Do expensive cars inspire road rage?

In article . com>, N8N wrote:

> expensive suspension rubber bits and the non-serviceable, 2-piece
> driveshaft...

I hate the non-servicable parts. Had to blow ~$300 on a new cooling fan
for the mustang. Dealer only, nonservicable. The original had been making
noise for some time. I could have saved it if I could have opened it up
and re-greased the bushings/bearings. but opening it up was as big of a
risk as letting it be.

But thankfully the multifunction switch was servicable so I didn't have
to buy a new part yesterday. Just opened it up and fixed the broken wire
inside. Guess I use the turn signal lever too much

Brent P wrote:
> In article . com>, N8N wrote:
>
> > expensive suspension rubber bits and the non-serviceable, 2-piece
> > driveshaft...
>
> I hate the non-servicable parts. Had to blow ~$300 on a new cooling fan
> for the mustang.

Now, ol' N8N's just leading you on. Either that or he hasn't asked the
right folks (like me) about where to buy and how to install all those
rubber suspension bits. Should be under ~$500 for all of 'em - and you
only need to do it about once every 15 years or 150,000 miles,
whichever comes first. As for the driveshaft, another $50-$100 on top
of your Mustang fan buys you a newly reconditioned *and serviceable*
2-piece BMW driveshaft. Again, maybe every decade and a half or 200K
miles. YMMV.

Compared to almost anything *under* 15 years old, for sheer driving
fun, looks, and serviceability (I'm a DIY Guy©), I'm stickin' with Da
Red Dog: my '88 BMW 535is w/181,8XX miles, as of yesterday, when I last
drove it.
--
C.R. Krieger
(Been there; drove that)

Motorhead Lawyer wrote:
> Brent P wrote:
> > In article . com>, N8N wrote:
> >
> > > expensive suspension rubber bits and the non-serviceable, 2-piece
> > > driveshaft...
> >
> > I hate the non-servicable parts. Had to blow ~$300 on a new cooling fan
> > for the mustang.
>
> Now, ol' N8N's just leading you on. Either that or he hasn't asked the
> right folks (like me) about where to buy and how to install all those
> rubber suspension bits. Should be under ~$500 for all of 'em - and you
> only need to do it about once every 15 years or 150,000 miles,
> whichever comes first. As for the driveshaft, another $50-$100 on top
> of your Mustang fan buys you a newly reconditioned *and serviceable*
> 2-piece BMW driveshaft. Again, maybe every decade and a half or 200K
> miles. YMMV.
>

At the time that I owned the car, I was living in an apartment
building, and my entire tool collection fit into a (very heavy) steel
toolbox, the kind you'd set on top of a roll cabinet. Doing suspension
work myself was simply Not An Option.

I priced out the modified driveshaft to which you refer; that alone
made up about 25% of the value of the car. It just wasn't worth it to
limp it along; plus, I was living in Ohio and knew I would be moving to
a state that had safety inspections very soon. I didn't mention that
the "bomb" was bad, and that the car had some kind of intermittent
sensor issue that would stop it dead after about 20 minutes of driving.
Also the TRX tires were near bald, and I was having serious issues
finding a tire shop that was willing to sell me 14" tires for the
wheels I'd procured. I'd also quite simply gotten sick of pumping
money into it... In short, it was a once-proud vehicle that
previous-owner neglect had turned into a beater.

> Compared to almost anything *under* 15 years old, for sheer driving
> fun, looks, and serviceability (I'm a DIY Guy©), I'm stickin' with Da
> Red Dog: my '88 BMW 535is w/181,8XX miles, as of yesterday, when I last
> drove it.
> --
> C.R. Krieger
> (Been there; drove that)

Yeah, I still kinda miss it... was a pretty gunmetal grey with a dark
red leather interior too, and the sound of the exhaust at the top of
second gear would give any car guy instant wood. *sigh* ah well, such
is life.

nate

In article . com>, Motorhead Lawyer wrote:
> Brent P wrote:
>> In article . com>, N8N wrote:
>>
>> > expensive suspension rubber bits and the non-serviceable, 2-piece
>> > driveshaft...
>>
>> I hate the non-servicable parts. Had to blow ~$300 on a new cooling fan
>> for the mustang.
>
> Now, ol' N8N's just leading you on.

Well, in my case the fan was non-servicable and I had to buy the whole
assembly with the shroud of course. And it was indeed a non-servicable
motor. I went and took it apart for giggles. I was lucky to get it back
together just to store it away.

On 19-Jan-2006, "N8N" > wrote:
> >
> > I took a look at your toys. Wow. The '55 is nice, but the '62
> > Daytona is far and away my favorite. Nice work!

> It could be yours for a small fee Seriously I have too many cars
> and not enough $$ and that will be the one that gets sold, because I
> have always wanted an early C-K. I really wanted a '53 or '54,
> preferably with a V-8 and 3/OD, but this one was solid, rust free,
> and the price was right...

Hmmmm. I wonder if DH would fit behind the wheel comfortably? He's
6'5". <G> It isn't *really* what we've got an eye out for - we're
really looking for something to offroad in. Our normal ride is just a
Honda CR-V, and although it's actually pretty sturdy, and will do an
awful lot you ask of it as far as off road travel is concerned it
isn't made for that. We had to face the facts the day we were out on
the trails and we ripped the emissions module off the bottom of it.
(Yes, there is video.)
If you knew where there might be a solid CJ-10 (4X4) a steer on such a
beast would be appreciated. Pretty isn't necessary, and would in fact
be a drawback. Other older solid four-bys would also be considered.
Loving cars as you do, you might have seen a few trucks in passing, so
it doesn't hurt to ask. :-)
--
Handy guide to modern science: If it's green or wriggles, it's
biology. If it stinks, it's chemistry. If it doesn't work, it's
physics.
Carmen

Carmen wrote:
> On 19-Jan-2006, "N8N" > wrote:
> > >
> > > I took a look at your toys. Wow. The '55 is nice, but the '62
> > > Daytona is far and away my favorite. Nice work!
>
> > It could be yours for a small fee Seriously I have too many cars
> > and not enough $$ and that will be the one that gets sold, because I
> > have always wanted an early C-K. I really wanted a '53 or '54,
> > preferably with a V-8 and 3/OD, but this one was solid, rust free,
> > and the price was right...
>
> Hmmmm. I wonder if DH would fit behind the wheel comfortably? He's
> 6'5". <G> It isn't *really* what we've got an eye out for - we're
> really looking for something to offroad in. Our normal ride is just a
> Honda CR-V, and although it's actually pretty sturdy, and will do an
> awful lot you ask of it as far as off road travel is concerned it
> isn't made for that. We had to face the facts the day we were out on
> the trails and we ripped the emissions module off the bottom of it.
> (Yes, there is video.)
> If you knew where there might be a solid CJ-10 (4X4) a steer on such a
> beast would be appreciated. Pretty isn't necessary, and would in fact
> be a drawback. Other older solid four-bys would also be considered.
> Loving cars as you do, you might have seen a few trucks in passing, so
> it doesn't hurt to ask. :-)
> --
> Handy guide to modern science: If it's green or wriggles, it's
> biology. If it stinks, it's chemistry. If it doesn't work, it's
> physics.
> Carmen

Serious answer, a Stude Lark is a great car for a larger person. It's
basically an older sedan with the overhangs lopped off, so it's got the
interior space of a mid-sized or small full-sized car while the
exterior dimensions are that of a compact. It's also why the styling
looks kinda weird. (they basically made a compact by using the
existing mid-55 to '58 central body and just restyling front and rear.
They were working on a shoestring budget at the time; if the '59 Lark
hadn't been a sales success they probably would have gone under then
instead of hanging on until '66.)

I can't help with the truck issue... I live in DC-land where anything
over 10 years old is considered archaic by the general public. Kinda
sad.

nate