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,
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,