You could only do this with Clunkers!

[R W Burgess]

Hey guys, just sold my '89 Caprice today. I'll see if I can find a picture of it. I bought it in 2003 when it had 73,000 miles on it. We paid $1750.00 for it. We had it painted at that time.

In 6 years maintance, besides normal oil changes, included:

1. one battery

2. one set of tires

3. had the fuel injection system rebuilt

4. insurance company repainted the left side (accident-other person's fault)

5. replaced headliner

6. added freon charge

Today the car has 99,980 miles on it. The buyer put $2400.00 in my hand for her.

Let's see you do that with a Honda/Toyota/any other brand late model automobile!

[michel88]

That Caprice was an excellent buy. When I see pictures on the news of some of these "clunkers" they look a lot better than my daily driver. In the future it is going to be a lot harder to find good cars that you can use for drivers at a bargain price like you were able to Wayne.

[Marty Roth]

Dave,

My Excursion Diesel has over 232,000 miles on it, and I just bought it - used.

I just gave away a 1977 Suburban with 1,434,855 miles (YES - nearly a million and a half miles), and I had used it nearly every day in business, as well as pulling my enclosed trailers to transport my earliest cars to the Glidden, Vintage, Reliablilty, Brass and Gas, and other tours . It was a C-10 Series (Half-Ton - 2-wheel drive) with the Chevrolet 350 ci 4-bolt main bearing engine with a quadrajet carburetor, and a "350" Hydra-matic transmission. The first engine was pulled at 286,xxx miles when a new/faulty fuel pump leaked gas into the crankcase-the next morning start-up was explosive - tore off the rocker covers and the oil pan. We thought the engine was bad due to a clunking sound when it started, and since it was a daily driver we got a NEW-OFF-THE-SHELF engine from the dealer and installed it that weekend, only to find that the "clunk" was the crank hitting the bent oil pan. That engine always pulled any trailer with any antique car to any event, and NEVER used oil between its 3,000 mile changes. At 1.3 million miles, a friend borrowed it to pull a trailer cross-country and crossed the Rockies both ways -- NO PROBLEM -- except that when he got home he did an oil change but didn't notice that the old rubber gasket had stuck to the engine block, and not come off with the filter -- the new one and the old together slipped and didn't seal -- catastrophic loss of oil, and he cooked the engine before he realized why the loss of power.

The next new "Mr. Goodwrench" was just as good, and gave us well over another hundred-K before I gave the truck to a friend - the rust was getting ahead of me, but the driveline was still A-1 --

Sure, I changed some U-joints, brake pads, a couple of bulbs in the dashboard, and the material on the headliner,rebuilt the tranny twice, and swapped out the differential and axle bearings, but it gave 32 years of extremely faithful service, as well as absurdly dependable miles (YES--- ONE POINT FOUR MILLION MILES).

Lets see some Nipponese Sh--box do that!!

Edited August 23, 2009 by Marty Roth
verified facts/spelling (see edit history)

[Dandy Dave]

The clunkers in D.C. can have my Chevy Suburban when they Pry it from my cold dead fingers. A 1990 with 55,000 on it. Yes sir, Just barely broke in.

This is the second on that I have had. The first one, a 1989, has too much rust to fix it. I quite driving that one because the tranny only had first and second gear at more than 150,000 miles. Dandy Dave!

[Guest Bluesky636]

Due to the present economic situation I find that I have to sell my 1998 Ford Expedition. I bought a new car at the beginning of last year the old fashioned way with bank money, not taxpayer money. I can't justify a second car payment and I'm tired of paying taxes and insurance on three daily drivers for two people. I beat the crap out of the truck with years of fourwheeling (I drove it places that even impressed my Jeep friends) and hauling doctors and nurses to the hospital in heavy snow. In 135K miles it only failed to start once. To be honest, I'd rather see it go to someone who could use a big vehicle like it then see it killed and crushed. Guess I'm just sentimental and a bit old fashioned that way.

[Guest THEHKP7M13]

...To be honest, I'd rather see it go to someone who could use a big vehicle like it then see it killed and crushed. Guess I'm just sentimental and a bit old fashioned that way.

Well said.

[jaxops]

The clunkers in D.C. can have my Chevy Suburban when they Pry it from my cold dead fingers. . Dandy Dave!

So say I! I am painting my 90 Mercury and my 89 Ford SW! Guess what businesses my 2 old Fords support in the economy?

• TAPE Paint Supplies, VA Beach, VA
  
• Sherwin Williams Paint supplies
  
• California Car Covers
  
• Ebay
  
• NAPA
  
• Advanced Auto
  
• Pep Boys
  
• Ocean Air Auto Repair
  
• Goodyear Tires
  
• MIDAS
  
• Ford original Parts Group, and others
  
• Beach Ford, VA Beach
  
• Freedom Ford, Norfolk, VA
  
• London Bridge Motor Co.
  
• JASPER transmissions
  
• Various gas stations
  

Just to name a few.