I Fixed My Car Today!

[vtgt500]

   Part of my response was a joke but it was actually based on the fact that "this" old S.O.B. doesn't play well with "modern" computer controlled cars. I took it to a friend who has a code reader and the code reader gave me 4 options from oxygen sensor to catalytic converter. With almost 200,000 miles on the clock and the vehicle value being "scrap" ( I got a courtesy $1,000 trade in value) there was NO reason to spend money chasing the problem.
   Give me a carburetor and a spark plug and I'm a tuning wizard , but "smart cars" are TOO smart for me! LOL That is the reason there is a 50 year spread between the car I enjoy the most and the car I drive every day. At least I can still fix the old ex rental car.
      Randy

I too am unenthusiastic about current offerings.  I can recall 45 years ago buying every automotive magazine off the rack.  Evenings, friends and I gather to read cover to cover.  We would debate when successful which cars we would buy first.  Fast forward.  There is NOTHING new I want to own.  Nothing.  I drive a '98 F150 work series truck with manual transmission, crank windows, rubber floor mats, short cab, and air conditioning delete.  Because of its simplicity it has been essentially maintenance free for 270K miles.  Other than plugs, wires and a fuel filter the ignition and FI is flawless.  Unfortunately, corrosion has taken a toll on the frame and replacement is deemed necessary.  Ford's detestable start-stop feature is reason enough to buy a GM product.  Want to guess the service interval and increased ownership cost to replace starter and ring gear??   Detroit has left the market wide open for China or India to offer a reliable, bare bones, utility vehicle.  Every do-dad and frivolous accessory is an eventual failure and maintenance headache.  No thank you.

[Bob Gaines]

   Part of my response was a joke but it was actually based on the fact that "this" old S.O.B. doesn't play well with "modern" computer controlled cars. I took it to a friend who has a code reader and the code reader gave me 4 options from oxygen sensor to catalytic converter. With almost 200,000 miles on the clock and the vehicle value being "scrap" ( I got a courtesy $1,000 trade in value) there was NO reason to spend money chasing the problem.
   Give me a carburetor and a spark plug and I'm a tuning wizard , but "smart cars" are TOO smart for me! LOL That is the reason there is a 50 year spread between the car I enjoy the most and the car I drive every day. At least I can still fix the old ex rental car.
      Randy

I too am unenthusiastic about current offerings.  I can recall 45 years ago buying every automotive magazine off the rack.  Evenings, friends and I gather to read cover to cover.  We would debate when successful which cars we would buy first.  Fast forward.  There is NOTHING new I want to own.  Nothing.  I drive a '98 F150 work series truck with manual transmission, crank windows, rubber floor mats, short cab, and air conditioning delete.  Because of its simplicity it has been essentially maintenance free for 270K miles.  Other than plugs, wires and a fuel filter the ignition and FI is flawless.  Unfortunately, corrosion has taken a toll on the frame and replacement is deemed necessary.  Ford's detestable start-stop feature is reason enough to buy a GM product.  Want to guess the service interval and increased ownership cost to replace starter and ring gear??   Detroit has left the market wide open for China or India to offer a reliable, bare bones, utility vehicle.  Every do-dad and frivolous accessory is an eventual failure and maintenance headache.  No thank you.

I was asking advice for new and used cars because of a anticipated new or used SUV for my wife from a auto repair shop owning friend . I wanted to hear about the different issues coming in his shop and the various makes and models that had them . I was of course mostly interested in the Ford line. He was basically very disappointed to say the least for what the future had to hold in respect to all makes and models . He came back from a recent seminar and while relating what he had heard was visibly upset when he told me of what was being discussed on models in the next few years and about all of accessory's. The consequent repercussions for consumers maintenance cost will be through the roof. Something as simple as changing your battery will be a major expense . Only a dealer with the proper equipment to sync the battery to the other systems is just one example. He said something about a 600.00 charge anticipated for that service. Hand washing only of vehicles because of all of the numerous cameras and sonar sensors that high pressure wash will upset . He said re syncing or adjusting the equipment would be in the 1200.00 range. Some of these issue impact vehicles being sold in the next couple years.The days of maintaining a even 10 year old car will make it impractical to keep. As one computer system fails it takes out 3 others along with it.  I already hear scary stories about the hybrids since they have been on the road long enough to start having the batteries fail. I have heard of 3,500 price tags for 50% capacity reconditioned battery packs . I am scared to think what brand new ones cost . It will not take too many years of depreciation on a new vehicle to make it impractical to repair .

[427heaven]

Well we here as Ford lovers don't need to worry to much longer about what car we want to purchase because next year Ford is going to cease operations of passenger car manufacturing except the truck lineup and the Mustang Say it aint so..... Well it is so- BUMMER

[SNAKEBIT]

557, Mr. Gaines, 427. Hmm . . . I am worried now about what some of you have said about the future of our car industry. Older cars, don't have all the great, albeit expensive and sometimes, unreliable features, but they are much easier to repair and cheaper, too.  Geesh, this world is going to heck in a handbag! Boy oh boy. Thanks to all who have responded to this thread. Let it lead where it may. . .

[papa scoops]

don't give up on ford cars. they will be back, completely new. phred

[pmustang]

And dont forget 1000 dollar side mirrors, 1500 windscreens and 2000 dollar headlights

I have been predicting that we will rent a car and not be owninf them soon enough. Maintainance will be included and it will be a fixed contract for x years and then it gets scraped

I dont know who.determines we need all the crap in new cars but I hate it

A friend owns a garage near me in the UK.  Had a range rover towed in.  Push button (Electric) hand brake was jamned. Guy was desperate for the car the next day.  Motor replacement was £1500. Had to cut the cable for the guy to take the car
So £1500 for the motor, plus cables plus install...for a handbrake!

[CSX 4133]

Let's just admit that we as drivers are an endangered species. Autonomous cars are going to replace us all. Good news for those you cannot "drive" anyway, now they'll have more time for their devices while they are delivered to their destinations. There is a general disconnect regarding cars and their operation, maintenance and appreciation by the last two plus generations in my estimation. The "nanny" cars of today are a prelude to a totally driverless car in less than ten years, and almost all of those will be electric if they have their way. Enjoy your cars gentlemen, we are the last generation of driver enthusiasts, I'm going to go out and wake up the neighborhood by starting up my Shelby.

[deathsled]

Let's just admit that we as drivers are an endangered species. Autonomous cars are going to replace us all. Good news for those you cannot "drive" anyway, now they'll have more time for their devices while they are delivered to their destinations. There is a general disconnect regarding cars and their operation, maintenance and appreciation by the last two plus generations in my estimation. The "nanny" cars of today are a prelude to a totally driverless car in less than ten years, and almost all of those will be electric if they have their way. Enjoy your cars gentlemen, we are the last generation of driver enthusiasts, I'm going to go out and wake up the neighborhood by starting up my Shelby.

Wake em up!

At least we have the privilege of being the last and not being shoehorned into driverless nonsense. Wait til every county in this country goes bankrupt from lost revenue garnered by moving violations. With driverless cars there will be no moving violations perpetrated by the will of the driverless passenger, right? Somebody might yet wake up and realize this is a bad idea. Love to see how driverless cars handle snowfall. Radar? Lasers? Cameras? There are many challenges (and lawsuits) that await.

Best,
Richard E.

[SNAKEBIT]

Seems like we have a pretty gloomy auto future ahead for the preceeding generations. If I had a Shelby, I'd start mine up, too. Hehe. Anybody else getting a pat on the back for any fix-it repairs on their cars lately? Any model/make is ok. I'm going to finish the other two rear shocks pretty soon. It will be harder for sure. I don't have a lift! I know a guy who has/had a body shop who might let me raise my car up. I haven't talked to him for several years. Not sure.

[deathsled]

Keep doing your own repairs Snakebit!  It's very rewarding  My philosophy toward any repair is if I run into trouble I can always tap out and have my car towed to a facility to fix.  So far, I have not used that trump card...
I hope you get your Shelby some day soon.

[Side-Oilers]

Agreed on our generation (meaning Boomers, and some diligent Gen X'ers) being the last of the enthusiast drivers. Sure, there will be an occasional person with car guy genes who is still in his pre-school years today, but they will be few.  Excruciatingly few.

In reality: How many teens in the future will be buying 25 year old Priuses (or any other hybrid/electric/fuel cell vehicle) from a boneyard and fixing them up as their first car?

None.

Disposable transportation modules.  Not even a driver required.  Leased, not owned.  Tracks your every movement.  Just about impossible for anyone but the new car dealer to repair.  As entertaining as your average two-slice toaster.

Oh wait, that day is already here.

To hell with the battery consortium...let's pool our smartest engineers and build that time machine to go back to the '60s so we can live it all over again.

[deathsled]

Agreed on our generation (meaning Boomers, and some diligent Gen X'ers) being the last of the enthusiast drivers. Sure, there will be an occasional person with car guy genes who is still in his pre-school years today, but they will be few.  Excruciatingly few.

In reality: How many teens in the future will be buying 25 year old Priuses (or any other hybrid/electric/fuel cell vehicle) from a boneyard and fixing them up as their first car?

None.

Disposable transportation modules.  Not even a driver required.  Leased, not owned.  Tracks your every movement.  Just about impossible for anyone but the new car dealer to repair.  As entertaining as your average two-slice toaster.

Oh wait, that day is already here.

To hell with the battery consortium...let's pool our smartest engineers and build that time machine to go back to the '60s so we can live it all over again.

YES!!!

[SNAKEBIT]

Deathsled, thanks for the encouragement. I appreciate it. Right now, I'm going back to my garage today, to finish cleaning and putting back together, my '67 Browning Auto-5. It was absolutely filthy inside. It was very abused by its last/past owner(s). It has 2 roughed spots, one on the end of the barrel and the front of the forend and a big chuck of the buttstock that was broken off. I theorize that it was probably on the back/top of someone's vehicle and was forgotten there, when they drove off and it hit the road at speed. Well, it's in good, caring hands now and it will be passed on to my son. It's a light 12 with the blonde wood. Later.

[deathsled]

I like guns, Snakebit, but I don't own any. Had I, today I would not be alive given a couple of my crazy exes. They would have used them on me to be sure.

[gt350hr]

     Bob ,
        I made sure I bought the extra cost long term bumper to bumper warranty as the "electronics" were only covered for 12 months on the standard Ford warranty. The standard powertrain is like 7-70 or something , now I'm good to 100 . After careful review , I stayed away from the Escape because of "issues" reported.  The Explorer had good reviews with most complaints being about video related things. This new one has more room in the back though it is officially "off limits" for swap meets LOL. Sonoma caused that LOL.
   Randy