Vehicle Preference

[yellowxj]

Some people have what we call "redneck luck"...like my friend who bought a old mazda pick up with a piece of black electrical tape over the number 4 on the shifter...there was no fourth gear...we called it a 3 speed w/ overdrive...drove it from fla to virginia the same week he bought it...replaced the tranny a month later...no gear oil just some silver metallic paste that oozed out...I could never get away with that.

Actually I take that back..

we knocked the rear drive shaft out of a jeep on the trail...it broke off that tiny tab that keeps the ujoint centered in the yoke...we got out the broken bolts and found some spare straps/bolts....put it together...then wrapped the yoke with speaker wire and duct tape...or the time we made tire plugs out of the cord from an old coaches whistle and blue RTV...took 4 plugs to fill the hole...made it off the trail and back to the trailer.

[FastDoc]

That's a great story, XJ. Reminds me of something we'd see on Top Gear.

[katoranger]

I have had vehicles that didn't like me. GMC Safari van was one. Started with a fuel leak. Replaced seal on top of tank. Next it snapped the output shaft on the trans. Rear planetary grenaded.

Rebuilt the 4l60E using junkyard parts. I had another one from a firebird that donated parts and we did some upgrades with 4l80 parts too. Shift kit and deep pan. Shifted really nice after that. 8O

All was going good. Drove it MN. Picked up 3 motorcycles on my trailer. Going home it spun a rod bearing in IA. Oil pressure never dropped.

Friend of mine drove from GA with a Cummins Ram and a large trailer. We loaded both the van and my small trailer on the big one.

I should have traded it for something else in IA, but no we put a crank kit in from the bottom of the van. :roll: Got it running again. Ran good,but leaked oil. New seals and everything. I drove it a few more months and pawned it off on some "undocumented workers" for $1500. Guy in broken english. "transmission is rough". :wink:

Got me a $750 escort wagon. 40mpg. 8)

[Weldangrind]

My first Caravan was an '89, and it had the strangest symptom. The wipers would sporadically make one pass, night or day, rain or shine, for no reason. Several hours later, it might happen again. Of course, the dealer could never get the problem to occur, so they did nothing. :roll: Of course, they had never heard of such a symptom before. Riiiight.

I've had four Caravans since then, and they've all done it. My 2009 did it just yesterday.

[TurboT]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

My first Caravan was an '89, and it had the strangest symptom. The wipers would sporadically make one pass, night or day, rain or shine, for no reason. Several hours later, it might happen again. Of course, the dealer could never get the problem to occur, so they did nothing. :roll: Of course, they had never heard of such a symptom before. Riiiight.

I've had four Caravans since then, and they've all done it. My 2009 did it just yesterday.

I'm on my third Caravan in the family, never seen that happen.

[cheesy]

My dad worked for AMC from the mid fifties to the mid eighties and us kids were required to own at least one AMC product while we were living at home.
I had a 67 Ambassador DPL that looked good, ran great, and got good gas mileage. However, it didn't like the BW Flash-O-Matic transmission. I wasn't hard on them, no lighting up the tires or reversers. They would just quit. I got to where I could yank one out and shove another in in about three hours. It died in VA, though, in 1975.

I was the first in my family to consider owning an import and bought a new 1975 Honda Civic Hatchback. You could pop the hood, spit on the engine, and it would start to miss. Needless to say, that was my last Honda.

When AMC got bought from Renault out by Chrysler, I started buying their products. The 84 Horizon served us well being replaced by a 95 Le Baron that I became well versed in changing front axles. I currently have an 05 Wrangler whose Check Engine Light is the most dependable feature on the vehicle.

My truck of choice has been Fords though I had a sweet 52 Chevy 3100 pickup that a clown in an Olds used for ramming practice.

I've had a few GM product that I usually bought used because they were cheap. A 74 Opel Manta that was truly a nice car. An 83 Pontiac 6000 that marked its territory via its valve covers and an 84 Suburban whose main feature was rust. I did have a 78 Chevy Malibu Classic Estate wagon that was such a POS that I would leave it parked out on the street with the windows down, doors unlocked, and keys in the ignition and the damn thing would still be there in the morning.

I almost wish I could have that 67 Ambassador back.

[katoranger]

Originally Posted by cheesy

I did have a 78 Chevy Malibu Classic Estate wagon that was such a POS that I would leave it parked out on the street with the windows down, doors unlocked, and keys in the ignition and the damn thing would still be there in the morning.

I had a pontiac that the windows did not go up, door locks didn't work, didn't need a key anymore. It sat in the parking lot like that. No one bother it for fear of tetanus. :wink:

I believe teh padlock hasps on the passenger side clued them in.