Cheap commuter car update: inheriting Mom's heap

[Ellen Forradalom]

Mom is alive and very well, thank you. She is now the proud owner of a new Toyota Prius and is giving me her old Mercury Sable station wagon. It needs new tires and the fuel gauge doesn't work ("Oh, every time you refill it, reset the trip computer and when it gets to about 230 miles, fill it again." Yes, she's been gauging it that way for years) but the price is right--goose egg. It is perfect wheels for commuting, trips to Ikea, and transporting stinky dogs.

[baldguy]

1. Thanks Mom!

When my Rabbit died, Mom gave me her 1972 Dodge Dart *SWINGER*. Slant 6, 3-speed auto.

Great car.

[GOPisEvil]

2. Free rules!

I once got the gift of a 1990 Mazda truck from my parental units. It was a total POS, but it served me fairly OK until I could get something nicer (which I bought on the cheap from the parental units).

[Ellen Forradalom]

3. Now, the question is---Which bumpersticker????

I'm thinking of one from BettyBowers.com. I'm partial to "I"M DATING YOUR HUSBAND" or "Betty Bowers is a better Christian than you."

[gmoney]

4. Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Good job! Find a GOOD mechanic, get the new tires and get the gas gauge fixed, maybe have it detailed. It will still be less than one or two payments on your Mom's Prius. If you fix stuff as soon as it breaks, it can last a long time and it won't feel like you're driving a "beater."

I have the Marathon Gold gas card (not the MC or VISA) that lets me spread out repair payments interest free over six months...they'll try to push the VISA card on you, but don't go for it. Luckily, I have a good honest mechanic (I think) because I'm planning to get another 5 years or so out of my 94 Ohio-built Honda. (Which, coincidentally, I got from my stepfather at a bargain price.)

[Ellen Forradalom]

5. You sound like the monarch of thrift

Mom's getting it detailed for me. Ain't she the best?

[Hand]

6. Good choice...

The Sable is the same car as the Ford Escort, which is actually built on the Mazda 323 chassis with a better engine, and is a notoriously dependable cheap car--my 1994 Escort has over 110K miles and runs like a top!

The Escort/Sable is sort of liek the old Dodge Dart--one of those domestic autos that accidentally turned out to be reliable and well built. It won't do anything dramatic performance-wise, but if it's maintained, it should start and run for a good many miles.

:toast:

[jmowreader]

8. Sable = Taurus

The Taurus service manual I have also covers Sables.

Sables are mostly good cars, but the transmissions are known to fail. Google "ford AXOD transmission failures." The failure mode's pretty simple: car goes backwards, won't go forwards.

[Fleshdancer]

7. Moms ROCK!

I should know, I'm a Mom! hee hee

I've only had 2 cars in my life and they have both been hand me downs. The first was a cute little S-10 Chevy pickup and the second (current) is a GMC Jimmy. I can't complain because the Jimmy is completely paid off and it runs, but I'm a hybrid girl stuck in my SUV world. :(

[XNASA]

9. Mercury Sable

I've always been a bit baffled at the name...Mercury Sable. What would it mean if it wasn't a car. Are there sables on the Planet Mercury? The two words just don't sound related at all. Sorry if that sounds too Seinfeld-esque.

But hey, good goin'! And good luck selecting the proper bumpersticker.

[Bertha Venation]

10. three cheers for mom

bought a Prius -- yay!
gave you her Mercury -- yay!
um . . .

had you! yay! :bounce: