"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
01/08/2016 at 10:30 • Filed to: craigslist, wrenching, car buying, beater build, blog
4
11|
"Urambo Tauro" (urambotauro)
01/08/2016 at 10:30 • Filed to: craigslist, wrenching, car buying, beater build, blog | 4
| 11 |
Last week I posted about my newly bought !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! . I thought it was a steal for $700. Turns out the money I saved has to go into the truck after all...
For the past week, I’ve been carefully going over my new purchase in my spare time. I started with simple things. I filled the fuel tank on the way home. I replaced the FILTHY air filter. The inside of the coolant tank was cruddy, so I removed and cleaned it, rendering the fluid level visible once again. I also changed the engine oil and greased the front end components. Monday, the extended holiday weekend was finally over, allowing me to transfer the title and register the truck for road use.
Unfortunately, the cheap Valucrap battery failed to start the truck after just one weekend of sitting. So I removed it, checked the water level (good), and let it trickle-charge overnight. The next morning, the charged battery fired the truck right up, but failed to pass a load test. So it gets replaced, along with the rusty battery tray underneath it:
High on the priority list is tires and an alignment. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that trying to get away with just two tires for now would be a bad idea. So I took it in and bought four. During mounting/balancing, I asked the shop to give the truck a basic inspection while it was on the lift. I have a laundry list of things to do to it, but it seemed wise to put another set of eyes on it to see if there’s anything I missed.
The front end was found to be loose in several spots. Before an alignment can be performed, new tie-rods and pitman/idler arms must be installed. That’s nearly $300 for quality parts, but that’s not all they found. The fuel tank has a slow leak, periodically dripping that precious petrol. Now I’ll be damned if I’m putting an old pump in a new tank, so there goes another couple hundred bucks in parts alone. Good thing I’ll be doing the wrenching myself to avoid labor costs.
So it’s looking more and more like $700 may have been a fair price after all, rather than a fantastic bargain. I’ve already spent more on fixing up the truck than I did on the purchase price, and I’m not done yet.
So what do you do when a great deal becomes merely a good deal... or worse? You can give up on it, and put it back on Craigslist until it becomes someone else’s problem. Or, you can see it through.
When you intend to keep a vehicle for a long time, you can ease the pain of expensive parts by reminding yourself how much trouble-free mileage you stand to get out of them. Buying tires? Compare the up-front cost to the tire’s treadlife expectancy. Buying a battery? Pay attention to the number of months it claims to last.
When you invest in a vehicle, it’s not always about resale value. Let yourself enjoy it. Appreciate the difference your repairs make. Remember how crappy it was before you touched it. You may just find yourself saying, “this car’s getting better all the time!”
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Urambo Tauro
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:35 |
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The coolant recovery tank turned out nice!
Justin Hughes
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:36 |
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Bummer, but you have a good attitude about it. I’m going through something similar with the Jeep Comanche I just picked up. It has a few issues the previous owner genuinely didn’t know about, like a leaky fuel tank, and lifters didn’t fail until just after we got it. But with all the recent rust repair and spare parts, it’s well worth keeping, fixing, and finishing. I’m going to save a ton of money by doing the work myself, though I admit pulling the head and getting everything back together properly intimidates me a bit since I’ve never opened an engine like this before. Ah well - live and learn, and whether I succeed or fail it’ll give me something to write about!
Future next gen S2000 owner
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:37 |
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Most of this stuff seems to be worn out from use, which is to be expected from a cheap high mileage vehicle. Even if you have $1,500 total into it, a running, driving reliable vehicle for $1,500 isn’t a bad price at all.
Needmoargarage
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:38 |
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This looks exactly like what I did a few weeks ago on my truck! Complete steering rebuild, all Moog parts.
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Urambo Tauro
> Needmoargarage
01/08/2016 at 10:41 |
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PROTIP: Get some angled grease fittings to make servicing easier. Totally worth it.
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Needmoargarage
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:43 |
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Oh yeah, those are nice. Fortunately, my truck (older F-150) has plenty of access room to the straight fittings that came with the parts.
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Urambo Tauro
> Future next gen S2000 owner
01/08/2016 at 10:44 |
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Oh, it’s gonna be more than that. But I think I’ve identified all the big-ticket items, so once I take care of those, I can focus on little things like the door hinge bushings and the broken hood release handle.
Andrew Pascarella
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 10:44 |
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Just like my Garbage Montero, I keep reminding myself it was really bad when I got it and I've improved it significantly.
Birddog
> Urambo Tauro
01/08/2016 at 11:09 |
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I think you’ve surpassed repair and maintenance and started dipping into restoration territory.
A clean used bed is only around $800, I’m sure you could find some doors at a U-Pull cheap, then you’re only a gallon of Bondo and GM code 10 Arctic White away from perfection!
C’mon! It’ll be fun..
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Urambo Tauro
> Birddog
01/08/2016 at 11:53 |
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My goal is to make it a reliable beater.
I want all the mechanical stuff to work great, and keep it all hidden behind a crappy body. And by “mechanical stuff” I don’t mean just drivetrain and brakes. I’m going to take care of things like the sagging doors and try to get a tailgate rigged up. Unfortunately, I’m looking at possibly having to replace the bed to make that happen, so your suggestion may not be far from the truth after all.
I’m already starting to feel tempted by upgrades. When I took it in for tires, I parked on a patch of ice, and noticed it doing the one-wheel-peel. I’d really like to have Posi back there...
Burn-Spaz1966-Burn
> Urambo Tauro
01/09/2016 at 16:55 |
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Glad you have something to wrench on. Good Luck.