PennSilverTaco's "Perfect 5-Lug Regular Cab" Build, Aspergers, and General BS MegaThread!

A deer strike is not considered "collision" by USAA (and I'm presuming most other insurance companies). The last thing we need is for the car to get totaled by a deer and not be able to get any money because of only having liability coverage, so I just added comprehensive coverage. If Amanda hits a deer, or a window gets broken, we're covered!

 

;

 

The PT Cruiser needs front brakes, rear shocks, and a power steering rack. Including the cost of state inspection, this comes to just under $1,600. Since we only paid $800 for the car, we have decided to do all the necessary repairs. The car really only needs rear shocks to pass inspection, but why not go all in? The inspection isn’t due until July, and my mechanic has deemed the car safe to drive until we bring it in for the repairs. The work will be done on June 5th.

 

Not too bad really.
The rack is going to be the big charge.
But that's just part of owning a car, you have to fix them too.

Still, $2,400 in total is not bad at all.

 

Last steering rack I did was in Shawn's Elantra, bit of a pain because of the way it was mounted to the firewall, made it difficult to attach to the steering shaft inside the car.

 

I looked it up.
I guess it can't be too bad.
Books 2.1 hours. That does not include alignment.

I've never done a rack in 2.1 hours.
More like 4 or 5 for me.......

 

We probably spent a good 4 or 5 hours too, it was after he wrecked the car, the rack was bent plus the housing broken, was very stubborn to remove!

 

Did that say what is wrong with the rack, just a leak or a bunch of play in the steering? If it's a small leak l would just add a little fluid here and there instead of spending all that cash on the replacement.

 

I will ask. We’ve also decided to do the water pump and timing chain, and that’ll definitely save money!

 

@ABA180
@ColoradoTJ
@Just_A_Guy
@shakerhood
@steelcity2
@TnShooter

So, it’s been a stressful week. The same day we committed to buying the PT Cruiser (actually just before), Amanda got a call from the doctor’s office that a recent mammogram had uncovered a nodule in her left breast; Amanda carries the BRCA gene, which genetically predisposes her to breast cancer. She had a second mammogram and some other tests done on Tuesday. Thankfully, the nodule has been determined to be benign.

 

Phew, good thing you all were on top of it. Never too early to start this stuff.

I have to reschedule my colonoscopy that was going to be in 2 weeks, hate to do it but wife's surgery got bumped out a week and she's going to be down for a bit.

 

I told @ColoradoTJ about this on the phone…

Before we did our research, Amanda was planning to buy a 2011 Nissan Altima 2.5S for $3,000. This was just for the car and nothing else. She paid $800 cash for the PT Cruiser. The combined cost for title, tax, tags, etc was $346.08. Insuring the car for six months is $329 if I remember correctly.

The only thing that the car NEEDS to pass inspection is rear shocks, which comes to $303.08 for parts and labor.

The steering rack leaks, so we have decided to replace that at a cost of $662.64.

The front brakes pass inspection but are worn out, so we have decided to do those for $517.91.

The cost for a Bluetooth stereo and backup camera is about $200; I can install the HU, but my mechanic is doing the backup camera wiring at a cost of $150…?

That is a little over $3,300 for a car that is 100% legal and has a significant sound system upgrade. Not bad when you consider than renting cars or taking Ubers for a year is almost five grand!

So, here’s where the problem is…

The car has just shy of 95K and the timing belt has never been done. My mechanic won’t do it. Another mechanic I know who doesn’t mind working on older American cars is willing to do it for like $1,450.

First, I called my friend Dave who used to be a mechanic and has done work on my Tacoma before. He doesn’t think it’s worthwhile to do the job even if I get a good deal.

I called the two Chrysler dealerships nearest to my house and wasn’t able to get an answer from them right away. Neither of them called me back.

I also called the mechanic who used to work on my truck before I went to Pete and left a message (he didn’t answer); I never got a called back.

Amanda has an 11-mile round trip commute from her home to her place of employment, and back again; I don’t see her putting more than 500 miles a month on the car, and if the engine gets nuked before 100K miles then it’s whatever. Needless to say, the car will not be driven more than 10 miles from Amanda’s house unless it’s an emergency, and I am constantly looking for something that’s a bit easier to work on.

 

Read the above quoted post, @Just_A_Guy…

You were NOT kidding, @TnShooter! My friend Richard and I were looking under the hood today, and the PT Cruiser is a fucking nightmare. Stuff that can be done in a matter of minutes on my Tacoma requires a lot of disassembly on a PT Cruiser. I am taking the last response from two Chrysler dealerships and a mechanic as a hint that they will not touch this car; Richard and I watched a YouTube video showing this exact job on a 2006 PT Cruiser, and what a pain in the ass!

 

I’ve never done a brake job, and I could probably do the shocks but I do not have the time or the space to do that. Less than $310 ain’t bad to get it through inspection…

 

1+ for this.....

IIRC, the 2.4 is a non-interference engine.
The chances of catastrophic engine failure on a broken timing belt are slim.
The valves "could" hit each other if the stars align and the conditions are right.
But the odds are in your favored they wont.

I say....Brake and Shocks.
Save money, drive the car until it wont move.
Then spend what you saved on a new car.