Shopping For A New Car Sucks

General Discussion
121

@db4690 , yeah, you kinda said it, the details are a little different where I work, but we’ve got the same types, some of 'em been making those wages for over 30 years and don’t have two nickels to rub together at the end of the month. Like comedian Ron White said, “You can’t fix stupid!”

As long as I’m not posting to a football or fantasy football forum, its unlikely any of my co-workers are here, but one just never knows. Sometimes I change details to “throw off” anybody who might know me who might be reading . . . :wink:

@“the same mountainbike” , I’ve actually gotten as much as 19 to 19.5 mpg in strictly interstate driving, not bad for the 5.3 V8 with all the time 4 wheel drive; and about 13.5 to 14.5 in surburban driving, not good at all. My other car does 35 - 36 around town and 40+ on the interstate.

I’m told those GC’s have a very loyal following, based on how many of them I see on the road, I believe it. Rest assured I will NOT be joining that following - that one is my first and last Chrysler product.

As I write this, the battery is STILL not fully recharged, 'course i had it on its lowest setting. I hope it’s even taking the charge :neutral:

122
As I write this, the battery is STILL not fully recharged, 'course i had it on its lowest setting. I hope it's even taking the charge

What volts do you read across the charging battery?

123

Starting to think I might need a vehicle to replace the 03 trailblazer. It has been a good vehicle, but $800 for power steering lines replacement due to rust, now need front struts, $550. Not a diy for me job after looking at the process, and alignment after, I am sure there are more expenses as 175k it is not unexpected. Thinking about a subaru legacy, for the 2 to 4 week a year boat with a sand launch, that anything without 4wd cannot cut the mustard. Maybe I should just get a econobox and hire someone to put in and pull out the boat 2 or 3 times a year. Crew cab would be a possibility but the traveling circus of 2 dogs and a cat and rack for the hitch for all that stuff, loving the Trailblazer space.

124

@ED_Frugal The 2 amp setting is for small batteries, motorcycles, lawn tractors etc. Use the 6 amp setting, 10 or 20 amps would be better but you’ll just have to be patient with that small charger.

125

Oh. I was always told to charge a car-type battery on the lowest setting, that it would “hold the charge” better if it were charged slowly, as opposed to trying to cram all the volts or watts or amps (I"m sure I’ve got the nomenclature wrong, sorry in advance) in quickly. Maybe that’s one of those Tom & Ray "Why you should never listen to your father when it comes to cars. . . " moments.

Also, I’ve heard that oftentimes when a car battery is completely discharged, it won’t hold a charge very well after that. Car batteries aren’t designed to be completely discharged like a deep-cycle marine battery. In my case, the battery is less than a year old, and was only depleted for probably less than 12 hours before I got it on the charger, so I’m gonna cross my fingers and hope for the best.

Well, the battery is fully charged now, the Jeep started right up, I drove it around the block a few times, parked it out of the way of my other car, shop vacced all the water out of the footwheel, checked it over to make sure all the windows are closed correctly (cannot figure out where that water is coming from) and the doors tightly shut, disconnected the battery, (thought I had a tarp in my basement but can’t seem to find it).

I figure I can use it to get to work in a pinch if my other car breaks down. Right now I’ve got a lot of end-of-year / beginning-of-year decisions to make, so I’m gonna “think” on this for awhile, but I am certain a new car is in my near future, (plus, I need a mental ‘cooling-down’ period).

@Barkydog , sounds like you are at the beginning of the road I have gone down. 03 isn’t that old actually, or, wait, I guess that’s 13 years. Wow. As one gets older, time gets distorted. The 1990’s don’t seem like so long ago to me, but when I stop to think about it, there are people DRIVING today who were barely even born in the 90’s. I would suggest you not be a fool like I was, trying to keep my old car(s) going because I thought it was cheaper than buying a new or newer one. The $64,000 question is, WHERE? exactly do you draw the line, and I guess there is no exact answer to that question.

Amusing anecdote about “time”. Back when I worked in the discount store, we had an older semi-retired gentleman working on our stock crew. We were stocking die-cast model cars in the toy dept and he stopped to admire a '57 Chevy, and said, in a daydreamy voice, “Aaahh, nineteen-fif-ty sev-en! That was a good year!” Then he noticed me standing there and said to me, “I guess you don’t remember 1957, huh?” “No, sorry, guess I wasn’t here yet then.”

***At least I freely acknowledge that I’ve been a fool / idiot. You’ve gotta give me some credit for that. How many people come on here and blather nonsense and then won’t even own up to it? :smiley:

126

My opinion, if you aren’t in a hurry, a lower charging current is better, by some small degree. Less heating for one. And yes, when a battery is completely discharged, it suffers some damage. But you would have to repeat this many times to kill the battery.

127

The lowest setting on the old professional battery chargers is 20 amps. The lowest setting is normally used when planning to let the battery charge for a few hours. 2 amps is very slow, battery tenders can put out 1.5 amps.

Look into the cowl grill near the wipers on your Jeep for a rats nest. If the cowl is blocked with leaves and debris it won’t drain properly and water will enter through the blower housing.

128

@“Ed Frugal” Yes I’ll do the stuts for now, I have changed transfer case ps fluid with hose replacement, maybe 5k on new brakes, 20k on tires, did trans fluid, front and rear differential, problem is looking for a car with towing capacity, can’t believe the prices of new true suv’s. Might just stick with the 1950 crestliner with the 7hp, and a winch to beach it as needed. Love the speedboat, but just a fun toy at this point. Time to think about it for now, what was the straw that broke your camel’s back?

129

Straw that broke “my” camel’s back? Well, different for each vehicle. For the Jeep, I’d say the water getting into the passenger compartment. Those body integrity issues are a death knell for sure. I’ve read so many posts on these forums, once that carpet gets moldy, its going to be a messy time-consuming mess, and possibly a health hazard as well. OR, having done all I can do, take it to a body shop and pay out gobs of $$$ to have them hunt and search for the source, all on a vehicle which has several other known mechanical issues and is now 20 years old.

Everything on that Jeep seems to cost $800 minimum to repair, either because its a 4 wheel drive, or the mechanic is overcharging me, or simply because that’s what the market will bear. That’s why I had asked if I REALLY need 4 wheel drive to tow a boat, I want to avoid 4 wheel drive in the future if that is feasible. What a headache.

@Nevada_545 , check for a rats nest. . . wonderful. . . great way to finish off 2015, looking for an old rats nest, I’ll do it though, probably this weekend when i have time. . .

Plus, the purpose of having the Jeep was to use as a tow vehicle if and when I get a boat. I’ve realized its too unreliable to serve that purpose. When my car has a failure, I can generally limp it home or to the garage for repairs. When the Jeep has a failure, its the type that leaves me stranded on the side of the road. I DON’T want to be stranded with a boat in tow.

With the car, I didn’t realize how much it was nickel and diming me until last summer. Facing a triple bill of bad wheel bearings, a ticket for a broken windshield, and an upcoming emissions test I didn’t expect it to pass, I endeavored to buy a new car. I was within a few signatures of closing a deal for a new Honda Fit when my Mother was diagnosed to be terminally ill. How can I put this briefly and respectfully, I think in her fear and frustration, she said some hurtful and sarcastic things to me specifically referencing me buying a new car and I realized I couldn’t do it under those circumstances. Every time I would see the car I would think about that darkest of days in my life, so I opted to repair “old blue” yet again and backed out of the new car deal. A new car is supposed to bring joy into your life, not remind you of one of your darkest hours. :cry:

130

In reference to my Jeep, I’m thinking karma has bitten me in my butt. My father had 3 bad Chryslers, my sister had 2 bad Chryslers, (my mom actually liked her Dodge because it would never start in the rain. She considered herself a bad driver and did not like driving in bad weather, that car gave her the perfect excuse. . . ) and generally I’ve never heard much good about their vehicles, except one lady I worked with who swore by how great Dodge cars were.

When I was a young know-it-all, I used to say I wouldn’t take a Chrysler vehicle “even if it were free”; then I broke my own rule. We had a death in the family and I played a key role in cleaning up the property. I asked the next of kin about the Jeep Grand Cherokee which had been sitting in front of the house for quite some time, and was told that I could have it if I could get the title from the lawyer who was handling the estate. Took almost a year to get that title, during which time the vehicle sat in front of my house like a big dumb lawn ornament. Three grand in repairs to restore it to roadworthyness, and a steady stream of trouble ever since.

MEANWHILE, the 1992 Chevy pickup I sold for $1,100. to make way for that Jeep is still going strong. The guy I sold it to does lawn maintenance as a side business, and he drives the heck out of that thing all summer, loading it up with lawn mowers and trimmers and bags of grass clippings and mulch and rocks. He’s closing in on a quarter million miles on that truck, and besides the fact that the paint is all peeling off and it looks like a total piece of crap, its still mechanically sound. He still brags about the good deal he got. God I’m such an idiot sometimes. If I had listened to my own advice I’d still have that pickup and that #$%^ Jeep would have been auctioned off at the estate sale. Live and learn I suppose.

BTW, sorry, I don’t mean to keep digging up this discussion which I suppose has played itself out, just wanted to answer the question that was asked of me, and I tend to be long-winded. Whoops.

131

Rats nest is perhaps an exaggeration, look for a build up of foliage debris that one might find on a vehicle that has been unused for a period of time.

I don’t know how long ago you acquired this vehicle but an 18-20 year old vehicle is best left to a hobbyist.

132

@“Ed Frugal”

Back in the day, I used to see guys trade running cars in good shape PLUS a grip of cash for those 1/2 ton Chevy trucks, same body style as yours. And the trucks often had a ton of miles on them

I’ve made some stupid decisions myself

Such as pouring money into cars I should have dropped off at pick a part

Or letting cars go, that I should have kept

:frowning:

133

@ ED,Chevy, ended up painting a lot of those trucks(maybe check and see if they will still ante up(these things were generally good (if not abused) for 300 K miles. If you want to give your friend a heads up.