A few months back (November 30, 2014 to be exact) , I promised that I would share my biggest automotive mistake. That day has finally come. It is difficult for me to talk about this darkest chapter in my long history of gambling by buying questionable vehicles. I’m still feeling the financial repercussions of buying this vehicle even today, nine years later. My current vehicles are a reflection of the lessons and trauma caused by this vehicle. As you will recall, I was once thought that my Saab was the worst auto decision I ever made. That fiasco pales in comparison to the tale of woe that you are about to read.
From my previous B-Body wagons, I learned to love the feeling of body-on-frame, V8 powered rear-wheel drive. My last COAL gave me an appreciation for forward-facing third row seats that allowed for the hauling of both cargo and people. I also enjoyed the elevated driving position and extra ground clearance. As a result, I added these attributes as desirable in my next vehicle.
When I had to reluctantly give up my Caprice wagon and search for a new vehicle, I used my good experience with the B-Body as a template for my search. After searching on the internet for a while, I encountered a 1992 Buick Roadmaster station wagon for $900….perfect! I called the dealer who reported that the car had been sold but he had a few more wagons like that in stock. He then ran through what he had:
1988 Chevy Celebrity Eurosport Wagon, with 40,000 original miles. I immediately said no because it had front-wheel drive. I so regret this decision. This is the car I should have bought. I actually saw it on the lot…it was beautiful!
1988 Mercury Colony Park. I turned him down because I’d never had a Ford before and was not about to start now. It turned out to be a good decision; I saw the car and it was pretty rusty.
1988 Olds Custom Cruiser. I said no because it had the leisurely Olds 307. Been there. Done that.
Finally he said…1990 GMC Suburban with 145,000 miles. Now that intrigued me. It had my additional requirements of three rows for people and cargo, as well as the higher ground clearance and elevated driving position. I figured this was a truck, therefore, even more rugged and reliable than my Caprice…. an upgraded B- Body of sorts since it had essentially the same drivetrain. I thought this would be an upgrade! It even had a stand-up hood ornament. Moreover, Suburbans have a reputation to “take a licking and keep on ticking.” Indeed, my parents’ neighbor had an ’87 Suburban, which he rarely maintained and always abused, that was still going strong at 335,000 miles with no sign of slowing down. I figured there was no way I could go wrong with a Suburban. I was so wrong about that.
The next day, we went bright and early to the used car lot. We got there early before it opened, and there it was, parked in the front row. It was two-tone black over silver with the dual “barn doors” out back. I did a walkaround and there were a few dings and the paint was faded (in the GM early 90’s way) on the roof but, all in all, it looked pretty solid. I looked underneath and there appeared to be surface rust on the frame rails, but again not too bad.
The owner of the lot showed up a few minutes later and before we knew it, we were going for a test drive. The truck ran and drove very well, was fairly well equipped with AC and power windows and locks. There were three rows of bench seats, allowing for a maximum of nine passengers. However, during the test drive, the brake warning light illuminated. A little unnerved, I informed the salesman, who was riding in the back seat. He calmly said “How are the brakes?” I applied the brakes and the truck stopped safely and securely. The salesman said that it may be loose wiring…he made me jiggle the emergency brake a little and sure enough, no more brake warning light. With that little hiccup taken care of, I LOVED the driving position, the power of the torquey 5.7 liter TBI V8 and the cargo and passenger room. It only had rear-wheel drive but it came equipped with a limited slip differential and I figured it would be easier on gas than the heavier four-wheel drive version.
I was sold. I wanted to take it home that day. A deal was struck for $1,800, and we left happily and we took it home without incident. The only thing we noticed was that the doors were hard to close…but if we slammed them hard a couple of times they would stay closed, so we figured we’d get used to it.
The first harbinger of things to come came the next day when I could not remove the ignition key from the steering column. It was stuck there and was not moving. I finally called a locksmith and while waiting for him to arrive, I tried one more time to remove it and sure enough, it came out. Embarrassed, I had to call off the locksmith while he was en route. He was nice enough not to charge me. But this was only the beginning of the nightmare.
Gas prices were incredibly high during this time, pushing $4.00 a gallon. This amounted to about $50.00 for half a tank. Being that my job was 65 miles away, I knew that driving the Suburban to work everyday would not be a good idea so I took the train to work daily, driving the truck five miles to the train station for the first week after I bought it.
At the end of that week, it was time to get my new vehicle inspected so I took it to my local mechanic telling him we were going grocery shopping and would pick it up in a few hours after he was finished with the NJ state inspection.. We left looking forward to putting our newly inspected vehicle into full family service. Ten minutes after we left, my cell phone rang. It was the mechanic:
“Hello, Fred…this is Mike….you’d better get back here to take a look at this truck.”
This lump formed in my throat and stomach. Here is what the mechanic found:
Two tires had glass in them
Radiator was leaking
Engine failed emissions
Engine had a misfire
All of this was minor when he told me the following:
THERE WAS NOTHING HOLDING THE BODY AND THE FRAME TOGETHER….ALL THE BODY MOUNTS WERE GONE!!!
All that kept the body connected to the frame was the weight of the body and steering column. All the areas where the body mounts were installed were completely rusted away! Any jolt, like hitting a large pothole at speed, would have been enough to dislodge the body from the frame. In fact, this had already begun to occur just by putting it on the lift. And to think I had driven my wife and child in this thing!
I asked my mechanic what needed to be done to fix this. He told me that this was something he couldn’t fix and his best advice to me was to get rid of the truck immediately. For some reason, I refused to accept that as an option and began looking for other places that would be willing to work with me. I quickly found that nobody in my area was willing to take this on. I should’ve cut my losses right then, but I was stubborn.
At work, I told a colleague my sad story. He said he knew someone who could help me, Mr. C. Mr C. owned an auto repair shop that did anything and everything. I took the Suburban to him and he agreed to fix the problems, including the body mounts.
A week later, I was looking at brand new body mounts with new metal welded in, two new tires, brand new radiator, engine tuned up, and a NJ inspection sticker. Total cost: $5,500, or three times what I paid for it! But hey , I thought, at least now I have a reliable, working truck.
I think it was home for about a week when a horrible banging noise started in the rear end. Turns out, the rear-end gears were shot! $1,300 later, again I was sure that at least I had a reliable working truck. By this time, the brake warning light was also constantly on. The brakes seemed fine, so I just put some black electrical tape over the light so its red glare would bother me no longer. Also, when first starting out, the temperature gauge would rise rapidly and almost get into the red zone and then fall back to normal. I thought this was strange but since it never overheated, I just ignored it and hoped for the best.
Early one morning as I was leaving the driveway for work. I stepped on the brake and nothing happened. The pedal went to the floor…total brake failure. Since I was just leaving, my speed was low enough that I just threw it in park to stop the truck. I stepped on the brakes again, and all was fine. So, I shrugged it off and drove to work. I would not have done this today although it actually got me to work fine without incident and I really enjoyed driving it. The drive home from work was great…until five miles from home, when the oil pressure light came on! With fear and trembling, I took it to the mechanic. Because he was really busy, he did not get to it for a few days. This led me to imagine all kinds of horrible scenarios. Finally they called me and said that they had figured out the problem: It was low on oil! They filled up the crankcase and I was good to go.
All was fine for a few weeks since I used the truck to take me no further than the train station five miles from my house. I even took my parents out to lunch in it, finally making use of the third row seat. A few weeks later, after again taking the truck to work, déjà vu set in when once more when the oil pressure light came on. This time, more extensive tests were done and it was determined that at the very least, an engine rebuild was needed! This would’ve cost an additional $2,500.
Utterly disgusted and nearly broke, I was completely demoralized and just didn’t want to deal with it anymore, I was sick of it and just wanted out. I sold it for scrap for $200. This misadventure reminded me of a COAL by Michael Freeman about his experience with an 82 Suburban. Except unlike me, Michael had the wisdom to know when it was time to get out. Plus, he paid a lot less for his and got the same $200 in scrap value that I did.
Including the price of the truck, I spent close to $9,000 (not too far from the down payment I made when I bought my house) and had nothing to show for it except the $200 scrap value. I had only myself to blame… how could I have been so stupid and prideful and obsessed? Ultimately, this was THE worst automotive and arguably financial decision I have ever made!
Extremely depressed, I turned to what I thought would be a familiar, reliable solution. It turned out to be a respite from my experience with the Suburban….but a very short respite. Sometimes, that light at the end of the tunnel–is a freight train headed straight for you. Tune in next week...
Oh, God, I stopped reading at the body mount bit. It was just too painful…
There. Don’cha feel better now? Confession is good for the soul. We’re all here for ya, man! 😉
One thing that this site really needs to do better is with attributing the images to their sources. Google image search is not a source. Once it locates an image for you, the source would be the page where Google found it. Having an image that Google will find does not mean that the creator of the image has released its use into public domain.
Attribution depends a lot upon where the picture comes from. It is not uncommon to find the same picture on various different websites so when that happens, where did it originate? It reaches a point where it is in the public domain, such as the various car brochures and ads used.
The vast majority of pictures I have used were taken by me and do not appear anywhere else. On the rare occasion I use someone else’s pictures (such as the recent K-car history) the pictures were pulled from elsewhere within this website. Conversely, some of my pictures have been used in articles by others, which is fine – they all appear on this website.
That said, the various contributors here have been attributing pictures to their sources (when and where possible) for quite a while for the exact reasons you state.
There are several internet sources that don’t require attribution, like Wikimedia Commons and (according to the CC writer’s guide) The Old Car Manual Project. On the other hand, as Dave mentioned, “Google Images” is not an attributable source, simply a search engine.
Pictures do no become ‘public domain’ just because they are used in numerous places on the internet. Copyright is still copyright. While I doubt anyone is going to charge cc, or it’s writers with copyright violation, wikipedia/media would be a good source for images.
You’re missing the point: It’soften impossible to attribute an image because it’s been used so many times on various sites. I long stopped attributing an image to the site that was hosting it if it was obvious that it wasn’t their original image. That may look like an appropriate attribution, but it’s not. It BS.
A lot of images of cars like the ones in this article originated on For Sale sites of various kinds. I decided a while back that it’s just not worth trying to attribute them. The ads are long expired, and it’s not like there was ever any artistic/commercial intent or value to a classified ad.
The truth is, the internet is just not quite like the print world once was, and images float around like crazy. My personal policy now is that I consider where I found an image, and use that as a guide as to whether I should attribute or not.
Here’s the real upshot: Many folks post images because they want other to see them. I’ve received numerous emails and comments along the lines of “cool to see my car on your website”.
On the other hand, after doing this for eight years and many thousand posts, I’ve received exactly three requests to remove an image, which I of course did.
A lot of it is intent: if we were somehow capitalizing on someone’s specific image, I could the issue being a genuine one, like just showing other’s images. But we’re obviously using images primarily as an added ingredient to our original created posts. The simple reality is that it’s profoundly unlikely that the original creators of these images could care less; more likely be flattered, in the highly unlikely event they saw them.
And here’s the flip side of the equation: I’ve seen a few of my original images used elsewhere without attribution. As long as they were used in the same spirit that we use others here, for honest education/entertainment, and not blatant commercial exploitation, I couldn’t care less.
The internet is what it is; nobody is going to put the genie back in the bottle, when it come to images being passed around. If someone is really concerned about that, there ways to protect images from being downloaded, watermarks, etc. I’m happy to attribute true, original work to its true original creator, but when that’s not obvious, then we just accept the reality of the games of the internet jungle.
Amen.
This brings up an interesting question for me. The attached image was located via Google Image Search. Clicking on it makes it clear that it came from audicomparisons.com. However, I am 99.9% sure that it is an Audi Media image taken and distributed when the car was introduced back in 1981 (but I am not 100% certain). Should it be attributed to audicomparisons.com so that if someone comes knocking they get sent there to explain it or should it be attributed to one of the other numerous places where it can be found (also via G.I.S.) or all of them or?
I long stopped attributing ANY images that obviously started out as manufacturer’s PR/ads/publicity etc. type shots. They were created with the intent to be distributed as widely as possible. We’re fulfilling their creators’ intent; attributing them to another site that happened to also use them is silly.
That goes for all those beautiful staged shots going back for many decades; who other than a manufacturer would have created them?
Ads, brochures, PR shots, etc. have no copyright, because they were intended to be reproduced ad nauseum.
When I find images that I’d like to use, the first question I ask myself: did the site hosting them really create these? Just slavishly attributing images to where you found them is all too often just stupid. The copyright belongs to the original creator, or someone who actually received a copyright for re-using it.
Keep in mind that there is a “Fair Use” clause to the copyright law.If an image is used as part of a new, creative work, it is permissible. Which is exactly how we use them here. As I said, if we were just posting images alone, that’s one thing. We’re using them within a new creative work.
If you go to You Tube, you’ll find lots of movies and such, but they have a new soundtrack/music; that’s Fair Use.
Having a copyright problem is extremely unlikely. Ads and commercials are public domain. So is anything else that was not specifically and legally copyrighted. Just because someone takes a picture and posts it on the internet does not mean it is copyrighted. You actually have to apply for and pay for a copyright. And in the rare event a picture is copyrighted, all the owner of the copyright can legally do is ask you to take it down. Copyrights are rarely even brought up unless someone is using them without the owners permission to make money.
This is completely wrong. Take a look at the wikipedia article on copyright, or any other source that even briefly refrences it. Copyright applies once something is published; no application or fee is required. Anything you publish is automatically copyrighted no matter how small. I’m not disagreeing that car companies want their ad photos to be circulated and won’t sue but that is not how copyright works.
You’re right; he is wrong, and not the first time. But I’ve already explained the reality of how images are dealt with, in practical terms.
Sorry to hear about your money pit. As soon as I discovered the body mounts were gone, I would’ve brought the truck back to the dealer and demanded my money back. I don’t know about your state, but Massachusetts has a Lemon Law that requires the dealer or seller to cover used car sales for 90 days or 3,750 miles, making any repairs not caused by the owner or buying the car back in full. It’s sad that there are still seedy used car dealers irresponsible enough to be selling unsafe cars to people.
You’re right Brendan that would have been the logical thing to do. For whatever reason, I think I was possessed by the spirit of Captain Ahab and became obsessed with fixing it and driving it at all costs despite all good reason, advice, and practicality. One of the stupidest moves I have ever made! Oh well, I guess you live and learn….
Trust me, I know that feeling. Sometimes it’s hard to do the logical thing.
You should call this tale “Fifty Shades of GMC Suburban”.
Man, you are a masochist!
But wait…there’s more…stay tuned..
9k in repairs??
I had a mild aneurysm when I got an $800 bill which is the highest repair bill not covered by insurance that I have ever paid in my life. I have also never had a warrantee.
Gah! Painful indeed. This would have been a lot less painful for you if you had been able to tackle some of the repairs yourself. Good mechanics are hard to come by and ain’t none of ’em cheap.
On the bright side, if a $9,000 loss is the worst financial mistake you’ve ever made, you’re doing pretty good.
Thanks Chuck…that is looking on the bright side.
Wow Fred, A grim scene. I had a 1997 Ford F150 bought new….by 2009 I had driven it 185,000 miles….. no issues in all those years ….one February morning hit a hard ice ridge ….heard a crack! a loud Crack….took it to my mechanic, the entire frame was paper thin, rear shock towers had broken and jammed into the bed…..took it to my welder…”Sorry Charlie no good metal to weld to”…He then said Mr. Ford likes you to sell these trucks a lot sooner…This is a problem here on Cape Cod, salt air all the time…..I sold it for $150..My neighbor wanted to buy it, but the thought of him driving it to his welder, and having it self destruct on the Bourne Bridge was too much to bear.
Ten months ago our shop had an 02 f150 king ranch come in that was beautiful inside and out until we climbed under it. The cab supports running from side to side where not there anymore nor was most of the frame from the rear of the cab back. We rebuilt the cab rails and the frame using much thicker steel for the cab rails and 3/8 (iirc) plate for the frame. It took us a few weeks but the truck was more solid than new. It was a costly endeavor for the owner and something we thought was stupid but he wanted it so we did it. Oh and you are right ford wanted owners to get rid of these things in a few years and designed the supposedly structural parts accordingly.
Congrats on the restoration….The spare tire carrier literally disolved, I began to look at F150’s [ 96,97,98’s] same issues…. spare tire in the bed.. My previous truck was a 1982 Ford F100 short bed…a NICE truck, body rust to be sure ….but the frame was bullet-proof.
What a nightmare. Sorry you had to live through it.
It made my Sunbeam Rapier adventure seem pretty tame.If it’s any consolation I know a few people who’ve lost a lot more than $9000 in a car.
I had an 84 burban. I bought it for $1000 somewhere around 05. It had been sitting under an old oak tree for two years after its owner stopped hauling his camper back and forth to Florida. With two fresh batteries its 6.2 clattered to life. I checked the fluids, topped off the transmission fluid and drove it home. Once home I resealed the trans pan changed the oil and put some better 10 ply tires on it. The next day I hooked up our 18′ car trailer and started hauling scrap cars. This thing had 500k km on it when I bought it and it engine had never been apart, but it did have a remand 700r4, 500 km before I acquired it. I put 120k km on it in two and a half years and the trailer rarely ever left its hitch. I replaced two starters (first one was bad) and installed military 2500 leaf springs in the rear, to help with towing. oh and three Axel seals. It was a great truck that I would have kept except the thing was stolen from my brothers yard while I was in the middle of a lengthy hospital stay. The truck had pages for itself one thousand times over and I didn’t even report the thing stolen even though it was insured to the nines. I phoned to cancel the insurance a few months later after I got a new car. They would not let me cancel and told me to file a police report and they would pay out. I was reluctant but did file a police report. Two weeks later my insurance company phone and told me I could pick up a check for $1500 at the local branch. I was shocked and happy that whatever I drive always has as the best insurance policy I can get , even collision. And I was only paying $60 a month for that policy. Now I have car and rental property coverage ($80k) for a little less than $100 a month.
I think what you fell victim to is the old “buying a used car means you’re dependent on how other people took care of it.”
My uncle had a 6.2 ltr diesel 4×4 model that had been in his family since new. It went from family hauler down to lowly farm truck during the course of 300,000 plus miles but there was the advantage of knowing everything that had been done to it since the day it rolled off the dealers lot. It was so good that his parents (the orginal owners of the diesel model) went out and bought a 1991 4×2 model with the 454. It served them well for many years and miles (but again, purchased new.)
Buying new at the time was not an option for Jerseyfred. I personally bought new only once. My advise to used car buyers is: “have the object of desire inspected by a mechanic of your choosing and at your expense!” If the owner does not agree, walk away.
What if Jerseyfred had asked the seller to let a mechanic have a look? It would have been a lot easier to walk away after paying the mechanic $100 or so.
I always buy used too but the higher the miles the more the chances that it has been abused.
The moral of the story….don’t buy cheap old used cars.
The moral I’m taking from it is “Stick to unibodies!”
LOL 🙂
Actually, no. Unibody vehicles rust through in strange places….
Jerseyfred: this education qualifies you as a road scholar.
As you know tuition for higher education does not come cheap. On the other hand no one can take your education away. Probably the most important lesson was to realize that feelings are not a good basis for financial decisions. Somewhere I heard a question that may be good guidance: “Do you want to be right or do you want to be rich?”
Don’t anyone think I am rich. However, I worry much less about being right, and I pay a little less tuition now.
Hold your head high, Jerseyfred. It’s only money after all.
Thanks 🙂
I think the moral of this story is “know what you’re looking at, and if you don’t bring someone with you who does”.
Letting emotions into vehicle purchases is fine if you are buying a hobby car, or if you have unlimited funds. For a vehicle you are going to have to rely on, you really have to force yourself to be objective, and know when to walk if it’s not right.
Sorry you had to go through that.
You are right. Sadly, it took a few more COALs before I finally learned that lesson.
A family friend never learned anything after buying POS car after POS car. His younger brother, a long time mechanic, would tell him, “Bill, don’t buy it, it’s garbage!”, and he would go back to the seller, and get a “deal” maybe knocking a couple hundred off. They actually seemed to get worse as time went on. When we first met them, he had just bought a ’60 (I think) Ford wagon, which had a lot of body rot already, and had the same head gasket issues my Dad’s ’63 T-Bird had a year or so later. After a couple of years, the wagon was gone, replaced with an Olds that had endless electrical issues. The olds was gone, and then he bought the first of what my dad called “Joke cars”, cars so bad, you can’t imagine why anyone would buy them. That first one was a ’66 Chevelle. It looked ok, but had been in a wreck and crabbed badly. It had a ton of bondo on it, and the driver’s door had problems with it closing. About a year into that car, a giant hunk of bondo fell off the right front quarter, breaking into about a half dozen pieces a the end of their driveway. I was lucky enough to see it. Later gems included a pea green (Hello Mr. Sheib!) Ford Country Squire with a bad rear end that allowed the left axle to come out, and then slam back in, when he made a sharp turn. It made his kids and I laugh a lot when it turned up one day with garbage can sheet metal riveted to the rear quarters in some oddball cheap attempt at stopping it from falling apart. It didn’t work. And then his last POS, a Pontiac Parisienne wagon, bright red, with a 301V8 that would soon be what caused it to be scrapped, and rotted out floorboards, replaced with plywood and painted to appear to be metal. Like always, his brother warned him to pass on it, but he bought it anyway. The plywood soon disintegrated allowing a nice view of the road as he drove it, and then the 301 ate head gaskets, the driver’s one, again and again, finally, the block cracked and the Pontiac went to the scrapyard. He died soon afterwards. The last car he bought, for his wife, was a “executive” Mailbu, a POS like the others, in the shop constantly. The only smart thing he ever did with regards to cars was to get credit life and an extended warranty on the Malibu, both paid off well. Anytime his kids and I talk about Bill, the cars always come up, and we always laugh about it.
When you buy a really old car (’50s, ’60s models) unless they have been restored and the seller has a huge pile of receipts, you are buying what you see. Do not expect it to run, and if it does, do not expect it to run for long. Main thing to look at is the body and frame. If there is anything more than absolute minimum rust, and it is not a high dollar collector car, walk away. The body and frame is basically what you are buying. If all the glass is good so much the better. Expect that everything mechanical will have to be replaced or rebuilt. In other words, it’s a project car. If you can’t do all the work yourself, forget it.
But as far as old cars go, if you like them and are up for a project, they are simple and easy to work on, and parts are usually cheap and available as long as it is a common model. Suspension, steering and brake parts are usually cheap, but the job can be labor intensive without a shop. Everything will likely need to be replaced, including hard brake lines, all 4 drums, all the wheel bearings and U joints, all steering, suspension, and body mount bushings, shocks, and steering linkage. And we haven’t even gotten to the engine and transmission yet, and all of the accessories that goes on those, starter, generator, water pump, radiator, etc.
If all of this has been done it can be a good car. But it won’t be cheap. And the seller will likely lose a lot of money.
At least with an older car, you pretty much know what you are in for. Electrical on an old car is nothing. I completely rewired my Fairlane. Lots of wire, crimp connectors, a new fuse box, and lots of time. Very little money. Of course it took almost 2 years to get where I’m at now. And maybe $4K in parts. But I would have been happy if it had cost twice that. There is nothing like the experience of driving a vintage car, one not designed by the govt. It has absolutely no emissions or safety crap on it. It is exempt from emissions tests and seatbelt laws. It has a wonderful sound and feel.
If you love how insulated from life you are in a new car, you would not be at all happy in a vintage car with drum brakes, manual steering and brakes, engine and road noise, squeaks and rattles, etc. But if you are like me and can’t stand the new stuff, there are many old cars, especially 4 door sedans, out there for not a lot of money. Collectors have not yet driven the prices up on those. If you want a ’64 and a half Mustang, prepare to pay BIG.
Yes, and familiarize yourself with your state’s laws regarding used car dealers. Many states do not permit dealers to sell a car that’s in such poor shape. In New York, at least, used car dealers must certify that the car is “in condition and repair to render, under normal use, satisfactory and adequate service upon the public highway at the time of delivery.” In other words, it needs to be able to pass inspection. It was probably illegal for the dealer to sell you a truck that was such a safety hazard. If they weren’t willing to take back the truck and refund your money, you could have threatened to call the state and have their dealer’s license yanked.
FYI, in 2010, New Jersey discontinued periodic mechanical inspections of motor vehicles, so there’s nothing keeping a deathtrap like this off the road today.
I bought a used truck from one of those corner dealers once. It was a 1994 GMC Sierra and it was a bit rough and overpriced but I was young and needed a vehicle. It only lasted me two years and had tons of minor problems. Luckily, I sold it to a co worker for half of what I paid for it since he needed a truck for his farm. Basically, it cost me $1800 for a truck for two years. I learned two things, never buy from those corner lots and know when to throw in the towel on money pits.
That hurts! Reminds me of the GM Stock I bought in 2007. Rode it the whole way down to Bankruptcy. Kept thinking it would come back. Lost 9000 on it.
Holy cow, this is beyond fiction- my sympathies. And you are a great and true man to admit this fiasco. This could have happened to any of us; for instance, the only car I had a professional pre-purchase inspection that “passed with flying colors” on turned out to the the worst type of a Pandora’s box of problems.
This is why you get a used car inspected by a mechanic before you purchase it. Theyd put it on the lift and instantly see the mounts were gone and told you not to buy it.
Painful experience. Glad I read this. If I ever do get my dream `75-`78 New Yorker coupe, I`ll definately let a mechanic look at it,and go by his word. Moral of the story-look before you leap.
Ouch .
Me , I’m a mechanic and cheap so I always buy old junkers and wind up throwing in too much $ to keep them going but at least i like whatever POS I’m driving….
The rust thing is bad , glad no one was hurt .
-Nate
Wow, that sucks. I’m surprised you didn’t have the Suburban inspected by the dealer as a condition of sale. I would have.
My dad bought a 1988 Suburban in 1998, private sale not from a dealer. RWD, 6.2L diesel. It was exactly what he had been looking for a decade earlier when he wound up buying a 1984 GMC van. His Suburban had been used by the original owner to tow a house trailer to Florida so hadn’t been subjected to winter road salt, and had been repainted once due to a minor accident, so it was like new. It served him well for many years.
It’s funny you should mention that. The dealer guaranteed in writing that it would pass inspection. If it didn’t…he would pay up to $250 for repairs to get it to pass inspection.
A few years ago I worked for a guy who I figured knew nothing about cars. He told me he had put his Explorer in the shop to have the body mounts repaired. Even though I had grown up in northern Pennsylvania, I had never heard of anyone getting these mounts repaired.
About the Suburban, 5 years ago I bought my current car with 155 thousand miles on it. It was kind of beat looking and a few weeks after the purchase I found a Carfax in the glovebox that detailed previous accident damage. Until about 2 years ago this has been a decent little car, but every 4 or 5 months something fails and I am faced with spending 7 or 8 hundred dollars or trading it away. I can’t seem to let this car go.
BTW, there is a Mercury Grand Marquis wagon like the one pictured for sale near me. A few months ago when it first “popped up” I was tempted to go look and maybe buy it. Lately, when it appears on Craigslist it lists several, very expensive, repairs it will need to be road worthy.
Sorry to hear about your bad luck, and you sure had a lot of bad luck with this Suburban…
But while 9 grand is a lot of money, think of it this way: someone who buys a brand new car (even an average car), loses this much in depreciation over a few years….
On the other hand, I paid exactly this amount for my TL four years ago, and I still have a nice car with only 128,000 km on it, that is still worth $4000. Total repairs to date, $0, two sets of tires, an alignment and eight oil changes. I have also flushed the ATF and changed the engine oil eight times.
That’s it. The point is, that when we take the time to do our due diligence, great used cars are out there. Some brands are better than others, and in the high mileage game I would be looking for a circa 1992 Camry (scads of them around, easy spares, rarely break anyway) or a Gen I Acura TL. Even an ES300 would make a good DD.
But not a 25 year old Suburban.
’92 Camry. A money pit without body mount in salt belt.
I paid $18,500 for my ’06 F-150 crew 5 years ago.
Today it is worth $15,423.
Granted, I bought it when gas was high and now gas is low, so that helps a good deal. But trucks typically hold their value very well. It’s just hard to find one in good mechanical shape due to the nature of how they get used.
Oh, Fred, you really need to think out how much you are really spending to drive. If money is an issue in regards to transportation, let me suppose that a 24 year old GM product with 145,000 miles on it is not going to be economical. Never. No way. Period.
I see cars as money pits, and I do what I can to have a nice car at a low cost of driving. That is relatively easy here on the West Coast, where they are loads of low km cars with no rust on them. I still won’t buy older than 10 -12 years old, and I pay top dollar. Never do I buy from dealers. Doing this can keep my cost of driving to less than $7000 a year, which I still consider a lot.
If I were in Jersey, I would go to my local Chevy or Hyundai dealer and lease a car for the term of the warranty. You get a brand new car with a warranty for under $200 a month. That’s only $2400 a year and you get brakes and tires for several years. With the money you save (and it will be lots on gas alone) you can get a nice V-8 sled to play with, without breaking your budget.
Thanks…I owned the Suburban nine years ago. It actually took the next four COALs for me to change my car selection strategy as you will see. But I don’t want to give too much of the story away…
Leasing would not work for me since I put over 30,000 miles a year on the car! This solution is ideal for my wife however.
This was not smart.
The ’73-’91 K5 Blazers/Jimmy/Suburbans are known for 2 things
Impeccable offroading abilities….and rust.
You really need to learn how to inspect a used car properly before you buy it. Between this & the mini-van, I think it’s time to go to a new car dealer instead.
Different car dealers, but yes, stay tuned, the saga continues…..
I saw a person in Ferndale, Mi driving one of those.
Obviously he figured the truck is rust prone, so he put undercoating all over the truck except few spots. That’s an ultimate solution I suppose
I also bought a car with major frame rust issues. Fortunately, my lesson came at much lower cost. Around 1985 I was on another of my drive an old car adventures. I purchased a nice looking 1967 Galaxie 500 hardtop coupe from a private party several blocks from where I lived.
I became aware of frame rust problems, and took it to a few frame shops. One said they had seen my car before. The suggestion was a complete frame swap, which simply was not in the cards.
During my summer with it, I did a lot of minor repairs and some cosmetic work. I decided to sell it and actually broke even or made a slight profit. The best part was that the buyer knew about the frame problem and apparently had his own shop to handle it. I like to think my old Galaxie is attending car shows these days.
I never bought another used car without checking the frame!!
Don’t knock yourself for it, your seller was most likely a crook and life can teach us some tough lessons. I was stupid lucky in my misadventure.
$9000 is a lot of money, but it is nothing compared to the money people can lose on real estate. I personally lost about 50k of actual money on our house when we had to sell after the 2007-8 market crash. If that never happens to you, consider yourself lucky that you only got burned (badly!) on a relatively cheap used car. Congrats, though, that may be the worst used car story I’ve ever heard. Thanks for sharing with us your embarrassing horror stories!
Also, what is glass in the tires? You mean inbedded in the tread or actually inside the tires? How does that happen? Do you think the dealer knew how bad the car was?
Thanks for the consolation.
The tires were damaged by shards of glass. The dealer was a “corner lot” buy and sell guy who didn’t have repair facilities on his lot. I think he just bought cars as is and just sold them cheap without mechanical inspection.
Most probably they were lucky not to drive off the frame anyway. I can’t imagine what if they did, most likely they would quit the business altogether.
You should have gotten the Celebrity.
I feel your pain. I too have bought cars that I have regretted. Cars like a 2005 Lesabre where I went ahead and got the intake gaskets and valve cover gaskets done for the tune of $1100 as preventive maintenance(all series II 3800 V6 engines have had or will have lower intake gasket issues) 2 months later the transmission started to go and the cost was $2500 to replace it with a remain. I dumped it instead. I also regret buying that 1999 Firebird as it is shaping up to be a bit of a money pit and replacing the spark plugs on this car is going to be a pain in the ass this spring. But unlike you, the Firebird is a “toy” and stays in the garage and is not my main car to drive.
That said if it was me I would have taken the truck back and forced them to fix it or buy it back. New Jersey has both an unsafe vehicle stature(39:3-44) and a used car lemon law.
In all honesty you should bring any possible car purchase to a trusted tech first. Yes it will cost you some money but would you rather be out $100-$300 or so or out $2000?
In Maryland every car sold on a dealer’s lot has to be maryland State inspected before it can be registered. No car (unless it is a historic or street rod) can be tag and put on the road without that inspection paper.
I currently have a 97 Lesabre but I went over it with a fine tooth comb even though it was inspected.
The dealer seemed like a crook as even a cursory look at the underside of the truck would show there being frame issues.
Leon,
You are correct of course, a good friend of the family, an attorney, even offered to take care of this for me. For whatever reason, I was obsessed with keeping it and fixing it.
Nine years later… I know better now.
Providing you buy from a licensed dealer here your purchase is covered by the Consumer Guarantee Act meaning something not fit for purpose like that Burban could have been returned for refund it also mostly prevents shady dealers trying to palm off absolute rubbish like that on the public. Such junk can always be bought privately with no recourse to the law if you really insist.
Well it’s all right now, you learned your lesson well. (Borrowed from Rick Nelson’s Garden Party). I salute you for your honesty on this automotive mishap. No lecture coming from me.
Thank you. I did learn my lesson. Unfortunately, it took a few more COALs before I learned it well.
Stay tuned.
What kind of a dealer was this, an “Honest John’s”? I ask because experiences years ago in which friends bought seemingly good used vehicles from used car (only) dealers, and they failed miserably-like needing new engines, etc. I felt that the dealers knew something that buyers didn’t, obviously the case in your situation, and vowed to avoid them. I have generally done so, relying on private party sales–original owners and records preferred–with an occasional new car. I have recently been tempted though by dealer offerings that appear, ahem, too good to be true–very low miles, etc. It’s hard to know what to think; a quick review of my experiences might help:
GMC truck- Lovely Camper Special with a big V6. Headed off on a trip half way across the country only to discover it used oil by the gallon (really) and stalled unpredictably. Least favorite memory is pushing it out of an an intersection in Michigan by myself at night, as the locals honked and hollered. (Thanks, Escanaba!) Sold to a local mechanic who suggested that the “unbalanced” V6 was a problem and replaced it with a 350 V8.
Chevrolet Lumina, ex-government bought from a 100% rated Ebay dealer. Sides not only dinged from opening doors, but actually dented. AC stopped working on the way home (“we didn’t know” guarantee) and oil leaked all over my driveway. Became known as the “Lemona” and re-sold within a month.
Corvette, from what turned out to be an Ebay “flipper”. Very nice condition, with good quality engine and suspension modifications (perhaps not including the exhaust system that ended at the rear axle but sure sounded the part). Title search revealed a mystery, either driven about 50k a year or an error, that was never resolved. Issues were limited to AC assembled without gaskets and various Corvette-specific electronics. Sold to another guy who just wanted to have fun.
Anyway, how about those used car dealers and dealer wannabes: okay or not?
I seem to be deducing a common thread in this story, and we have all had one, a GM nightmare. All the horror stories I am seeing here involve GM cars. Unless you can very carefully track down the full history of a GM car, never buy it. There are some good ones, like the passed over Celebrity, but most of them do not make good high milers. Right around 200,000 km even the best kept GM car will start to cost a bleeding fortune to keep on the road. One thing after another will fail as the car simply get beyond their design life. I have seen people explode with anger when their four year old GM product needs a huge repair, and I have seem weeping. Unless you have the right model, and are willing to treat it as a beater, they are not worth the risk as DD’s.
A nice running Regal for $1000 would make a fantastic beater. Drive it until it breaks and repeat.
I would love to find a nice 1k Regal beater to replace my old Regal beater but those suckers are hard to come by!
Instead I have a pricier Sable beater, which will have the opposite issues my Regal had! Vulcan vs. 3.1
Or a Ford Nightmare or a Chrysler nightmare or an Asian fill in the blank nightmare. Doesn’t matter what brand I have seen people dump thousands upon thousands into vehicles with rotted out frames, frame rails, missing floors etc. The rust belt kills suspensions too along with brakes and brake lines. A perfect example is a co workers 2000 Tacoma 4X4 pickup that he bought with 56K miles for around 10K. Right from the get go that thing turned into a money pit just like this. The frame turned out to be soft and had holes in the upper inner area that you couldn’t easily see unless it was on a lift. The head gasket was seeping antifreeze. The A/C quit working. The frame was replaced because he didn’t want to shop for another truck and already had well over 11K into it by this point. After replacing the frame, the head gasket, the exhaust, brakes lines and of course all new body mounts he was nearly 20 big ones into this truck. And then the body started to develop cancer. Well he moved on to another job and I lost track of him but I could swear I saw my friend driving a Kia Soul one day last year. My curiosity got the best of me and I looked him up. Sure enough that very same Kia Soul was parked at his house about 20 min away. We chatted for about an hour and he said trading that Taco in was the best thing he could have done!
Sounds very much like what happened to me!
You have to take a hit every once in a while. Every car I’ve bought has had some issue right out of the gate. My current one had an IAC valve issue and a timing gasket leak.
Car guys all go through this kind of thing once, the big thing is to learn from the mistake. In my case it was a 1988 Toyota Land Cruiser, a vehicle I’d lusted after since childhood. Paid $5500 for it, spent another $11k on it just like you did, expecting to run out of problems soon and have the dream vehicle. And like you, I sold it for $500 when the frame cracked just behind the front doors…
Thanks for understanding. You are correct, learning and moving on is the key. Unfortunately for me, it took four more vehicles before I finally learned…stay tuned.
Land Cruiser is the biggest hidden money pit. ( or older toyota trucks ) and people keep swearing about their durabilities especially in the sake of those terrorists in the television.
Terrorists from the television don’t live in rust belt.
Wow… I guess I’ve been luckier than most of you. My used car dealer purchases have been fairly good.
In 2009, I purchased my 1995 Lexus LS400 from a place called Jaguar-Land Rover of Woodland Hills. It was one of those combination independent repair shop / mini-dealer sort of things.
The car was clean and one-owner with only 80,000 miles on it. I got $1200 in trade for my tired 2001 Crown Vic, and drove off in the Lexus. At 90K it needed the timing belt replaced, and I had the shop handling that task do a tune-up while the car was all apart. That cost $1600- still cheaper than the dealer. Last summer the factory fan clutch finally failed at 119,000 miles, and the flimsy plastic thermostat housing warped.
While dealing with that I went through the entire cooling system. My total cash outlay for that was only $200, using my own labor. The car has been trouble-free ever since.
Later that winter, I purchased my 2002 F250 to replace my ailing 1990 Chevrolet 1500 ( which I wrote a COAL article on ) . I bought it from a place in Studio City called Plaza Trucks ( now out of business ) . Their specialty was selling reconditioned work trucks. The truck had 181,000 miles, but for a 7.3 Powerstroke that’s nothing. I had a some annoyances- a leaky water pump, a bad radiator, two failed starters, and three failed cam position sensors. The worst was when the AC compressor failed and took several other things with it. Total cost of that was nearly $1000. The truck is doing OK now and just turned 229K .
Fred,
I pity you – really. I learned from several car mentors and my own father many years ago that if a vehicle doesn’t feel right to you, or if it is on shaky ground, dump it immediately.
A few months ago I purchased a supposedly-cherry 1986 Volvo 740 GLE from a lady whose medical issues prevented her from driving any longer. Outside, the body was perfect but when I changed the oil 3 months after buying the car, I found out that the driver’s-side floorpan was badly rotting. And the water pump had started to leak and drip coolant all over, which meant that the head gasket was going to be a problem.
I put the Volvo up for sale the same day I discovered the problems, and sold it 4 days later. I did not put one single dime into the car, aside from the oil change, and got my purchase price back.
Jeeze ~
I’da at least replaced the water pump and coolant .
I can’t imagine selling any vehicle with a serious known defect like that .
I *do* agree though , once in a while one buys some vehicle and it just doesn’t ‘ feel right ‘ ~ a good cleaning and routine service and away it goes .
-Nate
You are correct, learning and moving on is the key. Unfortunately for me, it took four more vehicles before I finally learned…stay tuned.
Only four? You’re a heck of a lot smarter than me. My first learning opportunity was when a neighbor eyed my 20 year old car purchase and said, “What kind of an investment is THAT?” Failing to grasp his point, I soon added another of the same vintage to my fleet. Summer was fun, but Fall arrived with those two beauties resting in the yard. Concerned about reliability–or something–I purchased a convertible for a winter snow car. Although only eight years old, it was so rusted that there were holes in the top of the fenders and a pile of roofing shingles for the trunk floor. That’s three, and I hadn’t even gotten started (see previous post)…
Thanks MrF. The four cars coming up is in addition to all my previous “investments.”
Hopefully here the lesson learned was:
V-8 engine, rear wheel drive, body on frame is not necessarily the answer.
There are better alternatives.
It took a few more vehicles before I finally learned that. Stay tuned….
I learned years ago that V8, full frame RWD is not Winters friend. Any car with that combo has not seen a single Winter under my ownership and I have never had any trouble with them because of that.
With bondo, or fiberglass patch, winter driving on salty road is an absolutely no… apart from that, neither bondo or fiberglass rust anyway.
I’ve always had pretty good luck buying certified used cars from a new car dealer. They may cost a lot more, but it’s worth it in the long run , and a peace of mind that it’s going to be a decent vehicle. . I remember Consumer reports doing a test on vans around 1971. They recommended the Suburban instead for better safety, because of the longer front end for crash protection. With 3 bench seats, it’s just about as roomy as a van.
Any seller that suggests a brake warning light should be ignored is a scumbag and an a-hole. I would have run a mile. In a vehicle that big you are not just endangering your and your passengers safety, but also everyone else around you. Brake warning lights are not to be ignored!
You are correct, I know that now…thank you.
My disgust was directed at the dealer, not you. Sorry if that was misinterpreted. I have nothing but sympathy and best wishes for you!
My vindictive nature would like to see that bugger pay for their shady ways!
Maybe a break “test” right outside of their front doors.
Amos,
No worries, I did not take offense at your initial comment. I agree with you.
I do not think that dealer is in business anymore.
I have lost money on used cars before, but nowhere near $9,000 on one vehicle. I would have spotted the body mounts, and any other rust right away, as I will not buy a used vehicle without thoroughly inspecting to underside of it, not just for rust, but for collision damage as well. I feel pretty safe buying an older pre emissions vehicle. Aside from rust and collision damage, there can only be so much wrong. I replaced/rebuilt everything on my ’64 Fairlane except for the engine and differential, including the automatic transmission, steering, suspension, brakes, wheel bearings, U joints, wheels, tires, and rewired a lot of the electrical. And still wound up with a pretty cheap car. The engine runs good, but burns a qt of oil in 200 miles. I don’t care as long as it runs. I did not do any of this without first checking out the body/frame to make sure everything was perfectly straight. And I did all the work myself, so there was no labor charges. If the engine finally does blow, I will replace it and go on.
Newer cars are where the problems are. I am currently looking for a newish car. maybe 5 years old or less. There are a zillion things that can be wrong with a newer car that did not apply to an older car, and some of them are hard to find and expensive to fix. With the tools I have I can only check so much. and with some things, such as engines, transmissions, differentials, etc. there is simply no way to tell if they are about to go unless you hear an unusual sound. It could run and drive perfectly, and something major fail on the way home. Replacing a modern FWD engine/transaxle costs about 4 times what it does in an old car. Then you have thousands of dollars worth of computers and electronics just waiting to fail. I sure hope I don’t lose $10,000 on my next used car.
However, by buying a new car, you are guaranteed to lose a fortune on it. First you will pay (in AZ) almost 10% sales tax, plus about $500 in dealer fees (not including destination) a HUGE registration fee (AZ registrations go by the value of the vehicle) a fortune in interest if you finance it, several thousand dollars in depreciation as soon as you sign the paperwork, and if you do it the way I do, a fortune in insurance. I have not had an accident since I was 16, 40 years ago. So I am willing to risk up to $10,000 without comp and collision. That’s not really a gamble, you lose either way. If you total the car on the way home, you lose everything you have in it. If it lasts several years, then your loss is very little. If you carry full coverage, and it lasts several years, you lose a fortune. Full coverage here costs about 5 times what minimum liability does, and that adds up big time over the years. Not only that, but if your vehicle is totaled, the insurance company will not pay anywhere near what it is worth, excluding the deductible, even after you paid all those premiums. There is a new term in the insurance business, called “gap” insurance. For a lot more money, gap insurance will pay you the difference in what the insurance company gives you, and what your totaled vehicle was actually worth. This is actually legal.
So I have some pretty strong incentives to buy a used late model low mileage vehicle from a private seller (no sales tax and fees) that saves me about $1500 on a $10,000 vehicle) pay cash, get minimum liability only, and take the risks. So far I have been lucky.
I also have the advantage of being a professional mechanic, though I no longer have access to most of the equipment needed for diagnosing and sometimes even servicing late model cars.
loved your story on the suburban. I have had more than my fair share of “more money than brains” mechanical wonders including a 76 Newport,84 k car and a wonderful 86 cutlass ciera holiday holiday coupe that was replaced by the 85 parts car that I bought 3 months later. the beautiful white mint appearing 70,000 mile 86 was scrapped and the 85 ugly brown with a blue repaint and smashed quarter $300 junker lived for 4 years and almost 90,000 miles just to remind me every day I suck at picking cars!
when I look back I realize most of it boils down to the same reason over and over….I hate to admit I screwed up cause there is always SOMEONE who will say “I told you so!” in other words…just being a typical male!
Thanks for understanding Bill.
Man, I’m glad I live in the south!
I long ago learned my lesson about buying inexpensive used cars from no-name used car dealers. Fortunately, it was a Mustang II bought by a friend in the 70s and not one of my cars.
Out of all of my cars, I think I only had two that I got way too much money into. First was my 63 Cadillac that I bought just as I went off to college in the late 70s. About $100 a month in repairs, that was quite a lot back then.
More recently, my 99 Town & Country. I bought it cheaply from a private party, and it ran and drove so nicely that it fooled me into treating it like a good car instead of a cheap car. When the transmission went, I let it go. However, a staffer is still driving it, so at at least my earlier investments are still paying off for somebody.
Jerseyfred: Enjoyed your story; although it HURT. I can emphatize w/you. Anytime “lust or emotion” enters an automotive purchase, it’s a BAD thing! Some years ago, I wanted a Dodge window van. Spotted one on one of those corner lots; long story short, even though I knew better, let myself (blinded by lust) be rushed into a purchase…tons of bondo, a slant six that (hidden by the doghouse cover) ran, although a piston end was protruding from the side of the block!! It only cost a few hundred dollars, but I did manage to salvage useable parts from it. Ten years ago, When I went to acquire a replica of my first car, a 70 Charger, lust clamped onto my heart again, but this time, I regained my senses and paid for an inspection which caused me to pass on that particular car. I can hardly wait for your next installment!!
🙂
Thanks Elliottt.
Wow–a sobering story of tough luck and the realization that sometimes, you’re just pouring money into a black hole. But when to stop, when it always seems like “once I fix this ONE LAST THING everything will be right!” It’s almost never the last thing that it purports to be, but at the same time, if a $500 repair is all it takes to keep your $5000 investment on the road…a dilemma occurs.
I’ve not been in that situation with a car I’ve owned, yet. There’s always time! (And I’m coming to the realization that my recently purchased Volvo 780, while perfectly driveable, *really should* have a whole ton of wear items replaced…) But I’ve seen it in action, when my Dad made the ill-advised purchase of an 8 year old Audi 5000. (Sadly, the source of the ill advice was my 14 year old self.) That $4000 car ended up easily costing us twice that over its 5 year lifespan in our family fleet, but the temptation to throw good money after bad was strong, especially since that car was death by paper cuts. I don’t think any repair cost more than $1000 but there were SO MANY around the $500 price point. And, eventually, it was sold for parts for $400. But that decision was arrived at late, when the prudent thing would have been to get out after the first big bill. Hindsight is 20/20, after all.
a LOT of bad advice could come from a 14yo.
Coming to cars, it never ends.
When I bought my 85 Grand Marquis LS last summer for $400 and began making repairs,detailing, searching wrecking yards for some minor parts, I fretted over every thing I did to the car. Months later it looks nicer, has not let me down this winter and my total investment to this point is about $2,100 including purchase price.
After reading your exploits with the Suburban it’s time for,me to stop worrying about the Grand Marquis.
Good work. 30 years old is a bit much for my frazzled old nerves unless its a backup car. But if you can handle it, good job. I had a 96 ford pickup that was freakishly reliable in spite of neglect and abuse. It was never parked indoors. I only changed the oil once a year and only washed it once a year and over loaded it daily. I sold it when it got close to 200k miles. I worry that I will never again have that kind of luck.
Jersey Fred
Great story. I was actually laughing out loud as I read.
I think you need to take advice from the 1978 Kenny Rogers hit, “The Gambler”
“You got to know when to hold em, know when to fold em”
I find that notion – know when to cut your losses – is applicable to many things in life.
Fred, right now, I feel your pain. Just last night our family van headed off with a new salvage owner after throwing a rod. All told it cost me $11,000 to own for 6 years and 50,000 miles – not counting consumables like yearly brake pads, fuel, two sets of tires, etc.
I’ve made my last automotive gaffe, I hope… and here’s to hoping you did too.
An interesting story. At least neither you nor your family were hurt by any of these problems.
Now I don’t feel so bad about sinking over $1,500 (in early 1990s dollars) into the air conditioning of my 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme, and still not getting it to work properly.
Don’t feel too bad ~
I spent over a year an several thousand dollars getting a tool box gas tank for my old Russian Moto , it involved going to Louisiana during Katrina debacle , sleeping in my car a few times then massive hassles getting it painted to match , a few hundred hear & there , an entire $1,500 Moto purchase just to get the stinking tank , in time it was all finished and painted so I rode it into the mountains on a nice hot day for lunch ~ as I was munching my sandwich , the fracking Moto’s stand settled into the new soft asphalt and over it went ~ !BAM! onto a concrete filled 2″ round steel bolIard.
I still have a big assed dent in my trail of tears gas tank , I leave it there to remind me how stupid I can be chasing after vehicular things .
All this pain & misery on a $700 Moto that’s worth maybe $200 .
-Nate
Fred, I feel your pain… that’s brutal. I’ve never dropped that much coin on a disaster project, but I’ve had the same stubborn/stupid desire to force a terrible car into being a good car via cash injection.
Yours is the most amazing story. I’ll say that at “1990 GMC Suburban with 145,000 miles.” my heart leapt and not in a good way. Were I nearby I would have warned you. It also sounds like the dealer was not deceptive; maybe naive’.
Just about to put my ’89 ‘burban on the road here in UK. Notwithstanding all the problems mentioned about it still is an incredible piece of kit with the 6.2 diesel. One simple answer to these woes is to keep a ‘modern’ for daily use and save the old un for best.