jlangholzj; your Camaro has nothing "Dark-Side" on what shall be gracing my driveway starting Monday night!
As mentioned in at least one other thread today; my daughter Jessie called me while I was at work Friday and announced that she had a job. About 30 hours a week; enough to buy gas and make insurance payments; which was the condition I set for letting her use part of her grandma's inheritance to buy a car. So we went out to "Snowbird Acres" (the "Foothills" area east of Yuma on I-8) to look for an old grandma I mean reliable, well-maintained pre-owned vehicle for her. Last night's reconoitering revealed only one that seemingly pleased both of us..... Jessie wanted a "sport-ute type" vehicle; I was looking for a low-po slow I mean economical car.
Today, we went back out and hit a few more vacant lots in that area and found nothing that worked for one or the other of us, other than the "compromise car" that she and I found last night; so we called the guy and took it for a spin.
It's a '95 Suzuki Sidekick JLX (think "4-door Chevy/GEO Tracker") with a blistering 90HP 1.6L 4-banger, automatic, A/C, power steering/brakes/windows/locks and a new front seal and timing belt. Needs new meats and brake pads (at least for the way Jessie likes to lock up the binders), could use a new valve cover gasket, and it sounds like it needs new hinge-pin bushings on the rear door. The door doesn't look like -once the spare tire comes off- it could weigh much more than about half as much as the doors on my old '91 "Rice-Eating Generic Chevy Truck" or on the Cougar (been there, done that on both vehicles); so that shouldn't be a big deal. I did my research online last night.... no recalls, no major TSB's; and NHTSA records give it an average crash-safety rating, with an EPA rating of 22/26 MPG.
The test-drive was okay..... engine was "buzzy" (Consumer Reports was right on the money with that) and nobody could ever possibly get whiplash from the 0-60 times (which I really appreciated). The tranny shifted FIRM, no slip-sliding there. No pulls to the left or right, even under hard braking, A/C pumped cold, lights and flashers worked, no major oil-spills (other than the little bitty seepage around the valve-cover). Didn't take it off-road to test the 4WD; took the guy's word on that. No howls, growls, or strange clunks (other than the rear door). In all, I think it will be a good little "first car" for the kid - she'll be better piloting it than she's been with her mother's Ram 1500 or my F150 4x4.
And if she breaks it; I can borrow a motorcyle trailer to haul it home.
The guy wanted $3900, NADA and KBB estimated $3300 trade-in, $3600 private sale. Jessie offered him 35, he countered with 38, they settled on 37; which was more than I would have given (I'd have held at $3500 for the tires), but, "it's her money".
At least she promised me "no fart-cans, wings or body-kits"
Yes, I know,
Well, the only pictures we presently have are on Jessie's phone-cam, and the exterior was pretty dirty - the guy got wild with the Armorall, and we've had a couple-three dust-storms recently. Once Jessie gets it home and cleans it up; I'm sure there will be a few (hundred) pictures she can upload to one of our photobucket accounts.
As mentioned in at least one other thread today; my daughter Jessie called me while I was at work Friday and announced that she had a job. About 30 hours a week; enough to buy gas and make insurance payments; which was the condition I set for letting her use part of her grandma's inheritance to buy a car. So we went out to "Snowbird Acres" (the "Foothills" area east of Yuma on I-8) to look for an old grandma I mean reliable, well-maintained pre-owned vehicle for her. Last night's reconoitering revealed only one that seemingly pleased both of us..... Jessie wanted a "sport-ute type" vehicle; I was looking for a low-po slow I mean economical car.
Today, we went back out and hit a few more vacant lots in that area and found nothing that worked for one or the other of us, other than the "compromise car" that she and I found last night; so we called the guy and took it for a spin.
It's a '95 Suzuki Sidekick JLX (think "4-door Chevy/GEO Tracker") with a blistering 90HP 1.6L 4-banger, automatic, A/C, power steering/brakes/windows/locks and a new front seal and timing belt. Needs new meats and brake pads (at least for the way Jessie likes to lock up the binders), could use a new valve cover gasket, and it sounds like it needs new hinge-pin bushings on the rear door. The door doesn't look like -once the spare tire comes off- it could weigh much more than about half as much as the doors on my old '91 "Rice-Eating Generic Chevy Truck" or on the Cougar (been there, done that on both vehicles); so that shouldn't be a big deal. I did my research online last night.... no recalls, no major TSB's; and NHTSA records give it an average crash-safety rating, with an EPA rating of 22/26 MPG.
The test-drive was okay..... engine was "buzzy" (Consumer Reports was right on the money with that) and nobody could ever possibly get whiplash from the 0-60 times (which I really appreciated). The tranny shifted FIRM, no slip-sliding there. No pulls to the left or right, even under hard braking, A/C pumped cold, lights and flashers worked, no major oil-spills (other than the little bitty seepage around the valve-cover). Didn't take it off-road to test the 4WD; took the guy's word on that. No howls, growls, or strange clunks (other than the rear door). In all, I think it will be a good little "first car" for the kid - she'll be better piloting it than she's been with her mother's Ram 1500 or my F150 4x4.
And if she breaks it; I can borrow a motorcyle trailer to haul it home.
The guy wanted $3900, NADA and KBB estimated $3300 trade-in, $3600 private sale. Jessie offered him 35, he countered with 38, they settled on 37; which was more than I would have given (I'd have held at $3500 for the tires), but, "it's her money".
At least she promised me "no fart-cans, wings or body-kits"
Yes, I know,
Well, the only pictures we presently have are on Jessie's phone-cam, and the exterior was pretty dirty - the guy got wild with the Armorall, and we've had a couple-three dust-storms recently. Once Jessie gets it home and cleans it up; I'm sure there will be a few (hundred) pictures she can upload to one of our photobucket accounts.
I guess you've got one up on me for that one 
He can pre-rice his own Cobra for his little StangNet skirmishes and leave MY 'Z' out of it... Poopy face could have taken the Cobra or the Motorcycle to work today since it was so nice out today but he griped that 40 degrees was too cold this morning for either. (And yet he takes the Cobra to breakfasts in late fall when it's just as cold or colder). The 'Z' is offically mine some time around Friday and senior Poopy face El-Chepo Dan isn't going to be taking 'him' anywhere else... ISH MIIIINNNNE.
