get out of there own way. I recall visiting my DS and BIL in Austin, as I got in the vehicle in the garage he informed me to walk up the hill to the road. This thing was so underpowered it couldn't successfully pull a passenger up the hill in a short driveway!
|
|
|
10-07-2015, 10:09 AM
|
#103
|
Moderator
Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Flyover country
Posts: 25,357
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by MRG
While I never owned one I drove quite a few of the early 80's GM diesels.
|
Oh, I almost forgot about those days. I had a 1980 VW Rabbit diesel that was similar (but not as bad as yours). I remember having to shut off the a/c when going up a hill on the highway or else it would get down to maybe 40 mph from highway speed on the flat.
I just fixated on the nice 42 mpg (and diesel was cheaper than gasoline back then).
|
|
|
10-07-2015, 11:46 AM
|
#104
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
|
The most unreliable car I've ever owned is the 2000 Honda Civic. It's also the only car I've ever owned.
It has suffered from 2 problems over my 15 years of ownership. The rear main seal gasket failed about 3-4 years into ownership. I bought the extended warranty (I was a poor college student back then) and it paid for the whole $700+ in labor and $15 in parts repair (in exchange for $600+ for the warranty 3-4 years earlier).
The second issue I fixed this spring. The exhaust manifold is Y-shaped coming from the engine block. Stress, thermal cycles, vibrations, and rust combined to crack the exhaust manifold in half. The catalytic converter is attached to the exhaust manifold. And there are 2 oxygen sensors in the exhaust manifold. Instead of paying $1300 at the shop, I sourced the sensors from amazon for $60 or so and got a replacement exhaust manifold/cat for $270 (almost $1000 less than the auto shop quoted). Me and a buddy spent a morning in his garage replacing it. Pretty easy to do says my buddy the shadetree mechanic (plenty of room to work in the engine compartment and no conflicting parts to remove to get the job done).
Otherwise the car has been pretty awesome. The only other things I've fixed were routine over the course of 15 years - another blown O2 sensor and a rusted muffler.
__________________
Retired in 2013 at age 33. Keeping busy reading, blogging, relaxing, gaming, and enjoying the outdoors with my wife and 3 kids (8, 13, and 15).
|
|
|
10-07-2015, 11:52 AM
|
#105
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 2,223
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by FUEGO
The most unreliable car I've ever owned is the 2000 Honda Civic. It's also the only car I've ever owned.
It has suffered from 2 problems over my 15 years of ownership. The rear main seal gasket failed about 3-4 years into ownership. I bought the extended warranty (I was a poor college student back then) and it paid for the whole $700+ in labor and $15 in parts repair (in exchange for $600+ for the warranty 3-4 years earlier).
The second issue I fixed this spring. The exhaust manifold is Y-shaped coming from the engine block. Stress, thermal cycles, vibrations, and rust combined to crack the exhaust manifold in half. The catalytic converter is attached to the exhaust manifold. And there are 2 oxygen sensors in the exhaust manifold. Instead of paying $1300 at the shop, I sourced the sensors from amazon for $60 or so and got a replacement exhaust manifold/cat for $270 (almost $1000 less than the auto shop quoted). Me and a buddy spent a morning in his garage replacing it. Pretty easy to do says my buddy the shadetree mechanic (plenty of room to work in the engine compartment and no conflicting parts to remove to get the job done).
Otherwise the car has been pretty awesome. The only other things I've fixed were routine over the course of 15 years - another blown O2 sensor and a rusted muffler.
|
Fuego, you should be ashamed. Cheating that shop out of $1,000 profit they would have made on an easy 45 minute job. Shame Shame
|
|
|
10-07-2015, 11:56 AM
|
#106
|
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Crownsville
Posts: 3,746
|
When I was in 8th grade, I was in a neighborhood carpool, as I went to a private school where the bus didn't come out our way. One of the mothers had an early 80's LeSabre wagon with the Olds 350 Diesel. She actually loved the thing! Bragged about how it would get 30 mpg on trips. I was just a kid, so I never got to drive the thing first-hand, but it seemed okay in the local neighborhood carpool type driving. From what I've heard, with those Olds 350 Diesels, is there were two generations. The first, offered from 1978-79, had something like 120 hp, and was very troubleprone. For 1980-85 it was redesigned, and reliability was improved, but the horsepower was cut to 105. The '80-85 version improved in every year, but by the final few years gasoline was cheap and easy-flowing again, so fuel economy was no longer that much of a concern. And by that time, the Diesel had developed a bad reputation, so it was finally dropped.
I should also add that this LeSabre was fairly new at the time...give it a few more years, and I'd imagine it probably started acting up!
|
|
|
10-07-2015, 02:46 PM
|
#107
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Nov 2007
Posts: 7,746
|
Yeah, we got done and laughed because the manifold replacement was a 3 hour job at the shop (plus more time for the sensors of course). It took us about 3 hours being non-pros (it required loosening and re-tightening about 17 bolts). And I got a better quality manifold/cat at 1/2 the shop rack rate (the fancy California emissions one ).
__________________
Retired in 2013 at age 33. Keeping busy reading, blogging, relaxing, gaming, and enjoying the outdoors with my wife and 3 kids (8, 13, and 15).
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 12:41 AM
|
#108
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 206
|
#1) 1988 Oldsmobile Delta 88 piece of junk, #2- 1984 Fiero (fun but junk), #3) 1990 Honda Accord (once it hit 185,000 mi, so it was still a great car overall). My last two cars, a 1999 Nissan Sentra & my current 2010 Toyota Corolla have been pretty good, though the paint of the Corolla is coming off in places. I am going to have to have part of the stupid car repainted. I think the paint job was bad from the factory. The Toyota dealer wouldn't help me out, even when it was 2 years old. Might be my last Toyota since good paint jobs are expensive, and I can't DIY a paint job.
Racing for the FIRE finish line, but I don't know where it is.
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 04:53 PM
|
#109
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 204
|
^^ paint on newer cars is garbage. I have 3 80s Mercedes that still have good original paint.
__________________
.................................
A life without beer is not worth living
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 05:54 PM
|
#110
|
Administrator
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Pacific NW
Posts: 6,178
|
Sadly, I did. But it was CUTE
Horrid car, however. Almost immediately it began to have trouble - it would stall every time you hit the brakes. Turns out the two of the engine mounting bolts were missing and the engine would shift forward causing a wire to rub on a fan housing and short out. Then there were alternators, leaking rubber roofs, door handles that fell off, an axle snapped, the gear knob came of in my hand once... you get the idea. Finally it was recalled for something or other and when at the dealer for service, burned in a suspicious fire - the whole dealership went up in flames. Oh dang...
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 06:14 PM
|
#111
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: NC Triangle
Posts: 5,807
|
A girlfriend in college had a bright green LeCar that was a pile of trouble. It had a "LeCar" logo decal on the side. My God, what junk.
We went out for beer one time with a friend who told of one of his friends who got one too and decided to add two letters to change it to "LeCarap".
__________________
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 06:48 PM
|
#112
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Apr 2008
Posts: 483
|
Early 90's Chrysler Le Baron. Worst lemon by far. Windows fell down inside frame, air conditioning regularly quit working, gave it to daughter to take to college and didn't make it there. Ended up trading it in at ~60k miles. This was during Lee Iaococca's term "quality is job one".
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 06:49 PM
|
#113
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Nov 2010
Posts: 628
|
No contest Yugo....no I didnt.
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 08:39 PM
|
#114
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 500
|
Nova. The Spanish translation is no go I believe.
__________________
Worked the plan and now living the Dream!
|
|
|
10-08-2015, 08:48 PM
|
#115
|
Recycles dryer sheets
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Western Canada
Posts: 393
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by fisherman
Nova. The Spanish translation is no go I believe.
|
Well who am I to point out: snopes.com: Nova Don't Go
__________________
I'm not crazy. Honest, the judge had me tested.
|
|
|
10-09-2015, 07:59 AM
|
#116
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific latitude 20/49
Posts: 7,677
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Midpack
Wow, Ford (old ones anyway) continue to take a beating! Guess there is/was something to the acronyms...
FORD: Of all car names, Ford has the most:
- Fix Or Repair Daily;
- Fast Only Rolling Downhill;
- Fails On Race Day;
- Found On Road Dead:
- Funding Our Retirement Daily (from a mechanic`s point of view); and perhaps best of all:
- Driver Returning On Foot (Ford spelled backwards!)
|
1983 Ford Merkur (German import) but it drove like stink with a dual spoiler that kicked in at 100 mph to ensure good road grip.
Suffered with it for 4 years.
Good experience with two Ford SUVs though.
__________________
For the fun of it...Keith
|
|
|
10-09-2015, 08:19 AM
|
#117
|
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jul 2006
Posts: 11,401
|
My first car was a 1981 Ford Escort (European version). At about two years, the engine began to cut out at traffic lights. Turned out to be the poorly designed variable Venturi carburetor. There was a recall. I haven't bought a Ford since.
|
|
|
10-12-2015, 11:04 PM
|
#118
|
Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 500
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rick_Head
|
Not a big deal to me but the online translator from a Google search translates it to not going which was most accurate for the one I owned. That also matches my kids Spanish book translation. I do not know about the story Slopes references but my translation is apparently correct which is what I stated and all I stated. https://translate.google.com/m/translate#es/en/nova
__________________
Worked the plan and now living the Dream!
|
|
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
|
» Recent Threads
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
» Quick Links
|
|
|