The Green Machine is dead
 

I was driving down the highway, and a metal bar of some kind was flug up into the engine bay and completely destroyed by tranny, which then destroyed my motor. I'm just going without a gar for now, but am looking into getting a Yaris or something. Whatever I get, it will be a cheap econobox.

sorry to hear about your accord, I guess the good part is that you're now free to experiment with another vehicle that you couldn't experiment with before.
Some cool FE cars that I can think of right off the top of my head are:
CRX
83ish? Mazda b2200 diesel
old TDI's and golfs, rabbits, etc.

Wow, that must have been one nasty impact... Poor luck :/

Will insurance cover any of this?

Nope, insurance doesn't cover it. With regards to getting a diesel, I'm thinking about it, but I'm traveling more and more for work, and am getting sick of older cars dying on me. So far I've been lucky and have never had a problem out of town, but I'm afraid that I'm going to really be trying my luck if I get another old car, so I'm looking for a newish car with enough room for all of my gear. Until I can afford another car, I'm borrowing my parent's car when I need to haul my gear, but am biking most of the time.

Wow thats a bummer. That car put up some awesome #'s its a shame its gone.

Get a diesel VeeDub and go dd'ing for fuel. :thumbup:

File a claim with the DOT for not having the road clean and maintained :)

Might sound stupid but it is possible to make them repair or at least total the car and pay you for damages. I am sure every state is different but in WV it is just fill a form out and usually 6months to a year for a hearing about it then you get a check a few weeks later if you get it.

I'm thinking about it. The only problem is that I'm traveling more and more for work, and am moving in the next few months. I unfortunately need something more reliable at the moment. Once I'm settled in I'll probably look into getting a second car for the veggie conversion.

Shoot, ain't nothing more reliable than a MK1, so long as ya know how to fix it. ;)

repete86: I can tell you one thing. I am never driving with you. You must have the worst luck on this board man. First you are in a car that flips over, and now this. I would be contemplating the presence of higher forces if I were you. Man, you are just lucky that the rod chose your engine bay rather than your windshield.

If you are looking for a cheap car, I wouldn't go for any of the TDIs. They tend to hold their value a lot better than your typical gasser. I personally own one, and I paid what I consider to be a pretty penny for it. Then again, these cars don't just die on you if you keep up on the scheduled maintenance. You can also expect more than 300k miles out of them. If I remember correctly, you are into dumpster diving, so that might work for you too.

:p I looked for months trying to find a TDI :p I only found one, but I am absolutely over automatic transmissions (having poor luck in the past). Either everyone was totaling them, or just didn't want to sell them :p I eventually settled on my gasser Jetta - not because I'm partial to VW, but because it was the only standard shift I could find that wasn't out of my price range. :Shakes fist in air:

trebuchet03: There is no shortage of TDIs for sale... they just normally sell above KBB value. I was about to get another TDI (auto for the wife) until my dad talked me out of it. What the heck I was thinking, I do not know. A quick trip to the www.tdiclub.com forums set me straight. Lifespan of the auto transmission in a TDI is about 100-150k miles, and it costs anywhere from $4,000 to $6,000 to replace.

I will continue to watch the auctions for another one. Luckily, being that the mileage you can get out of a manual is so proportionally greater than that of an A/T, there tends to be more TDIs with manual transmissions.

If I were to go with a TDI, it would be a MK1. Those ones are very affordable. I can pick one up for less than $3k, and I know that they last forever. I'm just worried about it dying while I'm on the road.

They won't die once running unless there's a fuel line obstruction and the IP ends up sucking down air. In fact, for the 1.5L engines, run-away from blow-by is a greater concern IMO.

DUDE Get a Yaris - it's a great engine and should last a long time - just get a very light color i.e. Polar White!! heh heh heh! The white body on my xB was NEVER too hot to touch on a sunny day - just the glass got a bit warm.

Get the Yaris, the engine is great and if you can go with manual thats better. You'll have better control over the power range. i have more fun in that car than anything else, plus the 1.5l engine loves to be in the upper rpm range.

Don't get the Yaris, or any newer car for that matter, unless you have the cash burning a hole in your packet and don't know what to do w/ it. ;)

Can't beat newer car reliability and a warranty.

I can and I do. As reliable as a new car may be, given the cost, someone who is willing to put in a little elbow grease can have something as reliable for a small fraction of that cost. That being said, it ain't nearly as worthwhile if the owner doesn't do their own work, but that's true of just about anything IMO.

repete86, say it's not true. Sorry to hear about the Green Machine. I would definately get an estimate and submit it to the State. :( Good Luck

how is it not covered by insurance? i wasnt there nor seen the car so it could be different but i know that the DOT could and most likely would pay some money. ive heard of people hitting the chunks of semitires or getting hit my them and causign broken windshields, or severed lines. those were reparied and paid for by the state...


id say a newish car would be better. new cars are so overrated. they always have some kind of fault where it has to be in the shop. id look for a an 06-04 car with around 20k miles. it slogn enough that the factory bugs have been worked out, its broken in yet still new, and you pay almost half!

Keep an eye on craigslist.com for something. never know what could turn up there. suck about the car but at least was just the ride and not the driver. where did this happen??

WOOHOOO! Thanks! I just jumped up another spot on the top ten list!

uh, I mean, ummm sorry to hear about the accident. :)
Seriously, I kept watching the top ten list as we traded spots over the last 6 months. You were one of the carrots dangling in front of me, just out of reach, it kept me motivated to try harder. I hope you make a comeback with whatever car you choose. It'll be interesting to see how quickly your next cars FE jumps up once you start hypermiling it. Keep us informed!

The only good thing about factory warranty is if something big happens that i can't fix, or don't want to. I do all other repairs on my car granted the only repair as of yet is scratch removal on the paint. haven't taken it to a shop since i had to rotate the tires. now my two past used cars needed serious work not covered under warranty and i don't have twin post lifts to take a tranny out of a front wheel drive car to replace the main rear seal. was easy in the tbird, but it threw a rod ... but im rambling, i hope you find the car you want and also suits your needs. nothing sucks more than having a sedan when you want a coupe:mad:

theclencher: what new car did you buy sounds like either a lemon or a domestic, but i am curious as to the specific model

I had an excellent experience with for but just too gas thirsty. the Taurus' only problem was the main seal and a bad first owner. the T-bird on the other hand had the horrible Canadian made(no offense to any Canadians) Essex engine which was a head gasket eater. It went through four sets of head gaskets in under 350,000miles, 3 power steering pumps also. It was a nasty engine. But had a BROAD power range. Could spin the tires well into second gear, who says old school pushrods can't burn rubber is crazy, but despite its massive weight and engine it got good mileage lifetime for me was around 22mpg mixed.

thecleancher, I did a total about face on Aerostars... went from thinking they were the most godawful horrid things to a breakdown when I lost a mint '97 this summer that had recently replaced a '91 that was off its rockers due to salt...

lol dont get me started on thos ehings... we haev one, rust free 100K miles BUT had to take it to the shop to change plugs(couldnt reach em) broke parking brake cable, oil pan rusted thru, power steering lines rusted thru, tranny cooler line rusted thru. oodles of lost interior pannel screws (dunno how those things rattle loose) battery hold down bolt decided to snap, keeps blowing CHMSL lights (not the fuse the bulbs?!?!??)

yet still starts and runs and drives perfectly....

seems like all the fords my dads owned theres always been some weird mysterious problem with them. or they break the unthinkable breakable stuff...all the while my 2 chevys are doin just fine (nothign too major). i dunno from my experiences im kinda partial to GM (i know what to expect to go out and when, parts are cheap, plenty of em in junkyards for body parts, kidn aknow how GM engineers think so logic is applied (ie: the wiper motor control board is ON THE WIPER MOTOR, unlike fords that hide it under the dash along with 5 other black boxes)

That's so sad to hear! Sometimes we get really personal with our vehicles and it's sad to see them go. Do you know how much money it would be to repair? I think spending $1,000 on a repair is better than spending $15,000+ on a new car (unless, of course if you hated the vehicle).

Sad to see the accord go. That was the car i grew up driving--a 1990 5 speed. Was awesome to see you hypermiling one.

I'd say no point in buying a yaris when you can get an echo for much less money. If you find one with less than 100k, i think it would not be likely to leave you stranded, especially if you give it the occasional look over. the price would be less than 4,000, much less than a yaris. Also honda civics are good for economy and reliability, but I am sure you know that. The 03 corolla manual is also a really good car both for reliability and gas milage, that would be a lot larger than the echo/yaris, and a little more expensive.

DITTO!!! Though I'm liking the MK2's and all their quirks, electrical - cough-cough. Can't beat an old VeeDub. I overpaid a few hundred bucks for my latest one though I don't regret it. Still under $2500. If I drove more efficiently I'd bust 45+ easy with it.

I suppose a Geo won't fit your stuff. :( Honestly, a late model Escort wagon (standard tranny) is a good little bulletproof car that is roomy and can deliver stellar numbers in mileage. Can you say cheeeep & easy to maintain.

I75 just north of Alico. Somehow I managed to get it into Three Oaks and just left it there for two days before getting back from a camping trip and taking care of it.

I never knew that things like this were covered by insurance. Also, now the issue is with proof. I had the car junked already. I'll see what I can do about a DOT claim though.

I doubt that I'll have as much luck with any other car. I've said it before and I'll say it again. It was mostly the car. There was something seriously wrong with the car that worked in my favor. The car was always feeling extremely underpowered. I think that the mixture was extremely lean.

Alot. The engine and tranny were completely unsalvagable, and both are extremely expensive on that particular car. That and I really need the extra room of a hatchback because of all of the gear I move for work, and am not very good mechanically.