...or hang on to it? here's my sitch... i am not a rich girl, by any means, and it seems i am constantly sinking $$ into this car. i love it... it's a beautiful brown w/brown leather interior; looks just like the post by "PJ" with the 74 2door on this site. this is my current list of maintenance issues: 1. it is a total gas pig! i commute a lot, & on the highway, it seems like $20 will only get me 150 km's (unsure what that is in miles... my guess is around 90?). and just doing errands in the city will run me up at least $10 for a coupla hours. (just so you know, gas is around .90 to 1.00 a litre where i am) 2. i think it burns oil... blue smoke when i start her up. i have to let it warm up, rev up the engine each morning, and it spews this big cloud. my neighbors love me. every once in a while my mechanic takes care of this, but it always comes back. 3. sometimes throws out a spark plug at high speeds. twice, it has just spit one out, and i can't always find the right size (i am sometimes in the middle of nowhere. maybe i should carry extras...) 4. idles roughly, either too low or too high. again, i get my mechanic to fix it, and it keeps coming back. 5. constant tick tick ticking... 6. brakes soft (master cylinder?) 7. missing 3 lug nuts, and i can't find the right size anywhere... the last person customized the wheels, so i don't have the original hubcaps (and can't get collector car insurance because of it), but they added something extra onto the original nut so they are huge now and i can't find replacements anywhere. and i can't change them, so 3 wheels are each missing one. (i forget the size offhand...) 8. plus some minor stuff... rust on the bumper, left rear turn signal out, fan for interior heating/cooling broken, no horn cover, passenger side view mirror broken, no wiring for the lighter, someone tried to break in and ruined my locks so i have to jiggle the key, radio doesn't work, some interior damage (upholstery), probably could use a paint job, and the gas cap is loose (is this common? i bought a brand new one, spec. for this model, and it is still loose) i don't have the budget for a project car, so i am considering a more reliable, boring little civic or something, and pass my baby on to someone who can really give'r the tlc she needs... i wonder if it is worth it, or if you think i can take care of these ongoing little things economically. the main thing is the gas... if there was a cheap way to convert it, i would love to do it. but if i do sell it, what kind of figure should i ask? the engine is good (8 cyl), and for the most part, things work... anything else i should know while i'm at it? any advice you can give me would be very appreciated! lola
There are probably better qualified folks here but I'll take a shot at some of your questions. 1. You may find a good tune-up will improve your gas mileage. 2. Blue smoke does sound like oil but if it's only when you first start it up after it's been sitting a while it may just need new valve seals. cheap AND easy to replace. 3. No idea. 4. Again, a good tune-up by a pro would probably help. 5. Where is the ticking? In the engine? If so it sounds like a sticking lifter to me. Any other opinions? 6. Check your master cylinder to make sure it's topped up. Also your brakes may need to be bled. 7. Not sure but they should be pretty easy to track down. Try the wrecking yards. 8. All sounds like pretty common ailments for a vehicle that age. It doesn't sound like it has huge problems. It sounds like you like the car and don't necessarily want to part with it, so maybe try to find a mechanic you can trust and get the mechanical problems worked out one at a time. Your financial situation may change in the future so that you'll be able to do more with it. BTW what part of Canada are you in?
To sell or not to sell These sound like most could be fixed in a day or so.Where are you located.Send me a e-mail at totallyquackers@sympatico.ca Master cly are relatively cheap,tune up the same.Ron
