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Is it supposed to be cool, or is it just a budget thing? I see it a lot..
regards,
kyfdx
(trying to stay hip)
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I should go take a picture of the car's bad side.......it really isn't that bad, but does explain the cheap price. It took a wild ride off the road about 2 1/2 years ago, then sat at a storage place until I got it last weekend. Amazing thing was I put the battery cable back on and the car started right up, I was stunned, ran great too.
FWIW, my ex bought a 2 y.o. 1995 Volvo 850, ran up way over 100K on it, & not a lot went wrong, until it needed a $1200 A/C repair at 130K or so.....another very secure-seeming car..... but I know taurus(es) (Tauri?) are way cheaper than Volvos.....
*As for bang-for-the-buck, nothing beats a 2000+ Taurus in decent shape.*
*Also, I think that pickups--especially regular cabs--are more prone to roof crush than SUVs in a rollover*
It is not "pressure" (force/area) that will crush the roof down in a rollover accident, it is force itself. And the force is given by the weight of the car.
IF the pillars are the same size, I'd want them close together right around me in order to hold the roof up. Any force in any one place will be better transmitted to the four other pillars, not just the nearest one.
I strongly suspect that roofs are built to hold the weight of the car + some safety margin, and that a reg cab is just as safe or unsafe as the rest of 'em.
But it is simplistic to make arguments based on size or area or number of pillars. Probably more engineering goes into cars than into anything else on this planet.
-Mathias
Usually, the B-pillar on a vehicle is pretty strong, so when a vehicle rolls over, most of the crushing is at the A-pillar. The B-pillar often acts kind of like a pivot point on a see-saw, where everything behind it stays up in the air when the car is upside-down, as the engine is going to weight the front of the vehicle down.
I'd imagine that if you take a picture of a vehicle and draw an imaginary line from the front of the hood to the B-pillar, that would give you a rough idea of how much the roof ahead of the B-pillar would crush down.
And even if the rollover is rough enough to crush the B-pillar, the C-pillar almost never gives. So you could draw another imaginary line from the front of the hood to the C-pillar, to see how much the roof might crush down in a more severe accident.
I do remember hearing a lot of flak, not too long ago, about how pickups and SUVs don't do too well in rollover accidents, and that they're not subjected to the same standards as passenger cars. They actually LOOK much safer than in the past, with their thick roof pillars, and thick doorframes, but I think alot of that extra thickness is just sheetmetal, and not much true support underneath. If you look at pickups from days gone by, cars too for that matter, the roof pillars tend to be much thinner, especially the A-pillars. The A-pillar in my '85 Silverado looks downright dainty! And the one in my '79 NYer and in my '76 Lemans look even thinner, although part of that is because the doors don't have frames around the windows, so you lose the bulk of a window frame.
Or even if they are beefed up, I'd imagine that the weight of the truck has gone up so much more that it more than cancels the engineering advances. For instance, my buddy's tiny little Xterra, all 178" of it, weights 4200 lb. That's about what my full-sized 212" Silverado weighs! Now I'm sure my Silverado wouldn't be too safe in a rollover either, but just imagine how much more engineering a newer equivalent pickup, which probably had 500-1000 lb or even more on my Silverado, would need.
I don't know if this is true or not, but I've also theorized that when a truck or SUV rolls over, it's a "harder" roll than a car, because it's a taller vehicle. Kind of the same principle of when you cut down a tree, as it falls the lower part of the tree isn't falling with that much speed or force, but the top part is going to hit that much harder. So it just seems to me that the truck/SUV would be likely to smack down harder than a car would when it rolls.
I didn't mention in my story above that this took place about a mile or two from home, where I was waiting for the kids - our daughter had a dentist appointment that afternoon.
Our son, who suffered only minor injuries, called his mother at work. She called me at home, so I rushed to the scene; I actually got there before some of the emergency vehicles.
My daughter was still in the car in the front passenger seat -- her head was sticking out of the passenger window, as one of the revolutions seems to have impacted right where the A-pillar meets the roof and crushed it with enough force to flatten it.
Fortunately, the window was open, and I can't help but think if the angle of impact was a few degrees different, there would have been a very different outcome.
I shudder every time I think about that image of my daughter, semi-conscious and stunned, in that car, and how close she was to sustaining major injuries.
Are Sebring coupes of that vintage actually based on the Galant and made by Mitsubishi (unlike the sedans.) If so, this may bode well for future reliability.
The car has 3 good steel wheels and 3 good Blizzaks left, the 4th one didn't survive the impact with the tree, but that's no biggie, a new steel wheel is about $30 and a new Blizzak runs $163.. I really should show a picture of other side........it don't look so good, the rear quarter panel is dented from just past the door to the rear taillight. It bent all the suspension for that rear wheel as well, little brother is replacing that Saturday. Other than that there are a couple other dents (very minor) in the front fenders and hood plus a few scratches. Not too bad for sliding off the road at 65 mph into a bunch of trees.
Should have it totally fixed by fall time, going to take it to a body shop next week for an estimate. Its no doubt worth fixing, the car still has a book value of $6000.
I always wanted a Sebring of this vintage (Mitsubishi), just didn't expect to end up with one this way.
One good thing, maybe, is that it's been "Pre-Disastered" (from the John Irving novel I think).....
If all goes well, we'll consummate the deal this Saturday, and then I'll have to go car shopping again... poor me :-)
I'm thinking $4,000 Taurus and no comp/collision for this kid any more.
Whoo-hoo!
-Mathias
Nope, 100% clean title, it shows one accident on Carfax (same quarter panel as got hit this time), but the second accident does not show. Its was a one owner car prior to me buying it. Title is in my name and until its fixed I just have liability on it, no comp or collision......that will be put on after the car is repaired.
I know you have weakness for a Subaru with a manual tranny...
25 NX 450h+ / 24 Sienna Plat AWD / 23 Civic Type-R / 21 Boxster GTS 4.0
If I could catch a sale on a Mazda 3 Hatchback, that may be the ticket. No rush as long as it stays warm since the Legend doesn't have heat. :-)
Q
Here's a link to her picture off the trailer and with her new 17s. Looks a little better.
Sebring
Just kidding. I just liked the steelies just fine.
BTW, as I sold my Vibe, I'm now riding around in a '93 Villager with (cough) 210k miles. Got it on loan from a friend in the biz until he finds me a car... trouble is, I like it... I just feel more at home in a beater than a new car.
-Mathias
Nope, spring is pokey this year. Hopefully soon we will see some green!
Congrats on selling the Vibe......I was surprised that you did.
My brother was laughing at how much I love that Sebring, he said to hubby that he should have been buying me beaters all along. I'm going to drop it off at a body shop this fall to be fixed. Will probably be a summer only car, that thing is low slung! I truely prefer the Sebring to the other 2 vehicles I have (Titan and Zippy). We currently have 4 vehicles and 4 trailers in our yard......its crowded.
Best thing about the Sebring........Its PAID FOR!!!
Ain't that the truth. I found a nice potential replacement for the beater truck - 2002 Mazda B2300 X-cab. 37k miles, 1 owner, 5-speed, red. Nice little truck, overall. These have the Duratec 2.3 - same basic motor as the Mazda3, Fusion, etc. Trouble is, the owner gave me the whole "I consider it in excellent condition" speech to justify the price. This for a 4 year old, never garaged, out of warranty truck with a scratched up bed and the original tires. I'll let him sit on it for a while and maybe throw a low-ball his way.
Then I got back in my Ram 50 - all 171k miles of it - and I didn't want the new truck anymore.
-Jason
The Sandman
http://www.nissanmotors.com/owning/service_plans/gold_preferred.html
Even if you don't have the plan, the old Nissan USA would probably goodwill repair of a recurring problem outside of warranty if you called them. Not sure they would do that now, there are a lot of issues with their move to Nashville (like, losing well over half their staff) that they seem to be in denial about.
The Sandman
The car is a blast to drive, really enjoyable.
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Of course this is all based on the T.V. commercials. I have not been closer than driving by them at the dealership.
The body shop told us it was illegal to drive the car w/o airbags, little bro says that's not true it only applies if I sell the car. So I'm going to probably call DMV or the troopers to find out the real scoop. Lots of cars up here drive around w/o airbags, salvage cars are the norm up here.
Otherwise, the Yaris seems like the better buy...
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Any 80's or earlier cars in AK.
I'd imagine a majority of those don't have airbags.
I wonder how the 4 cylinder Sonata drives as compared to the 6. This size car still won't fit on my side of the garage, but I can now see why I see so many Sonata's on the road here in South Florida. Finally, a real alternative for the Camcords.
The Sandman
However, I'm not in the market........I'm having too much fun with the Sebring.....well, except that its so low to the ground I have to really pay attention to where I drive.
Anyway I mentioned to one of the guys that I would consider selling my old beater Ford Ranger and dadgum if I didn't get a call from my neighbor up the road before 6:00 p.m. He came and looked at my truck and wants to buy it. So now I'm about to be truckless.
The wife and I have already been talking about getting rid of the 04 Mountaineer. It still has less than 20,000 miles on it and looks almost showroom perfect, so it seems that I should be able to get a good trade-in allowance on it, but alas it is a Mercury, so who knows.
My dilemma is which truck to buy. I'd prefer a crew cab. My son is still in a booster seat and I hate those suicide doors. Been there done that.
Here's my assessment of the various brands:
I really love the styling of the new F-150, but I'm disappointed with its engines.
The Titan is nice but gets pricey in a hurry.
The Dodge's back seat is like sitting in a straight back chair.
The Chevy/GMC twins are a bargain, but they are a bit plain on the interior.
I'd have to wait until 2007 for the new Tundra.
I love the new Frontier, but the full-sized Chevy gets better mileage and after rebates costs less than the smaller Frontier.
I'm just not crazy about the looks of the new Tacoma.
Dakota - too ugly.
Colorado/Canyon - can't see it. My dad already has one and it's nice, but not even in the league with the other midsized trucks.
Ranger is not completely out of the question, but I don't feel my kids would be safe in the jumpseats.
Decisions, Decisions. What am I going to do? :sick:
I have always like the Tacoma crew cab , but I agree with you, the new style leaves me a little cold. They would be the perfect size for me.
If the American auto mfgs have always done one thing right, it's pickup trucks.
I agree in a lot of ways, however, the 06 Titans seem to be pretty good. I would steer clear of 04 and early 05 Titans however.
I'm in a dilemma of my own over mine, I would really like to keep it, but we have a new truck on order. Hubby says the truck has to go, no way will he keep it when the warranty is almost up. Currently it has 51,500 miles on it, warranty is up at 60k.
I keep telling myself that its been an unfaithful truck and really needs to go, but everytime I drive it my heart says........keep it keep it!! The new truck will be here the end of June........so do I just not drive the Titan at all to save myself the heartache?? Or do I try to plead its case to a very anti-Titan hubby??
BTW, I'm having a total blast with the 97 Sebring, what a cool car!
The Frontier wins out on the "fun" factor. I think it's sharp looking and the SE Crew Cab that I'm considering comes with the sprayed in bed-liner and the utilitrack system.
The F-150 is a better people hauler simply because of the larger size. It has by far the best ride of any pickup I've ever driven and with all the rebates it could be a really sweet deal.
Both handle well and the two trucks I'm considering are almost identically equipped.
One other factor is that I believe my wife would be more comfortable driving the smaller Frontier, so that tips the scale a bit more toward the Nissan. However, when all is said and done, it's probably going to come down to which dealer will give me the best trade-in allowance on the Mountaineer. I bought the Mountaineer from the Ford Dealer and am well acquainted with them. Several of my friends work at the Nissan dealer, so perhaps they will give me a break.
I'm going in the morning to see if I can work a deal, so wish me luck!
Remember the wife factor can be huge. My wife hated driving my Aurora because it was too big and according to her an old man's car. So, if she will be driving it at all make sure you get her blessing.
But I guess that since Ford's not doing so hot, either, they'd be willing to deal.
In my case though, I'd just be going for a cheap work truck, regular cab, 8-foot bed, and wouldn't really care about any comforts other than air conditioning, automatic, and a halfway decent radio!
Forgive me for saying, but that's kind of a weird comparison. It's like trying to choose between a Nissan Xterra and a Ford Expedition. Two completely different classes of vehicle, really, with unique capabilities. The Titan and F-150 are the real competitors.
I'd say if you're going to use it as a daily driver with only occasional hauling needs (not towing, since I don't think the Frontier can tow a whole lot), you might as well buy the Nissan and save gas. NOt to mention it's a more practical vehicle for getting around town and parking.
Another option, if you're looking at small pickups, is see what kind of deals they have on the Ranger. I imagine you could pick one of those up for a song.
If you're gonna buy a GM pickup on the cheap, do it fast. Once the '07s come out, the dealing on those will be done. Completely different truck, top to bottom.
I guess there are stranger comparisons, though. For instance, my buddy narrowed his choices down to a Chevy Equinox and a Nissan Xterra. About the only thing they really have in common is that they're roughly the same size, but one is more rugged and macho feeling, whereas the other is a cross between a car and an SUV.
And as for me, if I were to get a new car now, it would be a tossup between a Charger and an Altima. Both of which I consider to be sporty midsized cars. They may try to pass the Charger off as a big car, but considering some of the battlecruisers I've driven, it's almost a compact! :P
As for the Chevy/GMC pickups, having the '07's come out and supply of the '06 models dry up is actually the best thing that could happen to me, financially. Because it'll keep me from buying one! Not the best choice to keep my CCB membership up, though. :shades:
ton reg.and x-cab trucks is gonna start 5/22/06 so
I can assume the 06 production is already finished.
Supplies will be thining out and hopefully 06 rebates
will increase. I will wait till spring for my new 07
2500 x-cab to replace my 04.