Glad you're ok Peakster. Thats insane that it just broke like that. Any sloppy steering or odd feelings prior?

Not really, but then again the car makes squeaks and rattles everywhere because it's now @ 258K+. I think what may have set it off were the nasty potholes on the gravel road surface: A hole might have shocked the front tires to steer in a direction that the steering knuckle didn't like and thus it busted.

The good thing is that I can still use my 55.3 mpg, 4.3 gallons to empty for the upcoming weekly F.E.T.C update.

lol, thats the way to go!

Yes, very lucky!

I've never heard of that happening before.

A bad weekend for Suzuki-clones - brake failure in the ForkenSwift and total steering loss in Peakster's.

(Sparks a wave of panic selling...)

Sorry about the geo, that really sucks. Hopefully you'll get it up and going soon!

Lol! My dad gave me this whole spiel about "You're car is getting worn out and it's falling apart" and "Maybe it's time fo you to get a real car". It happens any time a car of mine breaks down though. It was insane with the Fiero. I mean a coolant hose could come apart and everyone would be like: "OMG! It's a lemon!" :rolleyes:

Well, if he wants to chip in on a used Insight or Smart car, don't be too quick to argue with him ... ;)

People tell me the same about my car, but then I'm just forced to remind them that I have done no maintenance to it at all really. I think that alot of people just have this negative view of old cars. I can't help but wonder how much it has to do with our consumer culture though. The fact that we're always being bombarded with the "new is better" message probably doesn't help much. The two best cars I've ever owned were cars that people wouldn't even expect to run (the Green Machine and my old Tercel).

I think most North Americans just don't like paying for car repairs. A recent poll at gasbuddy.com indicates that the vast majority of people don't hang onto a car longer than 10 years.

Personally, I'd much rather spend $1000 a year on car repairs than $4,000+ a year in finance payments for a newer car. Then you add the higher insurance premiums and fact that very few cars out there get better MPG than the Geo: it just makes sense to keep almost any old car than spend a whack of money to buy a newer one.

One thing is for sure: Cars are expensive :o! The Geo is coming around $6,000 invested and I only bought it 8 months ago!

Wow. That sucks that you've spent that much already in the last year on your Geo. I got off really lucky with my Honda. Apart from insurance, gas, and oil changes, I've spent almost nothing on it.

Got the Geo back today: only $150 to fix and it's back on the road. Unfortunately, my airbag isn't functional anymore because when the wheel made more than 3 or so turns, it busted. Have to get that fixed in the future. After driving the Chrysler for so long, it's real crude awakening to drive the 260K Geo again. Creaks and rattles everywhere with an anemic engine. *sigh* the things we put up with for good FE ;)

Edit: my horn doesn't work either

If you just broke the clock spring, its not that difficult of a fix.

Yeah, that's what he said it was: the clock spring (couldn't remember what it was called). He told me that it's around a $100 fix, but the mechanic couldn't find any replacement parts for the airbag at the autowrecker, for now.

A little off topic, but I test drove a 4 cylinder 1997 Jeep TJ today. Certainly don't get much of a truck for $10K (the drivetrain appeared & felt excellent, but it needed cosmetic fixes everywhere). I like testing out used cars at dealerships periodically; it helps me get over "I wish I had a different car" blues.

Bad week for Suzuki-lones? A co-worker had his 94 Metro XFI's lower right control arm separate from the unibody rust when he braked for a speed bump in the parking lot. The wheel jammed into the rear of the wheel arch. He knew another employee with four of these Suzuki/Geo/Chevy/badge-of-the-week cars. The title was signed over.
New owner wanted the XFI transmission. New owner then started to worry what Mrs. New owner would say when yet another decomposing POS arrived in the drive. New owner then decided that the 1.3 five speed he already has is good enough for one of his .993 engines he already has and that he really didn't want the knock-kneed XFI's gear box after all.
Here's where I come in. I've been mulling installing a lighter engine in the Sonett. The cast iron block and heads of the 1.5 V4 make it weigh in at 262 lbs. I had it on a bathroom scale after I last rebuilt it. The iron lump makes the weight distribution about 70:30 in an 1800 lb car.
The internet specifications have the 993 cc engine at 145 lbs for a weight reduction of 115 lbs compared to the V4. That weight is taken from in front of the front wheels. I have no doubt that removing 100+ lbs here will ADD weight to the rear wheels since the rear of the car is LOWER with the V4 engine out due to the see-saw effect. The dimensions of the I3 engine are within an inch of the V4 in height from crank center. It is 2 inches shorter (allowance for a bell housing adapter) and the same width.
Power in stock form is lower in the I3 than in the well modified V4 (49 vs 65 hp), but there are more aftermarket go-faster parts for the triple than I'd ever hope to find for the V4.
So the crippled Metro now sits in MY driveway. The owner wants the near new 12 inch tires and the rust free hatch for one of his, and then it's mine with which to play.

You could probably do the repair. You basically unplug your battery, unhook the airbag computer if equipped, then pull the steering wheel. The clock spring sits right underneath. Just rent a steering wheel puller from Autozone and you'd be set.

TJs by nature are rather spartan, but 10k is an insane amount for a 97 2.5....

Sounds cool Lug_Nut:thumbup:

Lol, it was the cheapest SG compatible model in the city. Here's the classified ad for it. Kind of an ugly colour too:

Attachment 413

These Jeeps sell for a crazy huge premium here and I have no idea why. Early 90s models are selling for around $5,000 :(

Yeah the color is kinda blah, the mud flaps and the huge side steps doesn't help much. It does only have ~71k (miles) on the clock, so it hasn't seen too much life. Considering that its 100% stock its probably never seen a dirt road.

That's what sunk the red Swift on which the ForkenSwift was originally going to be based. And ever wonder what happened to the Geo that is part of JanGeo's nick name? :)

Time to start your own project thread, Lug!

It's that time of year again...
 

Well first it was the $150 steering repair, then the $44 exaust repair, and just when I thought my cents-per-mile was finally going to go down for a change, I get a lovely reminder in the mail that I need to pay for registration and insurance for my car by mid-May.

Registration Fee: $68 + Insurance Premium: $828 - Safe driver discount: $17 = $879 for the year.

That seems shockingly high for a 1997 econobox (even though it's been that way since I bought it). How do other Suzuki-clones on this site compare?

The registration seems high, but your car is worth a bit more than most of mine are. The insurance isn't a bad price at all. I've paid more for insurance than I have for the last 3 cars I've purchased. GRRR

Reg'n in Ontario is a bit more: $74 each year.

My insurance is around $600 CDN. I don't think I'm carrying collision coverage though. And I'm over 25 too, which helps.

Year end stats for the Geo:

Miles Travelled: 20481.7
Gallons(US) of fuel: 478.2
Average price of fuel per gallon(US): $3.747
Total money spent on fuel alone: $1,791.25
# of fill-ups this year: 66
Average fuel consumption: 42.83 MPG(US), 1.31 gallons and 56.1 miles per day.