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Cash for Clunkers - Does it Work for You?

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Comments

  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    "I was just starting tothink about the same thing Volvo.... there is a reason these people drive these vehicles.... mainly they couldn't get approved for a new vehicle loan and were stuck with these vehicles... although the money down may help a little I am sure banks will be very wary of this also..... once again very interesting stuff will be happening"

    et tu, greenpea. Et tu! :sick:

    here's a question for you guys: Do you think car manufacturers will include their own incentives with this program to sweeten the deal even more? We are getting close to the end of the model year. Will we see cash rebates or special financing along with this program?
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    Do you think car manufacturers will include their own incentives with this program to sweeten the deal even more?

    Of course maufacturers will offer incentives.... This govt rebate is a third party... so basically nothing has changed except our "taxes" ;)

    Manufacturers will still continue with incentives becasue the govt cheese doesn't change anything. There is still competition.

    GP
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Big macs and diet Cokes should never be in the same sentence. You ever see the amount of sodium in a Big mac?? :mad:

    I believe dealers should make a profit. how else are you going to stay in business? i also see firsthand the good work they do in a community. But I am also the person who doesn't shop for a car unless I am serious about buying and know i can afford the car. I also treat the salesman with respect too which is why my car buying experiences have been pretty good.
  • prodriveprodrive Member Posts: 6
    This (deal) hand-out might work out well for me... ;)

    I'm driving a BMW 735i, I have been beating it to death for a few years it looks good & runs fine but has no real value..

    So, I'm thinking of a 4 door Honda Civic SI for around $ 19,500 - 1,250 cash from Honda - 4,500 from the Gov = around 14,000 for a new car.

    I have to look into this some more, But it could be a good deal for me..
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    You are probably correct that the vast majority of the drivers of these old clunkers cannot and should not look to trade them for a new vehicle if they can't afford it. The mass market producers like GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, Mazda, etc will benefit the most no doubt because they have the lowest priced vehicles and the most fuel efficient ones as well. No arguments. If BMW, Cadillac, Merc, etc don't want to participate then they don't have to do so.

    However this program is very limited in scope. 250,000 vehicles per quarter is a drop in the bucket of all the vehicles on the road...it's 0.01%. As a percentage of the BOF trucks and SUVs on the road from 1984 ( ~50 million units ) it's about 0.50%. That's a tiny percentage of vehicles.

    Even if 'the vast majority' of qualifiers are not up to your standards there are still plenty of very qualified buyers that will jump at the chance to get $4500 for a $500 family heirloom. If you're in the business ignore it at your risk. I'll gladly take any of the riff-raff you decline to do business with.
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    The program is not a subsititute for normal marketing efforts by the vehicle makers although at first I thought it might be a big shot in the arm. But at best it'll probably be only a 10% boost.

    That's not enough to encourage vehicle makers from eliminating incentives. However i wouldn't be surprised if the incentives soon become a thing of the past. Why? Profits.

    GM, Chrysler and Ford must have profits to survive. Toyota, Honda and the rest don't want to stay stuck in the doldrums forever. Now that the D3 don't have the pressures of massive fixed cost debt hanging over their heads they can adjust production to inventory and sales. Before the D3 had to over-produce in order to keep fixed costs in line. Basically they gave up all profit. Now they can actually decline sales. WHOAAAAA ...whatta concept!!!!

    I do see a hint of this already, but it's too early to say if it's a firm trend or not.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Everyone is acting like a expert

    I think everyone is trying to make sense of what little information is available. That hardly implies any pretense of expertise. :)

    tidester, host
    SUVs and Smart Shopper
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Year and mileage on the bimmer?
  • prodriveprodrive Member Posts: 6
    Volvomax,

    The BMW I have is a 1988 735I with around 135k on it with some sweet after market BBS rims that I will be pulling right off- and replacing them with the OEM set before any trade-in :)

    Oh, the other car that might work well for me too is the 4 door VW GTI.. both cars are great fun.

    If like to know; my other cars are 2003 Evo 8 (best car I have ever owned) & a Full size Montero 03
  • jwilliams2jwilliams2 Member Posts: 910
    Spoke with some friends who thought they could get a good price, less current incentives, less their trade value, less the government's handout. Why would a dealer give them trade value on a car that has to be scrapped? Its not like they can put the trade on the front line....
  • kdhspyderkdhspyder Member Posts: 7,160
    No a buyer doesn't get both the trade value and the voucher discount. It's an either/or situation. In the trade-in case the buyer is selling the old car to the dealer. In the C4C case the buyer is selling the vehicle to Uncle Sam for it to be crushed - the dealer is only the conduit.
  • prodriveprodrive Member Posts: 6
    Volvomax,

    I'm looking for your reply... :confuse:
  • greanpea68greanpea68 Member Posts: 1,996
    The BMW I have is a 1988 735I with around 135k

    That one is a hard one to call.... Yes it is a BMW but it 21 years old :sick:

    Have to see it, that would be something that would sell better on Craigslist.

    VW GTI may be better but would have to know more info...

    The Evo, you will never get a trade in value that you are happy with.... at least that is my experieence :cry:

    Hope it all works out for you... you may be better off waiting until the program "CARS" starts in a few months.

    GP
  • hamsalad2hamsalad2 Member Posts: 2
    I have a 96 Chrysler New Yorker I was going to use for the program but it misses it by 1mpg!! It gets a combined 19mpg. The 97 New Yorker with the same body style and engine qualifies, it gets 18mpg combined!
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    Sorry, your bimmer certainly qualifies!
  • 100chuck100chuck Member Posts: 149
    +1 My clunker is my winter beater so I don't have to drive my Jaguar on salt cover Michigan roads, I'm also planning to pay cash for the Focus I plan to purchase.
  • zaheerzaheer Member Posts: 23
    I have a 1990 Nissan Maxima with over 170k miles on it. It is in running condition and probably worth around $1,500 so it should qualify for the Cash for Clunkers progam. It is rated at 19 mpg combined. In order to get the full $4,500 under the CARS program, I have to find cars that get at least 29 mpg. The ones I am interested that qualify in are Honda Civic, Nissan Sentra, or Mazda 3.

    I am also looking at Diesel cars since some of them like the Volkswagen Jetta TDI are supposed to have another credit of up to $1,300. Does anyone have any recommendations in this regard ? I am trying to keep the out the door price to under $12k with all the incentives. Any suggestions will be helpful.
  • stephen987stephen987 Member Posts: 1,994
    Your Maxima does not qualify. Only vehicles with a combined rating of 18 mpg or less are eligible to be considered "clunkers."
  • cyndi33cyndi33 Member Posts: 1
    Yea for something of this nature I would consider using Craigslist only because you cant really get the value you want by giving money towards or back to the customer. I just had a similar situation and I sold my BMW on Craigslist but I used an image hosting site that provided free templates and I sold my car in one day. The site actually let me up load 100 pictures at a time and the templates are great they look professional. The site was use.com if anyone wants to check it out. I think that the templates gave my post a great look and that is why the car sold quickly.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    Does anyone know how this bill became to be known as the "Cash for Clunkers" bill? It's very misleading as this bill is really designed to remove as many fuel inefficient cars from the roads, like the older style SUVs and pickups. Not just older cars. Wouldn't a better name be "Cash for Guzzlers"?
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    You guys and your snobbish perceptions are unbelievable.

    In my business I see the overall financial picture of people. Many people who look like they have money are up to their eyeballs in debt. And many people who drive older cars have a net worth that would floor you. They accumulated their wealth by making prudent financial decisions. Most of them do buy new cars, but keep them for a number of years until they are no longer reliable rather than buying new every few years.
    So my client that makes 300K a year should keep his 96 Jeep away from your business, as that will hurt your "reputation". As should by doctor client who a couple of years ago traded her 90 Olds for a new BMW. Also, you don't want my client worth a couple of mill to look at trading her 97 Impala.
    But, my client that has a BMW and Jag and is ready to file bankruptcy you want!
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    Your client who has a 97 Impala must be very powerful, as they own some kind of machine that takes them to a parallel universe! :P

    There are many example of wealthy who drive beaters, and new highline cars driven by career debtors...but I have to believe neither are near the majority. For salesmen, where there's smoke, there's fire, it's all about playing the odds.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    In defense of kernick and volvomax, they do see people in a unique setting (buying cars) and many of the people you are referencing (along with the ones I mentioned) aren't the ones they see.

    I think we are all on the same page though, believe it or not. We are simply looking at this from different point of views.
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Wouldn't a better name be "Cash for Guzzlers"?

    I think someone earlier along came up with a nice little jingle..."Bucks for Trucks". Which is essentially what the bill is, since so few cars actually qualify.

    But yeah, the whole "clunker" thing is very misleading. You could theoretically have a 1986 Civic that's grossly out of tune and on its last legs and belching filth as well as any 1960's musclecar did. But, its EPA rating is too good, so it's not a "clunker" in this sense. Nevermind the fact "clunker" and "guzzler" are two mutually exclusive terms.

    It's too bad they don't pass some kind of bill that's more equitable across the board. Say, we throw out that 18 mpg or less threshold, and just make it so that as long as your new car gets a combined rating of at least 20% better than what you're crushing, you'll get a credit. So, for example, if I wanted to turn in my 2000 Intrepid, which gets a combined rating of 21 mpg, I'd have to get something that gets at least 25.2 mpg.

    That may not sound like much of a boost, but using that example, it still rules out a lot of cars. For example, among midsized cars, The 4-cyl Accord only scores 24 mpg! The 4-cyl Camry gets 25, as does the 2010 Fusion (the S gets 27 though). The Malibu 4-cyl gets 25 with the 4-speed auto, 26 with the 6-speed. And the Nissan Altima 4-cyl gets 26.

    The downside, I guess, is that this bill would still benefit owners of larger cars more. For example, if you had a Crown Vic with 18 mpg combined to trade in, your new car would only have to get 21.6 combined or better. So a Crown Vic owner would be able to get just about any 4-cyl midsize, as well as a V-6 Altima, Accord, or Camry.

    And if you had something economical, say a 2000 Echo stick shift rated at 32 mpg combined, you'd have to upgrade to something that gets 38.4 combined or better. And the only way you're gonna get that is to go with a Prius, Insight, hybrid Fusion, and that's probably about it. Even the likes of the Fit and Yaris are only EPA-rated around 30-32 combined.

    So in the end, I guess there truly is no perfect answer that would satisfy everybody.
  • dtownfbdtownfb Member Posts: 2,918
    "It's too bad they don't pass some kind of bill that's more equitable across the board. Say, we throw out that 18 mpg or less threshold, and just make it so that as long as your new car gets a combined rating of at least 20% better than what you're crushing, you'll get a credit. So, for example, if I wanted to turn in my 2000 Intrepid, which gets a combined rating of 21 mpg, I'd have to get something that gets at least 25.2 mpg. "

    Don't forget this bill is temporary. the next iteration can be changed to reflect your thoughts.

    I like the "Bucks for Trucks"
  • isellhondasisellhondas Member Posts: 20,342
    I agree with you.

    A lot of people who have a lot of money don't feel the need to drive a new or fancy car. This may be part of the reason they have the money!
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    Correct - however, it isn't fair to insult volvomax & kernick for mentioning what they see on a regular basis. These aren't "perceptions" so much as what they see walking through the door.

    Many people who have accumulated wealth have done so by making wise financial decisions along the way, including hanging on to older vehicles. However, I doubt that these are the people for whom the "Cash for Clunkers" program was initiated. While they may benefit from the program, I don't believe that these folks were just waiting for a financial incentive to trade in; rather, they are likely to trade in when they are ready to pay for a new vehicle.

    Sadly, I fear this program may encourage some people to jump into a new car payment when they aren't in the best financial decision to do so. But no one asked me :)

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  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    Correct - however, it isn't fair to insult volvomax & kernick for mentioning what they see on a regular basis. These aren't "perceptions" so much as what they see walking through the door.

    Many people who have accumulated wealth have done so by making wise financial decisions along the way, including hanging on to older vehicles. However, I doubt that these are the people for whom the "Cash for Clunkers" program was initiated. While they may benefit from the program, I don't believe that these folks were just waiting for a financial incentive to trade in; rather, they are likely to trade in when they are ready to pay for a new vehicle.

    Sadly, I fear this program may encourage some people to jump into a new car payment when they aren't in the best financial decision to do so. But no one asked me :)

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  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    There are many example of wealthy who drive beaters...

    and these people are not meeting with car salesmen on a regular basis.

    Car salesmen do get a somewhat distorted view of the average car owner as they see those who trade frequently far more often than those who buy a car and keep it "forever". The guy who trades every 3 years will be in 4 times to once for the guy who goes 12 years with a car.
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    all to create an atmosphere - can be brought down by having the '88 Bronc in the customers' spot, and the customer wearing the Walmart happy-face shirt.

    Appearances and atmosphere are very important to many businesses. Show up looking like a bum, and it doesn't matter if you can squeak by with the $; they don't want you in.


    Yet it is "fair" to make comments such as the above? To suggest that someone driving an 88 Bronco is not worthy to park at the dealership? It's a car lot not a member only counrty club!
  • doidoadieseldoidoadiesel Member Posts: 59
    I have a 95 Toyota 4 runner with a reconstituted title - I use it as my car to get me around in winter, and to drive the .5 miles to work. I have a 1999 Infiniti that is well maintained and still beautiful and don't really want a new car as I have (with the exception of 1 new car) always shopped carefully for low mileage used cars and put the savings in the bank. But - my girlfriend is thinking about a new car - can I let her use my 4Runner voucher so I can then buy her used Pilot for more than she would get at the dealer? I have looked for this answer but I don't see anything that would prohibit it yet.
  • thndersnow2thndersnow2 Member Posts: 5
    From cars.gov:

    Your vehicle must be continuously insured and registered to the same owner for the full year preceding the trade-in.

    So.. you can't give away your CARS voucher.

    I have a simliar situation where my car is still under my parents name. I would like to trade it in for a new car, and the only way I see as getting around that is to co-sign with my parents for the new purchase (confirmed by calling CARS hotline). Otherwise, if they buy it and then transfer the title to me, even though it would be tax free, I would have to get a new loan that wouldn't have the low interest rates as I would get if I was financed through the dealer.
  • stephen987stephen987 Member Posts: 1,994
    The voucher goes to the dealer. So it's not really "yours" to give away. If you and your girlfriend want to buy the new vehicle together then you could probably do it.
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    Car salesmen do get a somewhat distorted view of the average car owner ...

    Probably so. When we bought the truck 4 years ago, we went back to the same dealer we had used when we bought our '94 Caravan. It was going to be a cash deal, but the salesman was hung up on monthly payments and we had a hard time getting a bottom line out of him. He kept saying things like "what monthly payment would it take to get you into the truck". We finally walked and went to another dealer who understood where we were coming from.

    In all fairness to the dealer, the "monthly payments" line was all that 90% of his customers cared about. But, he lost the sale because of it.

    And yeah, I'm probably one of those customers kernich and volvomax have expressed no desire to see grace their dealerships. Doesn't matter, there are plenty of car dealers in the area. It's a buyer's market out there.
  • lemkolemko Member Posts: 15,261
    How about somebody driving a white Bronco very, very slowly?
  • kathyc2kathyc2 Member Posts: 159
    LMAO!
  • gagricegagrice Member Posts: 31,450
    According to Cars.gov a category 2 PU truck is 115 inch wheel base or longer.

    A category 2 truck is a large van or a large pickup truck, based upon the length of the wheelbase (more than 115 inches for pickup trucks and more than 124 inches for vans). Note: some pickup trucks and cargo vans exceeding these thresholds are treated as category 3 trucks instead of category 2 trucks.

    My Ranger is 125 inch wheel base. If that is the case I only need to improve the mileage by 2 MPG for the $4500 voucher.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    And yeah, I'm probably one of those customers kernich and volvomax have expressed no desire to see grace their dealerships. Doesn't matter, there are plenty of car dealers in the area. It's a buyer's market out there

    Man I wish they taught reading comprehension on the internet.
    MY point was that we would see VERY few people for this program because the VAST majority of people with these cars either a) were financially unable to buy a new car or b) philosophically opposed to it(I believe I cited the example of all the old Volvo drivers). In that group, (a) is the far larger group. Doesn't mean that you can't know someone from the (b) group. Only that the odds are very low. As someone mentioned,selling cars is all about playing the odds. I've been doing this for over 20 yrs and I'm pretty dure I've seen just about everything. So, don't make it like I don't want to see someone pull on the lot with an 88 Lebaron leaking oil all over the place.That persons money spends as well as anyone's. That is, if he has the money in the first place.
  • fintailfintail Member Posts: 57,096
    I read today that this legislation is expected to be a factor in the sale of 250K units. Looking at overall yearly sales, that's not a huge amount.

    I am sure the average salesman is much more pleased to see an immaculate older (and still worth very little) car than a neglected heap - vehicle care too can be something on which to make an educated guess. Not a rule, but a way to play an odds game.
  • volvomaxvolvomax Member Posts: 5,238
    I am sure the average salesman is much more pleased to see an immaculate older (and still worth very little) car than a neglected heap - vehicle care too can be something on which to make an educated guess. Not a rule, but a way to play an odds game.

    That can go either way. Usually(that means most of the time for you comprehension challenged types) the person with the immaculate older car thinks its worth all the moeny while the guy with the heap knows it's not worth squat and may be more motivated to do a deal.
    If I see a late model car that clearly hasn't been cared for,that sets off alarm bells with me. Maybe this person doesn't have any money.
  • jeffyscottjeffyscott Member Posts: 3,855
    Ah, but that doesn't stop them from advertising as if everyone can get an extra $4500 off. I happened to just see this on the Suzuki website today, they seem to avoid mentioning the 18 mpg requirement, even in the footnotes, and say:

    ALL NEW SUZUKI CARS, SUVS AND TRUCKS QUALIFY FOR THE CAR ALLOWANCE REBATE SYSTEM!

    There will NEVER be a better time to buy a new Suzuki than this summer! Washington’s CARS bill (Car Allowance Rebate System), designed to get old gas-guzzlers off the road and help clean up the environment, means that in addition to the cash-saving Suzuki incentives of up to $5,750 on qualifying vehicles, you can get up to an additional $4,500 in CARS rebates towards the purchase of a new Suzuki, meaning NEARLY $10,250 IN SAVINGS!3
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    So, don't make it like I don't want to see someone pull on the lot with an 88 Lebaron leaking oil all over the place.That persons money spends as well as anyone's. That is, if he has the money in the first place.

    It just HAD to be an '88 LeBaron, didn't it? I resemble that remark...or at least, did, until I passed that problem on to my ex-wife. :P
  • hpmctorquehpmctorque Member Posts: 4,600
    Hey, I wouldn't mind having a nicely preserved or restored '88 LeBaron turbo coupe or convertible with 5-speed. While they're neither paragons of refinement nor reliability, they're nicely styled, in my opinion.
  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    I only read the last 20 posts, but are dealers up ro speed now?

    I was at a party last weekend (not the 4th, the prior one) with someone from Subaru corp, and they were talking about it. Seems they really weren't able to put it into motion with the dealers, becasue there were too many open questions (proposed regs, etc.) and they had no idea how.when they would ever get refunded.

    Seems to put a ton of pressure on the dealer, right? Don't they have to front the credit, and wiat/hope the Obamas finally sent them their money back, god only knows how many months later?

    They should do this like the home energy credit. Make the buyer pay for it, and take the credit on their taxes.

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • stickguystickguy Member Posts: 50,435
    this program is going to have a miniscule impact on fuel usage in the US. Heck, the recession (and coincident spike in gas prices) already did a much better job! especially since the most likely scenerio is a guy tradin gin one gas guzzling PU for another!

    Just call it what it really is. Another tax payer funded handout for the D3 (D2? Government motors?)

    Also, from reading all the back posts, it seems like the person who wil lmake out is the guy with an old winter beater or dump runner on it's last legs, and who was going to buy a new car anyway (having nothing to do with the beater).

    Now, they can take a $500 POC and get $4500 from his new favorite uncle.

    And all it is really doing is taking a bomber off the road that probably only did 1-2K a year at most.

    And quite likely, gets replaced by another beater just like it!

    Maybe it is time for Andre to get rid of his old truck and get a new one instead!

    2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.

  • joegiantjoegiant Member Posts: 90
    'stick, your third paragraph is EXACTLY right. Your first, not necessarily so. My "POC" pick-em-up-truck might have only pulled a hundred bucks on a trade-in and like you said was only driven at most 1-2K a year. Now overnight it turns into $4500 like in a Disney movie when the fairy waves 'er wand! But to think we old truck owners are all going to run right out and buy another guzzler might be a stretch. I personally am looking to get a gas SAVING sedan compact as I am rather certain gas prices WILL eventually be heading back to that $4.00 range and maybe beyond. Won't be feasible to drive a 15mpg vehicle back and forth to the nursery to get a load of mulch. Might have to break down and have it delivered. And if we do need to make the occasional run to the landfill, doesn't Home Depot rent trucks...if ya don't have 18 buddies willing to loan you theirs for a morning? :D
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Maybe it is time for Andre to get rid of his old truck and get a new one instead!

    That thought actually has run through my mind a bit. But my old '85 Silverado has only come out to around $78 per month over the course of the nearly 7 years I've had it (plus around $300 per year for insurance, plus fuel). And in that amount of time, it's traveled about 21,000 miles. So I just can't see getting into new payment of $300 per month or more, plus full coverage insurance, just to have a shiny new truck that mainly sits around.

    One of my friends even mentioned I should turn that truck in. Until he hurt his shifting foot, and couldn't drive his '05 Silverado, which is a 4.3/stick. I let him drive my truck, and he came back saying how much he liked it! Mainly the power. I guess he doesn't get out much though, if he thinks a 305-4bbl/3-speed THM350C combo with a tall rear end is powerful! And actually, I'm surprised he thought it performed better than his truck! Even with less displacement, I figured the extra 30 hp or so, plus the stick, plus most likely quicker gearing, would have added up to a quicker truck?

    My truck definitely sounds better, though. In the past, I never really thought about how those 4.3 V-6es sound. My uncle has one too, and it never really bugged me. But after all these years of getting used to how a V-8 sounds, that 4.3 just sounds like it's missing!

    If I had to depend on that truck, day in and day out, and needed it all the time for truck duties, I might consider turning it in for a new one. But in my current situation, it would just be a waste of money. Of course, after saying that, now watch something catastrophic happen to it on the way home from work!
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    Have you really spent $78/month x 12 months x 7 years = $6,5552 on maintenance and repairs for your '85 Silverado? That works out to 31.2 cents/mile. If so, that makes my '87 BMW seem like the paragon of reliability :P
  • andre1969andre1969 Member Posts: 25,655
    Yeah, pretty close to that. Looking at the spreadsheet right now, I'm at $6,361.88, 21,025 miles, and 81.2 months. $78.35 per month, and 30.3 cents per mile.

    Now that does include the $1200 I paid for the truck, $112.50 to get it registered, $437.25 in additional registration fees, and $53.00 in emissions tests. So factor those out, and I'm down to $4559.13. $56.14 per month and around 21.7 cents per mile. So that's a little better, I guess.

    Here are some repair highlights...
    $530: new distributor and voltage regulator (I went with higher quality stuff instead of the cheap aftermarket crap that may or may not fail in 6 months)
    $885: both gas tanks went bad, and were prohibitively expensive, so I just had one replaced, and the other disabled.
    $253: fix choke and various vacuum leaks
    $1141: new tires (I went a little crazy with oversized tires), radiator, cooling flush, alignment, brake adjustment, new hoses, oil change, and some other odds and ends
    $242: new exhaust from catastrophic converter back
    $396: two oil sending units (dunno why it doesn't just have one?), plus oil change, rotate tires, general check of brakes, belts, hoses, etc
    $382: new front brakes, adjust back brakes, rotate tires, oil change, general safety check, etc
    $278.62: new power window motor in driver's door, plus replacement of some rubber trim and seals.

    Plus, two batteries, various other oil changes, belts, a power window switch, transmission service, and so forth.

    The biggest problem this truck probably faces is that it sits around a lot. My Granddad bought it new, and used it regularly until he died in 1990. After that it sat around a lot. My uncle would drive it once in awhile, and so would I, just to keep it from killing the grass! Well, around 1995 or so, Grandmom gave it to my Mom and stepdad, and they pretty much just let it sit around, unless they needed to tow their boat, haul hay, or other work-type stuff. They bought a new F150 in 2002, and sold me the Silverado in late September of '02. Even with me though, it still sits around a lot. It's also never garaged, and was often parked on the grass, rather than a paved driveway, so moisture has taken its toll a bit. And even now, I have a gravel driveway, rather than paved, so it still spends most of its time "off-road", I guess!
  • srs_49srs_49 Member Posts: 1,394
    And even now, I have a gravel driveway, rather than paved, so it still spends most of its time "off-road", I guess!

    LOL - I liked that one :) !

    Guess I've been doing more off-roading than I thought!
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