This past Sunday Jessi and I picked up the car. Yeah, it's a blast to drive. So much fun that Jessi was giving me a hard time because I was hard to keep up with. She grumbled something about "trying to chase a hamster through tall grass", or something like that...
Buying it, I knew it needed new O2 sensors, so I bought a pair. I also knew it needed rear rotors and pads, so I ordered those before even picking it up. I didn't know, though, that the clutch was in its death throws. It made the trip home fine, but in the three days since then, it's just about given up the ghost. I can drop the clutch without any throttle and the car will just start to creep forward. If I do anything more than give it throttle gently, it slips. I'll nurse it home today from work and park it until I can fix it.
Right now it accelerates more slowly than my Mirage...
No fear! I found a LUK kit for $180 shipped. Apparently it was put into another '02, but 800 miles later that car was destroyed in a wreck. Now I'm waiting on it to install and get back on the road.
Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Test drive
Two weekends ago Jessi and I went to test drive the car. I think her comment while I was driving just about sums it up: "Brad, you're gonna get us pulled over."
Yeah, this is the first car I've ever thought about actually buying that I ENJOYED driving. Prior to this, my cars were all purchased with the express purpose of utility: Can it haul a light trailer? Will it run when it's raining? Can children climb in and out?
Now that we had a Ford Edge (to replace Jessi's wrecked car) to haul the kids and the trailer and the Mirage as a beater, I could afford to look at a smaller, more nimble car.
I decided then that I would buy it.
Yeah, this is the first car I've ever thought about actually buying that I ENJOYED driving. Prior to this, my cars were all purchased with the express purpose of utility: Can it haul a light trailer? Will it run when it's raining? Can children climb in and out?
Now that we had a Ford Edge (to replace Jessi's wrecked car) to haul the kids and the trailer and the Mirage as a beater, I could afford to look at a smaller, more nimble car.
I decided then that I would buy it.
Hunting for a "new" car begins
I have a '99 Mirage that I've been driving since '02. I bought it with 25k on the odo, and now it is nearly 160k. It runs well and all, but it's getting long in the tooth, and I'm beginning to worry about how much longer it'll last.
The original plan was to buy a compact SUV to replace it. My fiance would get that, and I'd start driving her Sentra. Performance of my car has never been a consideration, as I get my kicks from the two-wheeled type. Well, a few weeks ago the Sentra was destroyed in an wreck (no injuries), so our search was hastened. Unfortunately, I was stuck with the proposition of keeping the ratty old Mirage.
Then a buddy of mine mentions that he has an '02 Focus SVT with 68k that he will sell for $2k. At first I was leery, as I'm not a big fan of American cars (blame my dad for getting me hooked on Toyota), and I didn't want to drop another $1k into repairs to get it on the road.
Suffice it to say that I changed my mind and the process of buying it started.
The original plan was to buy a compact SUV to replace it. My fiance would get that, and I'd start driving her Sentra. Performance of my car has never been a consideration, as I get my kicks from the two-wheeled type. Well, a few weeks ago the Sentra was destroyed in an wreck (no injuries), so our search was hastened. Unfortunately, I was stuck with the proposition of keeping the ratty old Mirage.
Then a buddy of mine mentions that he has an '02 Focus SVT with 68k that he will sell for $2k. At first I was leery, as I'm not a big fan of American cars (blame my dad for getting me hooked on Toyota), and I didn't want to drop another $1k into repairs to get it on the road.
Suffice it to say that I changed my mind and the process of buying it started.
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