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  1999 Ford Taurus. Been sitting in the driveway for about a year since mom died (Jan 2009) and signed it over to me. While it was in the driveway, the driver's seat's electric movement gadget spazzed and the seat moved as far forward as it could go, and stayed there. I would assume that the switch had a closed circuit for about eight months - about halfway through, the battery was toast, but at least while it was hooked up to the jumper cables it would still start fine but die instantly when the jumper cables were removed. It had been previously determined that I would move out of the house immediately upon graduation from high school, so two days after I graduated I packed up my uncle's car with half my stuff and moved from Roanoke to his house in Arlington, VA for the duration of my summer break before beginning here at George Mason University. A couple weeks before move-in, I got the necessary papers to get it registered and titled, then took a Greyhound back home to pick up half my stuff and get my car working. When I got there, it was discovered that it would no longer start at all, regardless of jumper cable status. After a new battery was installed, it started and worked fine, apart from the fact that the seat was still jammed forward with 4 inches of leg room, so my dad promptly drove it to a shop across town, with me following in his truck - a couple days later we checked back, and they'd gotten the seat moved back, but didn't know exactly how they'd done it - I was satisfied. My car worked, and I had plenty of knee room, and the seat switch didn't appear to still be draining the battery. So I drove it home from the shop, packed it up with the remainder of my stuff, took the pictures above (bike rack is currently in the trunk, bike stored safely elsewhere), and the next morning returned to Arlington. I got a proper supply of junk prepared for college, got the state and emissions inspections done (meaning it was then fully legal to drive) and the move-in went flawlessly. Paid $90 for the cheap parking a mile from my dorm (rather than $500 to park wherever I want). I'd been driving it around periodically - a trip to Wal-Mart here, a drive to Best Buy there, maybe a trip at 3:30 AM to pick up my roommates who had walked 6 miles looking for a store that was actually open so they could get cigars... Good times. Then one day I hopped a curb. And the noise began. It was a harmonic humming noise coming mostly from the back right wheel, but a little from the left too. It would start after I'd been driving at a normal speed (35+) for about 15 minutes, then continue regardless of what speed I was driving at. At first, any leftward motion would stop it, but soon that only softened it; turning right always made it worse; braking always stopped it immediately. I dealt with it for a couple weeks before taking it to a nearby garage for a tire rotation and to see what they could do about the noise. They were reluctant to actually take the wheel assembly apart to see what was causing the noise; it would cost $87 to do that, plus they figured it was a result of uneven wear on the tires, so all they did was rotate the tires for $25. Problem solved. Mostly. So now the noise is pretty much gone. The seat issue isn't completely resolved - it will move up, down, and forward, but not back - so it's currently about halfway between its maximum extents, and I'm quite content with it there. The only other problem may be that since it's a dark color, it gets intensely hot in the sun, and I'm afraid it may get hot enough for something important to melt. Logic tells me it'll be fine, but there's still the nagging concern, so I usually put a pair of shiny window insert things in the south-facing window when it's parked. That's not helped by the fact that the air conditioner doesn't work, and I'm too lazy (and cheap) to try to get it fixed; plus, I've got pretty good heat tolerance. (I can still guarantee that the next car I get will NOT be a dark color!) Overall it's a pretty good car - comfortable, performs well enough, great sound system. It uses more gas than I'd like (about 20 mpg) in addition to a smallish gas tank (my dad's truck, which taught me to drive, has a 30 gallon tank), but there could be (have been) worse problems with it than a tiny bit of tire noise, devilish seat controls and lots of heat without air conditioner.
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Sep 27, 2010 09:54
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I really don't wanna drive my Taurus to a rodeo.
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Oct 5, 2010 14:32
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ExecuDork posted:Field. Stockyard. Rural gravel road. Slaughterhouse. Neighbour's Lamborgini. Neighbor's lamborghini?!  I live on a college campus, and if anyone had a Lambo, I'd know about it. (And I only moved here at the end of August... A Lambo would stand out like a sore thumb here)My college is in the Washington DC burbs... There are no fields, no stockyards, no slaughterhouses, no rural gravel roads... no gravel roads at all, or anything rural for that matter. Burbs, and lots of it. Where I come from, it's much easier to find something on your list, with two exceptions: One, i don't know of any slaughterhouses (I'm sure there are some...) and two, if I go to a "rural dirt road" then 4x4 is absolutely necessary, and my car... ain't 4x4. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 09:43 on Oct 6, 2010 |
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Oct 6, 2010 09:36
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ExecuDork posted:Yeah, you're not convincing anyone with those arguments. ...Yeah, that's not what I'm thinking of. How many creeks do you drive through on that road? The road I'm thinking of crosses seven, if I remember correctly. Very rocky, nothing a Ford Taurus could handle. A pickup should handle it just fine though, even without 4x4, as I didn't use 4x4 when I drove my dad's Silverado across it a few months ago. All that's really necessary is decent ground clearance like what most stock pickups have. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&sou...021136&t=k&z=16 Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 03:31 on Oct 8, 2010 |
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Oct 8, 2010 03:14
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Blaster of Justice posted:I need it man. I want that car! Looks a drat sight better than mine, with the same size engine. Plus I kinda want a station wagon.
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Oct 17, 2010 20:24
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Blaster of Justice posted:If you like it, you should definitely try to find one. The 406 TS6 is a car that will give you close to no problems maintenance wise. My car can be seen a few pages back. It works, decent acceleration and torque, gets me around just fine and all - probably similar performance to your car since they've got the same size engine and (guessing about yours but) both are front wheel drive. Don't know about yours but my car gets about 20 MPG. From certain angles it looks nice, but overall the styling is too round, and I like cars to have a nice combination of square parts and round ones, or all square ones... God that does not sound intelligent... Anyway, your car is not especially unique in any way other than that it's a Peugeot, which would mean that in the States it would stick out like a sore thumb. I guess the next best option would be a Saab, since those are sold here... something like this would be just fine. 
Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 10:21 on Oct 20, 2010 |
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Oct 20, 2010 10:16
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dissss posted:Depends on what engine you have in your Taurus really. That Pug is a little more powerful than the top spec Taurus but a lot more powerful than the basic SOHC model. It's got a 3-liter V6, which is actually saying exactly nothing about what kind of engine it has since the only engines offered in 1999 were two 3L V6 models, one the Vulcan and the other a some DOHC thing. Note that I have absolutely no idea which is actually better, although the DOHC was offered on the higher-end versions, or so says Wikipedia. I also don't know how to find out which one my car has. (It's got the LS badge IIRC) The transmissions offered were also a choice of two 4-speed automatics. I've again got absolutely no idea how they're different. Should I take a picture under the hood next time I go out to my car? (I'm on a college campus paying for the cheap parking pass, meaning that my car is a mile away from my dorm so I have to either walk/bike/scooter, or take a shuttle) My area of expertise is computers, not cars, but I want to know absolutely everything that I can know about my car, and what it all means. (Thing number one: The AC doesn't work, and I don't care. Thing number two: The paint is peeling off the back bumper and I only slightly care.) Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 00:41 on Oct 21, 2010 |
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Oct 21, 2010 00:37
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Blaster of Justice posted:Keep living in your dream-world. It's SE. Hey, I learned to drive in my dad's ancient (1995) Chevy pickup - its favorite speeds are 40 mph and 80 mph (which might be the top speed) - the gas pedal seems calibrated to make it impossible to creep along at parking-lot speeds, and also impossible to keep up properly with hignway traffic - either you do 40 in a 65 zone, or it accelerates past 70, at which point I always let off the gas. If I'm lucky enough to come across a road with a 40mph speed limit then I'll have absolutely no trouble maintaining the proper speed. Also it blows out a giant cloud of blue smoke when it starts and it makes a small but infuriating tinkity-tink noise with long uphills, of which there are plenty where I come from. My car, on the other hand, will do whatever speed Also haven't had much time to really get to test out its acceleration - I'm at college in the DC burbs, and roads here are too crowded to try to floor it up to the speed limit... but back home I'll have no trouble finding a decent place to do it, in fact I know exactly where I'll do it; there's a long flat section of road right next to the truck's favorite place to make the tinkity-tink noise... Might be for you what driving my dad's truck is for me, but for me, it's plenty fast enough to get my license revoked (or worse). Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 19:50 on Oct 21, 2010 |
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Oct 21, 2010 19:40
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Endless Mike posted:It looks so...downtrodden. The only times that mashed cars don't make me sad is when I'm playing video games, and even then sometimes I'm trying to preserve the integrity of my ride...
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Oct 22, 2010 01:06
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JerseyDevil posted:This little black beauty  Brain Issues posted:But all landscapers are? Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 16:43 on Oct 26, 2010 |
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Oct 26, 2010 16:40
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So, right. I've got a car. With air conditioning. This air-conditioned car happens to be a '99 Ford Taurus SE with air conditioning. I feel compelled to post pictures of it  (Had work on the AC done this weekend so I'm all  'cause it works now)Anyway, the question at hand is this: How big is the gas tank? I did a little experiment to find out what kind of fuel economy it gets, and from a full tank to pretty much empty it went 270 miles, mostly city driving. Assuming the gas tank's 15 gallons, that gives me 18 MPG (which I consider pretty decent).
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Jul 25, 2011 17:46
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stump posted:Just fill the tank till the pump clicks and note how much you put in, using the empty tank capacity is pretty sketchy since there is usually a decent amount left when the gauge is at almost empty. I had the needle pointing directly at the E mark when I called it quits, and I'd just assume that it's better to have a lower number so I can figure "this is about as bad as it's likely to get". I mostly just want a ballpark number, nothing specific, but not an optimistic one.
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Jul 25, 2011 18:14
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Yeticopter posted:How about checking the owner's manual? mod sassinator posted:edit: And based on fueleconomy.gov it looks like you're getting what you should expect with city driving: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/2008car1tablef.jsp?id=15098 That's the first place I checked, even before I'd thought to try it out on my own. Then I figured that since there were two 3L V6 engines offered in '99, they might have done the calculating with the 24-valve DOHC, but my car has the 12-valve Vulcan and there might be a difference in economy so I went and tried it out on my own. Looks like the Guvmint's numbers are about right then.
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Jul 25, 2011 18:55
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War Bunny posted:Read through this entire thread, thought I better post my daddy-mobile. The best window sticker... in the world.
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Apr 16, 2012 01:06
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NurSpec posted:Just bought this a couple weeks ago, god drat do I love it! Lemmme guess... you paid brand-new MSRP, didn't you? 
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Jun 27, 2013 05:42
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Whaddya call a cross between a station wagon, a minivan, and a Jeep? Here's a hint:  It's a '94, just got it yesterday for $1100. Runs great, but oh god the rust  ...there isn't any.  Best deal evar. Interior is in decent shape, 4x4 works, by far the cheapest Burb on Craigslist. And I wasn't out looking for a Suburban, I just wanted a set of wheels with some passenger space for under $1300. (USER WAS PUT ON PROBATION FOR THIS POST)
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Jul 1, 2013 05:22
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angryhampster posted:Nice! Find a set of Vortec heads for a nice power boost on the cheap. I have precisely zero free time these days, but I've got two weeks off around Christmas. I actually might do that, it's kinda slow. Does it help with fuel economy at all? cause holy crap this thing sucks down gas.
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Jul 1, 2013 14:26
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Guru Yaekob posted:I rolled into a toolbox and the car crumpled up like a tin can.
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Sep 8, 2013 07:02
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'94 Suburban. Seen here offending the wealthy and entitled at the mall. edit: That's actually pretty clean, there's mud caked under the mirrors now. Not gonna wash that off until it rains, which could be months from now.
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Jan 6, 2014 06:17
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The green car had plenty of room and I wanted to give the minivan extra room because children, plus the parking spots are tiny to begin with.  Hey, at least I was trying....Kinda.
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Jan 6, 2014 08:34
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Somebody say something about dust?
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Jan 21, 2014 04:51
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...So don't hit the cones.
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Mar 8, 2014 08:14
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Think of it like people that dye their hair green and pink... do people immediately think that's horrible and ugly? Some do, because it detracts from the conservative image they prefer, but others either don't care or they actually like it.
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Mar 24, 2014 04:15
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That is a Kia Sportage.  That is a Kia Sportage.
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Jul 20, 2014 21:29
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Good lord. That loving truck. 
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Nov 11, 2014 03:21
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BrokenKnucklez posted:You need to come to America. We stuff 300+ HP V8 engines in front wheel drive cars with no regard for torque steer. Seriously, Impala SS, it just yanks the wheel back and forth on you. I haven't been much more terrified of a car than when I had approximately FIVE ASSPUCKERING SECONDS AGO to accelerate from a dead stop to 65mph in a 2013ish Dodge Caravan. That "five seconds ago" being when I actually buried the pedal. And then it went forward. Mostly. Also sideways. Either side, didn't matter. It was 3.6 liters of Pentastar fury straight to the front wheels. Actually never mind that "straight" part, it went through the steering wheel and then to the pavement. But holy crap, that Citroen.
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Dec 2, 2014 03:54
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Elephanthead posted:04 is the best 4.0.
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Jan 16, 2015 20:03
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The question is not "But what the hell are you going to use it for?" - the question is "What CAN'T I use it for?" 
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Jan 28, 2015 00:04
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PCOS Bill posted:Winning fuel efficiency contests? That 6.0 really sips fuel though, about as much as I sip alcohol. (i.e. chugs it) But hey, it goes like a bat out of hell. And yes, I have low standards - the last Suburban I had was about the same on gas but the gas pedal was an on/off switch unless you like to creep around at 20mph. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 01:07 on Jan 28, 2015 |
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Jan 28, 2015 01:03
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2001 Suburban 2500. It's big,  it's red,  and it doesn't give a gently caress.  Because Murica.  It really oughta go in the "your best car" thread but I haven't had it long enough to be sure yet. 
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Mar 15, 2015 20:51
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BrokenKnucklez posted:Nice truck! 6.0 or 8.1? That era of suburbans are gently caress off hard to kill... Just every thing else rattles off the bodies. Six liters of Vortec fury. Which I actually say unironically, this one puts out 315 hp, a full 50% more than the last Suburban I had while weighing about the same, so by my standards it's stupid quick. It's getting to be about the time of year to get that A/C working, so naturally because I make wise financial decisions I'm just gonna buy a second car and use this as a weekend hoon and work truck. The seller (who worked at a county motor pool) said it was very well maintained... but there are holes in the grille where the strobe lights used to be because the owner before him was the county fire department, so it was probably run pretty hard. I plan to do the same. 
Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 23:00 on Mar 16, 2015 |
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Mar 16, 2015 22:44
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POKEMAN SAM posted:What's sitting in the back there on the right?
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Apr 8, 2015 02:49
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Imperador do Brasil posted:Well unfortunately our beloved Explorer needed a bunch of A/C repair work done to the tune of a compressor, clutch fan, lines, etc. but fortunately, it came at a time when we were looking for a replacement anyway. So we decided to go down to the Ford dealer and drive a few used and new F-150s after the wife decided she didn't like the new Colorados all that much after all and the Silverados we saw in our price range were all fairly stripped out, with the dealers locally not offering great deals. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 17:26 on Jul 3, 2015 |
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Jul 3, 2015 17:20
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I'm surprised it weighs more than my Suburban 2500 even with the empty pickup bed. Guess that widebody is sturdy as gently caress or something? Mine's listed at 5,760 lbs, and that's before skid plates and towing poo poo.
Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 18:44 on Jul 4, 2015 |
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Jul 4, 2015 18:38
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CountOfNowhere posted:Tinted the windows and blacked out the fugly chrome trim around the grill. The 1.0 Ecoboost is a gem. At least I don't have to deal with the DCT. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 09:06 on Jul 17, 2015 |
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Jul 17, 2015 09:04
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CountOfNowhere posted:I wanted that low down turbo torque. I hate driving at high altitude in gutless 4-bangers, the boostu makes it way less annoying (even if I am missing a cyl). I specifically wanted the engine, and was highly disappointed I couldn't get many toys. Friar Zucchini fucked around with this message at 13:42 on Jul 19, 2015 |
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Jul 19, 2015 13:40
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MrYenko posted:All that needs to be completely over-the-top badass is some knobby tires, and some suspension to match.
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Jul 27, 2015 03:28
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Larrymer posted:there's some black poo poo (mold) and dead bugs inside the lenses.
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Aug 31, 2015 11:19
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Cage posted:Do people not speed when they see you or does it not have the same crown vic effect? The exception to that is the new Caprice since it's only for cops but they don't seem to be nearly as common as the others, so I guess they haven't really generated a Crown VIc effect yet.
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Sep 27, 2015 19:51
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Itchy Itchiford posted:I'm still angry at those bastards for this. I realize they don't want to cut into their SS sales but some of us want a more affordable version of the same car.
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Sep 28, 2015 11:39
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