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FrozenGate by Avery

In a pickle, car pickle. Help!?!

Hap,

You seem like a pretty smart dude. Do you have any skills as a mechanic? Have you tried?
I ask this because I hate to see people renting cars. It doesn't sit well with me. That is my personal opinion.
You never get to own it. That may be ok for you. I am not comfortable with it. It is like paying rent for a house... no thanks.

I myself try to buy vehicles that I know I can get parts for at a low cost. Foreign vehicles are generally a no go. Parts are expensive.
I am fairly decent at troubleshooting. I also am not too bad at remembering how I took things apart. If not take a lot of pictures.

I'd recommend buying another used vehicle and get a loan from a credit union. (or just save about 4,000 and buy one out right) They usually have good interest rates.
I'd go for a Chevy with a small block v8 or v6. Either a truck, or suburban, or tahoe. Something that doesn't have a obscure engine type. The parts from many different year models will fit it also, so you don't pigeon-hole yourself.
I get parts from the "pick and pull" junk yards all the time when I have an issue. If not you can bet that RockAuto.com or AdvancedAuto or Autozone has the part I need, not the dealership (well 99% of the time anyway).

TL:DR -> Buy a Chevy Used with v6 or v8, get a Credit Union Loan (low interest)
 
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^Thanks!

I plan on driving my car until it craps out on me honestly. If another expensive fix is due I'll buy another certified car instead. Possibly a Ford or a Chevy! :)

-Alex
 
Being able to do car repairs is usually more a question of having the tools, and space for it. The #1 thing that makes mechanics able to do the same things as anyone else is having the lift, and some air pressure. Aside from that, while the engineering that goes into the cars is very impressive, the actual mechanics are rarely all that complicated, and add up to just replacing the broken parts. There are literally a ton of videos on how do to car repairs, and often practically step by step guides for the more common cars.

That said, without the tools, the space, and the time, it's unrealistic to have the expectation of being able to do your own repairs.

Edit: In general, per my mechanics, and also based on lots of personal observation, for a car over 5 years, it's generally worth repairing if the repair in less than half of the current value of the car. If the repair is over 50%, dump it. Of course buying and selling is quite a hassle, so that's also worth factoring in.
 
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Lifetime17 said:
Buy american keep your money here in the states
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Don't kid yourself. US companies buy most of their parts from china. If it's the "jobs" you wan to support, know that "foreign" companies still have manufacturing plants in the US.
 
Hap said:
^Thanks!

I plan on driving my car until it craps out on me honestly. If another expensive fix is due I'll buy another certified car instead. Possibly a Ford or a Chevy! :)

-Alex
Click to expand...

If the misfire problem changed from cylinder 2 to cylinder 3 by swaping wires it would indicted something wrong with one of the wires or coil packs-- a simple thing to fix---only 2 wires and 2 coil packs on the engine. Each coil pack is associated with 1 wire--so one set is not working correctly. Coil packs age and get cracks or have other problems--wires become faulty---is very common problem on older cars.
 
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Encap said:
If the misfire problem changed from cylinder 2 to cylinder 3 by swaping wires it would indicted something wrong with one of the wires or coil packs-- a simple thing to fix---only 2 wires and 2 coil packs on the engine. Each coil pack is associated with 1 wire--so one set is not working correctly. Coil pakcs age and get cracks or have other problems--wire wear out---is very common problem on older cars.
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Ok, thanks Encap.

Kinda funny how you could find the problem & verified mechanics couldn't :/

Oh well.

-Alex
 
Hap said:
Ok, thanks Encap.

Kinda funny how you could find the problem & verified mechanics couldn't :/

Oh well.

-Alex
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I didn't find the problem --just using common sense guess--- cylinder 2 is misfiring--swap the wire going to cylinder 2 with the one going to cylinder 3 and vice versa now cylinder 3 is misfiring-----if the misfire is following the wire swap then is likely that is the problem--sounds to me to be a bad wire or bad wire/coil pack assembly if that was the case.

Could be other causes---you need someone who knows about those cars and will recognize/diagnose the problem.

Point is could be somethng simple like that---best to find out for sure before making any decisions.

In any case, good luck and hope it is something simple like above and not costly to fix.
 
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Hey Hap,
I used to work in the service department in a Chrysler dealership for almost 8 yrs. I built my own rock crawler Jeep Cherokee, and currently I'm building my '04 Mazdaspeed Miata. If you have any general repair questions, please feel free to ask. It's pretty difficult to diagnose a vehicle without seeing it, but I may still be able to help. Generally speaking, car repair difficulty isn't so much about part swapping as much as diagnosing what is bad first. Electrical problems are the worst! The rule of thumb is, if you're able to swap parts around, and the problem follows with the parts that was moved, replacing that specific part is the first thing to do.

As far as buying/leasing a new car. If you don't plan on replacing it every 3 yrs. or so, just go with a certified used. The only thing with buying a used car is, it probably won't have the paint color, or options you want. So if that's not a big deal, then go for it. Not to mention, if you have some patience, you can find a 2-3 yr. old car with under 30k on it. I've owned somewhere around 30 vehicles so far, so feel free to ask! :beer:
 
Chrisbee said:
Hey Hap,
I used to work in the service department in a Chrysler dealership for almost 8 yrs. I built my own rock crawler Jeep Cherokee, and currently I'm building my '04 Mazdaspeed Miata. If you have any general repair questions, please feel free to ask. It's pretty difficult to diagnose a vehicle without seeing it, but I may still be able to help. Generally speaking, car repair difficulty isn't so much about part swapping as much as diagnosing what is bad first. Electrical problems are the worst! The rule of thumb is, if you're able to swap parts around, and the problem follows with the parts that was moved, replacing that specific part is the first thing to do.

As far as buying/leasing a new car. If you don't plan on replacing it every 3 yrs. or so, just go with a certified used. The only thing with buying a used car is, it probably won't have the paint color, or options you want. So if that's not a big deal, then go for it. Not to mention, if you have some patience, you can find a 2-3 yr. old car with under 30k on it. I've owned somewhere around 30 vehicles so far, so feel free to ask! :beer:
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Thanks Chrisbee,

Will do! :D

-Alex
 
Hap, haven't we been here before?

As for leasing, I don't really have an opinion as I buy all my cars. But I don't buy new. I buy cars that were leased cars. Price is much cheaper. Car is broken in and usually, if a certified car (from a dealer) comes with a 1yr warranty. My Accord did which was great when the dealer had to replace the starter. My cost was $0. The replacement was super easy, but since I had the warranty, I let them do it.

I don't care much for the offerings of Chevy/Ford/Chrysler either at the moment. Which is a lot to say considering I've been driving for over 40 years and all I've owned prior to 2003 was Chevy's and Buick's.

My current fleet is a subaru forester, a honda civic and a honda accord (all off lease cars). I will buy another civic when the accord dies, which may be never. I recently rented a Hyundai Elantra for 2 weeks and drove it the length of the west coast. If I didn't like my hondas so much I would buy one. Consider trying to rent the car you want for a day or two to see if you really like it.

I think you can do better than $141/mo for the lease. Like others have said, consider all costs including insurance and all those hidden $ down charges. $141/ sounds cheap now.....but not if the "due at signing" is $5000 or so. Also if you look at other brands you may find a cheaper lease and maybe a better car.

Civics (and I'm sure some others) are super simple to do you own work. Consider taking a car repair course at your local high school or trade school. You'll be happy you did.
 
I will say that my 2012 mustang 5.0 sucks the gas down like crazy, probably because I can't keep my foot out of it!! Just remember not to get a 430hp V8 unless you wanna pay out the butt on everything like gas and tickets and insurance :O
 
Zathras said:
Hap, haven't we been here before?

As for leasing, I don't really have an opinion as I buy all my cars. But I don't buy new. I buy cars that were leased cars. Price is much cheaper. Car is broken in and usually, if a certified car (from a dealer) comes with a 1yr warranty. My Accord did which was great when the dealer had to replace the starter. My cost was $0. The replacement was super easy, but since I had the warranty, I let them do it.

I don't care much for the offerings of Chevy/Ford/Chrysler either at the moment. Which is a lot to say considering I've been driving for over 40 years and all I've owned prior to 2003 was Chevy's and Buick's.

My current fleet is a subaru forester, a honda civic and a honda accord (all off lease cars). I will buy another civic when the accord dies, which may be never. I recently rented a Hyundai Elantra for 2 weeks and drove it the length of the west coast. If I didn't like my hondas so much I would buy one. Consider trying to rent the car you want for a day or two to see if you really like it.

I think you can do better than $141/mo for the lease. Like others have said, consider all costs including insurance and all those hidden $ down charges. $141/ sounds cheap now.....but not if the "due at signing" is $5000 or so. Also if you look at other brands you may find a cheaper lease and maybe a better car.

Civics (and I'm sure some others) are super simple to do you own work. Consider taking a car repair course at your local high school or trade school. You'll be happy you did.
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Thanks!

Yeah, all those extra "charges" will sneak up on you. Insurance, downpayment, monthly cost along with any other fees the dealership may throw at you.

I'll keep the Volvo for now, as it gets me to where I need to go. But really will need to find a new, better car in the coming years.

Edit: Richie, don't you worry :D

:yh:

-Alex
 
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Richie89 said:
I will say that my 2012 mustang 5.0 sucks the gas down like crazy, probably because I can't keep my foot out of it!! Just remember not to get a 430hp V8 unless you wanna pay out the butt on everything like gas and tickets and insurance :O
Click to expand...
Now Now, it can't be that bad with a 5th gear overdrive:whistle::beer:
Before putting my 70 GS 455 in storage well over away 20 years ago with the intentions of replacing the trunk panel "which I haven' done a thing yet" I could actually see the gas gauge needle drop every time I punched it. It sure is worth it though isn't it:)
Boy did we stray from the OP subject but ""Hap"" please do yourself well and start with little things like changing the oil and filters. It will really make you feel good and be proud of your self buddie, Ask anyone here that is pushing you that way;)
 
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I recently went through the process of getting a car loan and purchasing a vehicle not too long ago. Not too bad of a process. I got a credit card from a credit union with no previous credit. Built my credit for a year and then went for a loan. All I did was bring some pay stubs in to show my income and walked out with a blank check and $16,000 limit. Almost too easy actually. Ended up with a 13' hyundai elantra with only 2,500 miles on it and 2nd owners get half the factory warranty so 5yr 50,000 miles. Won't have to worry about any major issues for the majority of my loan. Worked out great.
 
GR3EN said:
I recently went through the process of getting a car loan and purchasing a vehicle not too long ago. Not too bad of a process. I got a credit card from a credit union with no previous credit. Built my credit for a year and then went for a loan. All I did was bring some pay stubs in to show my income and walked out with a blank check and $16,000 limit. Almost too easy actually. Ended up with a 13' hyundai elantra with only 2,500 miles on it and 2nd owners get half the factory warranty so 5yr 50,000 miles. Won't have to worry about any major issues for the majority of my loan. Worked out great.
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GR3EN,

Good to see you posting again! Good on you! I'm actually surprised to have a credit limit of $1,000 actually. Don't know many 19 year olds with that high of a limit. Last time I checked, my credit score was in the high 600's which is also pretty good!

The Volvo seems to be running fine right now, but I know that could change any day. Interestingly enough, the "misfires" seems to be less pronounced once the engine has had time to warm-up and run for a little while which is great!

-Alex
 
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