There has to be a cure.

[mrspeedyt]

my strain of the disease is not good... I buy something that usually not the best example... then I work on it a little and enjoy it a little bit in its unfinished state... then park it (sometimes in less than perfect conditions) and buy the next victim (oops... I meant project...) sometimes I do sell something after a while. that in turn afflicts somebody else.

Edited November 7, 2011 by mrspeedyt
strain (see edit history)

[keiser31]

I can't Dodge the illness.

[Dave Mellor NJ]

I can't af-Ford it.

[John_Maine]

Ok, there were six $3500-$5000 cars at Hershey that I would have bought one (or two) if the wife had let me. Why pay sales tax, outrageous excise/registration taxes and insurance on a new car when these would have made perfectly good daily drivers? 1985 Olds 98 Regency with 77K, 1979 Buick Century with 65K, 1983 Fairmont with 44K, 1985 Crown Vic with 51K, 1983 Olds Delta with 72K. So, why am I thinking about trading my '09 Mustang for an '11 Silverado or '12 Chevy Volt? Talk about incongruity. I've always thought I'd like a truck but then when I was looking at Silverados, the salesman asked me if I'd like to take out their Volt demo. What a blast and with the driving I do, I'd almost never have to buy gas - which also makes a truck non-sensical. I put 5-6K a year on so why buy a big truck? Please, someone help me.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

Ok, there were six $3500-$5000 cars at Hershey that I would have bought one (or two) if the wife had let me. Why pay sales tax, outrageous excise/registration taxes and insurance on a new car when these would have made perfectly good daily drivers? 1985 Olds 98 Regency with 77K, 1979 Buick Century with 65K, 1983 Fairmont with 44K, 1985 Crown Vic with 51K, 1983 Olds Delta with 72K. So, why am I thinking about trading my '09 Mustang for an '11 Silverado or '12 Chevy Volt? Talk about incongruity. I've always thought I'd like a truck but then when I was looking at Silverados, the salesman asked me if I'd like to take out their Volt demo. What a blast and with the driving I do, I'd almost never have to buy gas - which also makes a truck non-sensical. I put 5-6K a year on so why buy a big truck? Please, someone help me.

Isn't the bottom line on the issue whether you need a utility vehicle to haul stuff from swap meets or for home maintenance? A Volt or similar vehicle ain't going to cut it in the hauling department. I would also say that if you only drive 5 to 6k miles a year your financial exposure at the gas pump is hardly worth riding around in a shoebox with wheels, plus charging a Volt or similar up at home is going to give you a jump in your electric bill. Beyond that, it is a known fact the power grid in most parts of the country is not ready for a bunch of folks to be charging up their electric/hybid vehicles at home.

[mrspeedyt]

my son in law has a volt... costs them ten dollars a month more on the electric bill in san diego. and almost no gas. works for him... but he isn't hauling stuff around.

[Guest Double M]

Maintainence is a very good point. A point that I dont think I brought up in my original post. It currently is a major factor affecting my infection. Most dont understand this, but an older car, is easier and perhaps cheaper to maintain. My Reatta has so many sensors and computer stuff that has to be considered and dealt with and they are not cheap. So far it has been a bit of a money pit compared to my old 1985 Dodge that I traded for the Reatta. But it is alot nicer car to drive.

I used to own a MINI Cooper. Nice car, I highly recommend them. Maintainence was free for 3 years or 50,000 miles. I used up that 50 thou fast. Again I needed to pass inspection... To do this, I needed over $1000 in repairs., the third brake light went out... &375, just for the part, add in a 4 wheel disc brake job, all being done at BMW dealer... $$$. I sold it for the 1985 Dodge, BTW. I am far gone, aint I?

This 66 Fury appeals to me, in that I can open the hood and count the parts under there, and I know what they all are and do. I visited it the other day and popped the hood and found an engine, pointing in the right direction I may ad, noticed a new fuel pump where the fuel pump is supposed to be, I brend new Master Cylinder and I could trace the entire electrical harness under the hood in seconds.

It all isnt wine and roses. The engine compartment had alot of age and surface rust, in fact the car may have low miles but it hasnt been garaged all this time and is in a remarkable yet unrestored condition. I will try and bargain the $2500 asking price down with this in mind when it once again comes time to succumb to this disease we share.

[Guest Jim_Edwards]

Angelo all the things you cite about the Fury is exactly why I just bought a '78 Lincoln Town Car that only had 59K miles on it to assume basically daily driver duties. Inside and out basically a new car. I'm having to go through it and catch up on routine maintenance the former owner neglected. But so what? A set of shocks, new plugs, plug wires, distributor cap and rotor, and a carb adjustment are not a big deal. The biggest deal I have ran into has to do with the heating and Air Conditioning which have revealed a leaking heater core (I'm fixing today) and the distinct possibility the good old A6 air conditioning compressor has a blown shaft seal. Neither of those are expensive to repair if one has the time and ability to effect the repairs, and I do. All well worth the cushy seats that don't beat you up, quiet passenger compartment, and suspension that just floats its 5000+ lbs down the road.

I don't give a hang about the fact with its big 460-4V engine it will never average more than 13-14 mpg until I tweak it a bit. I doubt it will see more than 5-6K miles per year if even that and that comes to about a $100-$125 average monthly anticipated fuel cost. Big deal, it beats the heck out of $300-$400 a month going out in car payments.

The only update the car will get in terms of "goodies" is a better radio receiver and some sort of decent cup holder riding the transmission hump, which I'm probably going to have to fabricate and may just end up being the home for the new radio receiver, etc.

[John_Maine]

Isn't the bottom line on the issue whether you need a utility vehicle to haul stuff from swap meets or for home maintenance? A Volt or similar vehicle ain't going to cut it in the hauling department. I would also say that if you only drive 5 to 6k miles a year your financial exposure at the gas pump is hardly worth riding around in a shoebox with wheels, plus charging a Volt or similar up at home is going to give you a jump in your electric bill. Beyond that, it is a known fact the power grid in most parts of the country is not ready for a bunch of folks to be charging up their electric/hybid vehicles at home.

This is what I'm dealing with. I would use a truck as a passenger car more than a truck. I'm the kind of person that would put blankets in the bed so it doesn't get scratched or dirty when I'm hauling something. When I'm doing something around the house - like getting sand for the driveway in the winter, going to Home Depot for patio blocks, etc., I can't help but think how handy a truck would be. On the other hand, unless I take a trip, I only drive 5-6K a year. Gas is not an issue; I can afford $4 a gallon. It's just the idea of spending $50 plus to fill up my car - and a truck would be worse. That's what intrigues me about the Volt. Most of my driving during the week is 4 miles a day at 30 mph or less. I'd almost never have to buy gas - which is not going to get any cheaper. I've driven a Volt and it certainly doesn't feel like a shoebox. Supposedly a 10 hour charge would cost $1.30. I'd only be charging up once a week unless I went somewhere out of town. My electric bill went down by $30 when our boys moved out - I don't think a Volt would cost that much to charge. Yes, it's a premium to pay, but the uniqueness of not having to buy much gas is intriguing to me. But, as you say, financially, it would not pay in the long run. That's why I go back and forth between buying new or finding a good older car to use as a daily driver and thus save on taxes and insurance.

[mrspeedyt]

someday the volt will be 'just a used car' and i could afford it... and maybe a collectable in the future. in the meantime my son in law spends almost nothing on gas... (certainly what he pays in payments makes up the difference...) btw he is suffering from a mild touch of 'old-car-itis' (baracudda strain)

Edited November 9, 2011 by mrspeedyt (see edit history)

[Guest Kingoftheroad]

Regardless of the mpg of the Volt, you'll still be forced to use the gas in the car regularly cause todays gas gets gummy fast as many of us already know. And that old gummy fuel fuel will wreak havoc with that new car & your wallet..

[Guest Bad Boy Auto]

My name is Randy and i have Chronic Vehicle Disorder or CVD. My cylinder index is well over 100 (count your cylinders to establish your index) and I am told there is no hope for cure.

[John_Maine]

My name is Randy and i have Chronic Vehicle Disorder or CVD. My cylinder index is well over 100 (count your cylinders to establish your index) and I am told there is no hope for cure.

Chronic Vehicle Disorder - I love it.

On the Volt, when the gasoline engine has not run for a specified time, it starts up whether electricity is needed or not, thus keeping the gas from getting stale.

[oldcarfudd]

You can have a low cylinder index and still have CVD. My cylinder index is 19. That's 8 for my VW Touareg tow vehicle, 4 for my 1912 Buick under restoration, 4 for my Model T, 2 for my Stanley and 1 for my 1907 Cadillac. The index was 21, but I sold a 2-cylinder Buick last month. If I sell the Stanley, the cylinder index of my toy cars will be only 1 more than the cylinder index of what I use to haul 'em to and from tours. But I definitely have CVD and there's no cure in sight.

Gil Fitzhugh, Morristown, NJ

[Dandy Dave]

We were counting Spark plugs in cylinders several years ago. I lost count somewhere around 190. ... Dandy Dave!

[Guest Double M]

Just like anothe disease I suffer from, Diabetes, you can have high levels and low levels. My reading is very low... 10.

Buick Reatta- 6

Genuine Stella - 1

Piaggio Vespa et4 - 1

Honda Hawk - 2

You can see why I have these strange cravings for a V8, I cant explain...

[Guest Kingoftheroad]

You can see why I have these strange cravings for a V8, I cant explain...

LOL..... I have the same problem when I spend to much time driving 4 & 6 cylinders.... GOTTA HAVE MY V8s !!

[John_Maine]

My problem is that I can never make up my mind. If I buy a new car, I'm out prowling dealerships the next week. (1) I'm thinking I'd like a truck, as a mentoned before, but with what I drive, a full size truck seems like a waste. On the other hand, I want all the luxuries that are generally not available on mid-size trucks - and mid-sizers don't get any better mileage than full size - which is one of the reasons they're going away. (2) The Volt - interesting car that I really liked. I would never recoup the additional cost but the idea of not using gasonline (or very much of it) is intriguing. Plus all our local stations, save one, are owned / supplied by the same company and our prices are .10-.15 more per gallon in town than what they sell 25 miles out of town. Just ticks me off so I'd like to cut down on what I give them. (3) I loved my Crown Vic and have always said I'd like to have another. Just love the sound of a Ford V8 and that first gear whine. Despite fleet sales new only, there are several used '11's available within 100 miles of me. I just like a full frame, RWD room for 6 car. (4) I really enjoy my '09 Mustang convertible, but it's not practical as an every day car and it does not have the luxuries I had on my Grand Prix. I didn't think I'd miss them, but I do. Plus I'm tired of putting more money into the '89 Cutlass I inherited from my uncle I use in winter. It's getting pretty rusty and while I can leave it in a parking lot and not worry about someone dinging it, I've worked too hard all these years to ride around in something I'm not proud to own.

I've driven a couple of Silverados, an F-150, a G8 GT (that would really get me in trouble - never driven a car with as much power), the Volt, Fusion, Fusion hybrid and Taurus. I have the money now to have exactly what I want, just can't make up my mind.

[Guest Recian]

There will never be a cure for it and those who arent into it will never understand. Ive been going through cars since I was 18 and now im 23 and i've been through 7 cars, 2 of which I still own and drive and i'm buying #8 soon. None have ever been in wrecks. Started with a 90 dodge ramcharger then a 95 nissan sentra, 96 honda accord 2dr, 78 dodge ramcharger soft top, 84 S10 blazer, 04 hyundai elantra GT, and my 89 reatta. I'm buying a 94 toyota pickup 4cyl 5-speed soon for dirt cheap which i'll drive to keep the chances of the reatta getting into a wreck much lower since parts are getting much harder to find. I've told myself im not buying and selling anymore cars soon and i've dropped down to about a stage 1 but i know i'll be buying and selling cars again soon, i doubt my reatta will be one since i not only have this i've got reattaitis too

[Jrope]

I am addicted as well. My wife wants to have me admitted to the Henry Ford Clinic.

[Guest please help me]

can u please help me? i just joined and im confused. have some old jack stands trying to c what i have

[Guest newstew]

The is no medical name for the disease but it affects mostly males at an early age. Studies have shown that exposure to leaded gasoline or walking through a junk yard may have triggered this widespead disease.Psyciatrist claim that untreated symptoms can escalate to a point that you can't even drive in the country without your eyes peeking into every barn door cracked open an inch.Once the afflicted aquires a first find , then the afflicted becomes hopelessly lost in the uphoria, and nothing is ever the same. Families that don't understand lose their spouses to greasy low lit garages, and what once was a kitchen sink is now a parts washer,Rust Dust and old Gas become the sanctuary for these willing victims GOD BLESS THEIR SOULS

[Dosmo]

I think the way it got into my blood was that I wanted attention. My parents lived across the street from my maternal grandparents - my twin uncles, my mother's brothers, were 18 when I was born and both still lived at home. They became more like brothers to me instead of seeming like uncles. And they had old cars sitting around their house - driveways on both sides of the house and lined up in the back yard. 36 Ford coupe, 36 Ford sedan, 51 Mercury Monterey, 33 Studebaker - you get the picture.

My dad was a detective, busy all the time, worked crazy hours. I didn't see him much - I spent days at my grandparents house while He & Mom worked. I started learning to ID cars at an early age, and quickly started spotting cars I thought my uncles would like. I think that is where it happened to me. I learned to love old cars because I wanted their approval. The cars they owned - 55 Chevy ragtop, 53 Olds 4dr, 59 & 60 Pontiac HT's, 63 Pontiac GP - I thought these were the coolest rides on the road. They ridiculed my folks cars - 50 Nash Rambler wagon, 54 Mercury oil dripper, 59 Ford - so I learned to not like these cars so much back then - later on, I changed my mind about all those.

I don't have an antique car now and may never again - but I still love them, and the odder they are, the better I like them. Give me a weird, ugly, boxy looking early 50s station wagon and you'll see a smile on my face.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.