[Shotimes] Part 2 B....You've never owned a car.......

[George Fourchy]

I don't know what's going on here, but something in the second half of this message
WILL NOT LET IT SEND.  Grrrrr!!  So I'm splitting it up into little pieces to see
what the problem is....


Part two .....

On Mon, 26 Jul 2004 01:05:23 -0400, James F. Ryan III wrote:

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the ATX is SO poorly designed and SO problematic.

Concession #4.....I won't have an automatic car of ANY brand, unless there is no
choice.  The wagon has already been rebuilt (warranty failure at 21,000 miles)....it
is holding together with 101,000 on the rebuild.  I'm watching it, and getting (down
the road) an FPS rebuild to have ready to go in.  That wagon has at LEAST 10 more
years of service it will give me.

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the thermostat is problematic and gets stuck in a full open position, which
>causes the motor to run cool, which causes the computer to run a rich
>mixture to 'help' the engine warm up quicker, which in turn causes a host of
>other problems

Stuck thermostats happen in all cars, at all times, for all reasons.  I siezed up my
'65 289 Mustang because of one.  This one is easy enough to change periodically that
I don't hold any ill will towards it.  And the one that is in it now has been in it
for 5 years, since the first radiator change after the desert test on the way to
Atlanta in 1999

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the failure of the head gasket (3.8L) is a known problem.

This requires no discussion.  Early 3.8 engines were a problem.  Hundreds of
thousands more Chrysler minivans had as many engine and tranny problems.  GM
probably had its share as well.  My 3.8 with 121,000 miles and new head gaskets is
almost as strong as the Lowrider and just as dependable.

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the speedometer cable becomes very noisy and needs to be replaced.

Now you're picking nits.  Lowrider's current speedo cable is just beginning to
whisper, after being in it for over 100k miles....that's the second swap...the first
replacement was routed through the dash incorrectly....a stupid factory mechanic
will make the simplest job look hard, and require redoing much sooner than the
advertised 1 year/12,000 mile warranty....just look at the T-Bird's rear
axle.....three of them lasted 13,000 miles...1k miles after the warranty runs out. 
So I think they suck, along with 8.8 inchers in Mustangs.  Result....I don't buy the
car. 

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the "power steering" provides steering but NO power (Gen1 only).

Never had that problem.....All the newer cars I have steer too easily, and combined
with a lack of caster, wander all over the road.  Gen 1 SHO steering is just fine,
thank you.  

>I've never owned a car before where,
>the accuracy of various gauges and indicating/warning lights is questionable
>due to poorly designed and very problematic sensors.

The speedo is within one MPH.  The temp gauge reads the same thing every day, when
the engine is warmed up and at speed.  It tells me when the thermostat is stuck
open, or that I need to turn on the a/c to cool the engine in heavy slow traffic. 
The fuel gauge is described as reporting "the approximate level of fuel in the tank"
per the owner's manual.  Using my brain (which I came from the factory with) I can
use it and apply the amount of miles I have traveled since the last fill of fuel to
figure within half a gallon what I will take on a refill.