Their bit about climate control is somewhat understandable. Once in a while, automatic climate control decides to automatically do something that I don't want it to do, and won't let me override. My 2006 Jetta hit the nail on the head ... three knobs, but the temperature dial was actually thermostatically controlled, so you didn't have to fiddle with it constantly because the sun was moving or the outside temperature varied.
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Car rant
- Thread starter TK4
- Start date
Mad Mike
Well-known member
If I recall, a machine shop would recondition a Chrysler head for about $80 in 1980, and every gas station mechanic could do a set of heads for about $300. You could buy reconditioned long blocks from Canadian Tire for $600.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
The good ol days. I liked Dodge pickup interiors, rubber floor mats, corinthian leather school bus seats -- you just left the doors open at the coin wash and you could do the interior of your truck. And they had an ashtray you only had to empty once a year.
We also got rid of gas tanks inside the cab for CJs and pickups.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Niva, KLR... there's a personality emerging here. Any chance you had an Omni, K-Car or Pony?
TK4
Well-known member
Or a Chevette ? I did....
IIRC @omnivore had a few v8 omnis. Close enough to a Chevette. Havent seen him around here in a long time
TK4
Well-known member
Mine was 2 door with a 5 speed. I too beat the snot out of it and sold it for pretty much what I paid. The next owner drove it until it rotted away (the curse of the 80s).
Wasn't a concern for me in 2008 as I put a nice stereo with gps in anyways. Nowadays you can't often do that because it's got a big screen or tablet there so swapping out isn't option so you've got to pony up the extra $1,000's for the better trim level that includes gps or carplay. So in 2008 I could spend $1000 aftermarket and have a beautiful sounding stereo with gps and now I've got to spend $1000 (usually more) just to get a still crappy sounding stereo with gps ability. Case in point the Honda Odyssey we bought new in 2020, cost an extra $2500 for the higher trim that didn't really have much we needed except for carplay (because we wanted gps so this we needed).
As for turbo's, mine developed a turbo gasket/seal leak at around 130,000km. Not covered under warranty and dealer wanted $8000 to fix it. I said I'll make that decision when it fails and it's luckily been 125,000km since and still working. Still a timebomb and something to worry about but doesn't use/leak enough oil between changes to register but most others with the same vehicle weren't as lucky and had to pay up.
Same here. Built a wall mounted rack. Floor space is too valuable a commodity to stack tires on.
I liked beating on BIL's Chevette. And yes I owned a K-car. Also ran had a fleet of Tempo / Topaz's. Buy em cheap, never change the oil, get my year or two out of it before I'd find another one.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
I forgot about the Tempo/Topaz -- my wife had a 5 speed Tempo GL, brand new it was under $7K out the door.
Worked on lots of K-Cars, never owned one.
You sure? My 86 topaz was $10.5k, dealer cost/A plan.
Indeed. The Exotic line up of Tempos and topazs were real head turners / sport cars. Dump truck handling, and 0-60....if you were lucky.
That's funny, I wrote one off when a dump truck hung a left in front of me.
awww man, bad memories with one of those. grew up with one as the family car. an 82 model.
3 kids, and we all fought NOT to sit in the middle because of the hump (rear drive) and thin padding in the middle seat.
eventually learned to drive with it.
the lack of power steering was torture.
(this should give you guys a little bit of insight into my early years of GM torment)
Holy crap, they were that much? Time had kinda paved over any feelings I had about that car, but that def puts it back into perspective
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