Old cars… 2016-08-31, 08:58:27 And, perhaps, old people! I knew that this '99 Neon was on it's last legs… The housing for the thermostat (the regulator for the engine's "circulatory" system - as far as temperature is concerned) had been replaced; so, I thought everything was good!, even considering that it had fallen half-apart — one wonders how that happened? Perhaps the fuel line leak, spraying gasoline everywhere under the hood might have had something to do with it?I'd even given the engine a quart of oil! What more did it want!But it seems it was not enough… The car "died" at an intersection. I was able to re-start it; it "peeled out" — which I'd never done before; it burned rubber! Then I approached my usual turn — But my brakes didn't work! Yikes!So, I down-shifted as I approached the next intersection; I was in 1st gear when I made my final turn — and considering (Yes, I'm an idiot: I never considered using the "emergency" brake…) I steered into a parking place, and shut the engine off.Or put it in reverse gear or park… I honestly don't remember: I just wanted it to stop!Of course, I tried it often, turning the key to see if it'd start.. It seemed to be quite dead. Two days trying had convinced me, it was indeed dead.But on the fourth day my first try almost started it! My next try (yeah: I'm that kind of guy…) fired it up like nothing had happened before… (I even drove it to a "convenience" store to buy — guess?! Yeah: Beer.)But it worked! (Even the brakes…)Now, I need to save enough money to have competent people check it out.(A side-note: I asked my great-nephew, who bought and installed the thermostat and its housing, if he might have put it in backwards… He said No, it was notched so that such couldn't be done! Note: I only asked him after I knew the engine hadn't seized… I'm relieved.Apparently, I still have a road-worthy vehicle.Is that a good thing? ———————————————————————————————————————Do any of you have stories to tell about supposedly automobiles? Last Edit: 2016-08-31, 09:28:35 by OakdaleFTL
Re: Old cars… Reply #1 – 2016-08-31, 11:13:03 Went to look for what a Neon is, horrifying.You're forbidden of being seen in the streets inside such a thing.As an American of good taste get yourself a convertible Ford Mustang from the sixties. Well, it's not a Jaguar E-Type but it's the only American car that suits you well.
Re: Old cars… Reply #2 – 2016-08-31, 11:36:40 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-08-31, 03:13:03As an American of good taste get yourself a convertible Ford Mustang from the sixties.Those cost thirty or more of thousands of dollars nowadays… Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-08-31, 03:13:03Well, it's not a Jaguar E-Type but it's the only American car that suits you well.The XK-E was always my favorite car, for looks and performance together…But I've always been poor. (I once owned an MG. It was in a garage when I bought it and hadn't left it when I sold it. British engineering being what it was, I wasn't surprised. It was hard to work on… Some airplanes I worked on when I was a kid were like that, too; none of them -the ones I worked on- ever fell out of the sky.) Yeah, I liked the early Mustangs; and the Corvettes, even after they became "muscle" cars… But the original sport models were "way" cool! (Forgive my lapsing into the modern vernacular: I'd like any young'uns who stumble across this post to understand me… I have children, etc. … )
Re: Old cars… Reply #3 – 2016-08-31, 17:55:25 Neons are just junk. No two ways about it.I had the accelerator stick wide open on an old classic once. Was pulling into the parts house when it jammed. Roasted the tires and fishtailed into the lot. I somehow managed to miss a car pulling out while stomping the shit out of the accelerator hoping to unstick it (automatic transmission, btw) and finally did just as the thought to pop it in neutral occurred, coasting nicely into a parking spot - heart pumping. I'd cleaned and tinkered with the stock carburetor several times trying to stop that.
Re: Old cars… Reply #4 – 2016-08-31, 18:38:38 @ensbb3 That vaguely reminds me of my parents' old Volvo back in '92 or so. Its automatic transmission had started doing the equivalent of bringing the clutch up too fast. I vaguely remember crying and saying "mom, stop it!"For myself, I'm more freaked out by newer cars. Last year I rented two cars. One was a fancy-schmancy Citroën (a C6 maybe?) without a handbrake. I'm glad I didn't have to get going up an incline because I honestly wouldn't have known how the @##$ to operate that thing. Besides that it was really, really nice though.The other car I rented was a Nissan. Some kind of fancy-schmancy SUV, but it had this enormously "clever" feature of making first gear practically impossible to get into. Driving in the mountains with accidental third gear is no fun.I prefer just a simple Opel Corsa, Citroën C4, Peugeot 307… that kind of thing. No nonsense, gets the job done.PS I didn't rent any fancy-schmancy cars. I rented the cheapest "Opel Corsa or equivalent". That's what they gave me. Incidentally, I once got a Fiat Punto or something instead (in Italy). I thought that definitely wasn't an equivalent.
Re: Old cars… Reply #5 – 2016-08-31, 19:55:59 Quote from: Frenzie on 2016-08-31, 11:38:38For myself, I'm more freaked out by newer cars.Agreed. Electronic traction control pisses me off. My truck has "manual" shift buttons for the auto-trans... Found out, inadvertently, flying down a mountain (vacation) that you have to turn traction control off for it to hold the gear. Maybe not as intuitive as it should be? Oh, and in 4 wheel high you have to turn TC off so it's all time 4x4. Otherwise it only locks in on slippage. Friend got to pull me out of the mud over that lesson. (Ok, I shouldn't of been in the field with my street tires to begin with, but let's assume I could of made it had 4x4 worked as expected. I shifted to low and made progress. It's a little bit about momentum too, tho.)
Re: Old cars… Reply #6 – 2016-08-31, 20:45:06 There's no way Americans can understand a car as Europeans do.It goes for cars, it goes for anything else.
Re: Old cars… Reply #7 – 2016-08-31, 20:56:58 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-08-31, 20:45:06There's no way Americans can understand a car(Where's Jaybro?!)
Re: Old cars… Reply #8 – 2016-09-01, 00:14:51 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-08-31, 13:45:06There's no way Americans can understand a car as Europeans do. We call those go-carts. (or sometimes Neons, hehe)
Re: Old cars… Reply #9 – 2016-09-01, 09:09:54 Quote from: ensbb3 on 2016-09-01, 00:14:51We call those go-carts.I like the Smart, why more for city usage?
Re: Old cars… Reply #10 – 2016-09-01, 09:31:01 You just drive in the city, Bel? And Detroit is your city?
Re: Old cars… Reply #11 – 2016-09-01, 10:03:21 You can perfectly use a Smart for a 300km trip or even more. The space for the front occupiers is not too much different from any other small/medium car. If you enter inside one you'll be surprised.The problem is that car's manufacturing uses resources. The less resources we spend, the better.I don't understand your reference to Detroit.
Re: Old cars… Reply #12 – 2016-09-01, 14:48:46 Well, at least when it breaks down I could throw it in the bed of the truck and haul it home I've teased the boy about that being his first car... I don't think he's buying into the idea tho.
Re: Old cars… Reply #13 – 2016-09-01, 16:50:45 Poor boy. Even Europeans think those look ludicrous and we don't share that American penchant for boats on wheels. Quote from: ensbb3 on 2016-08-31, 19:55:59Agreed. Electronic traction control pisses me off. My truck has "manual" shift buttons for the auto-trans... Found out, inadvertently, flying down a mountain (vacation) that you have to turn traction control off for it to hold the gear. Maybe not as intuitive as it should be?Huh, weird. Now I'm curious what my parents' car would do with the fake manual shift, but I doubt I'll ever be driving that in the mountains.
Re: Old cars… Reply #14 – 2016-09-01, 19:47:38 Quote from: ensbb3 on 2016-08-31, 17:14:51We call those go-carts.Go-karts* (Why I can only notice this kinda thing the next day is interesting, smh.)Quote from: Frenzie on 2016-09-01, 09:50:45we don't share that American penchant for boats on wheels"Land-yachts", good sir. Makes it sound classy.Quote from: Frenzie on 2016-09-01, 09:50:45but I doubt I'll ever be driving that in the mountains.I'd be interested to see if that's a thing across makes too. Worked really well after I figured 'er out. Barely had to touch the breaks compared to almost setting them ablaze the first trip down the mountain.
Re: Old cars… Reply #15 – 2016-09-02, 06:38:19 …The only speeding ticket I ever got was coming down out of the mountains from Cheyenne headed towards Denver. The officer clocked me doing 72 mph — in neutral!
Re: Old cars… Reply #16 – 2016-09-02, 06:42:37 Quote from: ensbb3 on 2016-09-01, 19:47:38"Land-yachts", good sir. Makes it sound classy.Plus boat has a shared Germanic ancestry while yacht is a specifically Dutch loanword. All the better. 1 Likes
Re: Old cars… Reply #18 – 2016-09-03, 02:58:16 Oh? What kind of tractors and other heavy equipment have you driven…? (Your mouth doesn't count!) I assume you'd farm with a hoe, an ass and a plow — designed by Th. Jefferson. And if your neighbors are kind, you won't starve.
Re: Old cars… Reply #19 – 2016-09-03, 14:06:23 Quote from: OakdaleFTL on 2016-09-03, 02:58:16Oh? What kind of tractors and other heavy equipment have you driven...?You know there are Lamborghini tractors?In fact Mr Lamborghini was a tractor manufacturer and bought a Ferrari for himself. He didn't like the car and sent a letter to Mr Ferrari with suggestions for improving Ferraris. Ferrari laugh and refused so Lamborghini started building his own cars.
Re: Old cars… Reply #20 – 2016-09-03, 21:16:41 Good anecdote! I don't even mind that you didn't answer my question…
Re: Old cars… Reply #21 – 2016-09-04, 01:29:46 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-09-01, 09:09:54I like the Smart, why more for city usage?Golf carts that are completely unsuitable for our freeways unless you're trying to get yourself killed.
Re: Old cars… Reply #22 – 2016-09-04, 09:12:57 Quote from: midnight raccoon on 2016-09-04, 01:29:46Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-09-01, 09:09:54I like the Smart, why more for city usage?Golf carts that are completely unsuitable for our freeways unless you're trying to get yourself killed.What does your freeways have more than ours?
Re: Old cars… Reply #23 – 2016-09-04, 09:20:07 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-09-04, 09:12:57What does your freeways have more than ours?Freeway cops? 2 Likes
Re: Old cars… Reply #24 – 2016-09-08, 18:34:00 Quote from: Belfrager on 2016-09-04, 02:12:57What does your freeways have more than ours?Distance?
Topic: Old cars… (Read 19538 times)
