adult decisions
i'm all fired up now, having had a wicked stressful day and the largest margarita my local mexican place has to offer.
since friday, every waking (and many a semi-conscious) moment has been spent with this car issue on the back burner (and oft on the front, especially at work).
the problem: i am wicked frustrated. i have a great car that i love. it is a fun little go-kart for my 110 mi/day commute. it is not the most reliable, being 13 years old. i am tired of being tortured from the sidelines of events. ice racing and karting are not enough; i want autox, i want rallyx, i want anything i can get into and afford (hah). i'm tired of sitting idle and i'm only going to get poorer come school time.
the solution, responsible and meh: get a loan and buy a $7k-10k "reliable" car of the impreza L or mazda 3 hatch, etc. ilk. still fun to drive and handles well, but can stay mostly stock and has a powertrain warranty. race the se-r, since it's halfway to being prepped anyway. spend extra money on 1) race seat 2) harness 3) swaybars 4) smaller wheel/rack. probably not enter my own vehicle until next season; mooch off friends' rides this year. cons are high payments, insurance, waiting, and only being able to mod one car.
the solution, entirely puerile and quite attractive: buy a local se-r for cheap. it's a '91, 150k miles, with an oil leak (how bad? dunno), gear oil weep, 5th gear pop-out (who needs 5th in autox?), worn clutch and body rust. to pass inspection and avoid arrest while driving, it needs an entirely new exhaust (possibly header back), new rotors all around, front pads and probably calipers. if i had a garage, that would be no issue. and OMG IT'S ONLY $400 DO YOU UNDERSTAND HOW CHEAP THAT IS. it's a great deal, it's really just great. i also have rotors, pads, suspension, and a clutch just kicking around. and a spare set of all seasons on stock wheels too. cons are obvious; it's a shit heap and i have nowhere to work on it. i would really enjoy having a stripped, lean, and mean dedicated project car; a white se-r to park next to my black one, and start a happy multi-racial family.
now taking votes. i haven't made up my mind and while the majority of my motorhead friends have weighed in, i'm always looking for some trouble.
5 Comments:
i would just like to make note that no matter what car you get, you NEVER know if it's going to be a piece of crap or a fantastic buy.
our stupid '04 350z roadster (bought brand spakin' new) had to have its transmission replaced after owning it 2 months, then the clutch had to be replaced last week with only 17k miles on it (the car is driven 4 miles to and from work every day and NEVER raced... a shame, i know). the lovely nissan service techs said it was fixed but the moment we drove it away we realized that it, in fact, was NOT fixed. so now they're "looking at it." i say it that way because i think they're just trying to aviod replacing the 2nd transmission. anyhow, lucky number 3, here we come.
so, besides my bitching about our problems, the point i'd like to make is this: even if your car is new and has a warranty, there's no guarantee it's going to stay out of the shop and there's no guarantee that the jackass dealer won't try to blame you for their idiotic engineering. nissan? never again. i'm sticking to my bimmers.
how this helps you? i don't really know. maybe just remember that even if you pay a lot for a car, there's no guarantee that it won't crap out on you. that's not my vote for buying a cheap older car. but it's not my vote for buying new one, either. i'm a big help, i know.
12:29 AM
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11:13 AM
even if your car is new and has a warranty, there's no guarantee it's going to stay out of the shop and there's no guarantee that the jackass dealer won't try to blame you for their idiotic engineering.
PREACH IT, SISTER.
(or brother, i guess. who are you, anyway?)
11:14 AM
that's my best friend from high school, there's a pic of us at her wedding in my gallery :)
11:21 AM
nissan just called. transmission number 3 will be here between monday and wednesday. then they will put it in. it's so lovely that it's thursday and the car has been sitting undiagnosed (well, undiagnosed by THEM) since saturday. there's nothing like caring about how long your customers have to wait to get their cars back. grrrrr.... i'm so frustrated.
7:57 PM
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