The Automotive Thread

[MetsFan]

My car has been idling very rough recently. It only happens when on drive though, it stops when I switch it to neutral. There's a code for one of the solenoid valves, so I'm going to take them out, clean them, and switch them. Other than that, I've read that it could be the coil pack or the spark plugs. Hopefully it doesn't turn out to be another expensive year.

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

Bee is home!!

 

[maryannette]

You parked crooked.

 

[Road Guy]

Where's the little hook?

 

[Dexman PE PMP]

It didn't show up in time for the shop to install it. I will try to get it installed one of these days...

 

[Road Guy]

It looks sharp!

 

[matt267 PE]

Did you get his voice fixed?

 

[Supe]

^^^ I was going to ask what the stock ratios were in the RX7. Bee has 3.27's (3.45 in the automatics), and have been debating upgrading to the 3.91's (stock in the 1LE package). The biggest downside is that Bee is a daily driver and I can only imagine how much that will kill whatever fuel mileage I already get.

How deep is first gear on that car, and how tall is the tire?

 

[Master slacker]

 

[roadwreck]

But guess whose wife's car needs a new hybrid battery on the 2006 Prius she bought with her own money while I was out of town?

This is why I didn't buy a hybrid. I bought a Honda Fit two weeks ago, and since then everyone has been asking me why I didn't get a Leaf or Prius. To me the hybrids just seem like you now have to worry about maintaining two motors. One is enough for me. The leaf would be okay for commuting, but I'd never be able to go on a road trip with it. I've been pretty happy with the Fit so far. I've been getting just shy of 40 mpg commuting with it. The original plan was to keep my old car (mazda 6) and just commute with the Fit, but in the past two weeks I've driven the mazda once and that was a two mile roundtrip (to the gym and back). I've come to the conclusion that it just doesn't make sense to keep it. It's gonna cost me $600 a year just to keep it insured and keep the license current. That seems like a waste if it's going to spend 95% of it's time parked in the driveway. It's also 10 years old and has 140k miles on it, so it needs things replaced pretty frequently these days. So I washed it for probably the last time this afternoon and plan to take it over the CarMax to see what they'll offer for it later today. Tis a sad day.

 

[Road Guy]

And I should further clarify the Prius is in the wife's name... I was not involved in its purchase. But I am going to commit to driving it 2-3 days a week to the new job (after I have worked there several months and my new coworkers know that I am not a ghey) then I might drive the Prius and then just tell people I rode the bus that day...

And I agree with you. when I bought the jeep as a 3rd car it was a complete extra expense I didn't need. Insurance , taxes, oil changes.. Tires, etc.... It just wasn't worth it to have a 3rd vehicle....

 

[Master slacker]

Let us know what the carmax value of the Mazda is. I'm simply curious.

 

[roadwreck]

Let us know what the carmax value of the Mazda is. I'm simply curious.

$2,500.

If they'd offered $3k they'd have a Mazda right now. The only negative they noted was the large dent in the trunk lid, which I acquired about six weeks ago in a grocery store parking lot. The offer is good for 7 days. Now I have to decide it I should just accept that or try my luck on private party sale. I really just don't want to deal with that headache, plus if I sell before Thursday I don't have to renew the tag for that car.

 

[Road Guy]

So many similar cars in an area as big as Atlanta I don't know if would let that Carmax offer pass.... Over $500 bucks... Especially if you have close to. $100 in car tags probably due?

 

[roadwreck]

Before I went to CarMax I pretty much made up my mind that if they offered $3k or more then I'd take it on the spot. Less then that and I'd evaluate my options. The tag renewal is $77. Private party sale is estimated to be $3,500 and up. I dunno, I'll sleep on it.

 

[mudpuppy]

Around here at least, 10-year-old commuter cars are hard to come by. My co-worker recently wrecked his Civic and laments the fact that he can't find another 10-year-old 200k Civic anywhere. People tend to keep them until they die.

If you throw that Mazda up on Craigslist you might be surprised. I sold my Bronco the day I listed it, and I live in a town of only 35,000 people. OTOH yours is a manual so you're drastically limiting your potential buyer pool there.

 

[roadwreck]

I figure I don't have much to lose by listing it on craigslist for a few weeks. If it doesn't sell I can go back to CarMax and get another offer. I can't imagine it would drop much in value in their eyes over a few weeks.

 

[Master slacker]

So... if you got offered $2500 for a 10 year old car, I shouldn't expect much for a 23 year old, 114k mile, 5-shades of red, only one seat belt works Mercury, should I? damn

 

[roadwreck]

So... if you got offered $2500 for a 10 year old car, I shouldn't expect much for a 23 year old, 114k mile, 5-shades of red, only one seat belt works Mercury, should I? damn

I dunno, maybe you could try marketing it as a "classic"

 

[Master slacker]

in a couple of years, i may get a "classic" or "antique" plate for the hell of it. Of course, if I did that, the plate would be worth more than the car...