Serving an Import Humper a plate of Humble Pie

[Intrepidation]

So yesterday Sixty8 and I took his Banana boat on a trip to the toy store...er...junkyard. He was in search of parts for it and I was in search of a headlight for the T&C...plus any other goodies that caught my eye for one of the other cars. We spend from 11 until 1 or so there, he had better luck than I though. They didn't have a single first gen Caravan. Although We did see a few interesting things there. There was a triple burgundy Cadillac 1984 Fleetwood Brougham (I think that's what it was) that was in sitting amidst the rows of other Caddies and Buicks stacked on top of each other with nothing on it (yet) The vinyl top was gone and so was the grill but the rest of the body was in great shape. Paint was still very good, there was no rust where the top had been, no frame or body rut that we could see, the engine had no leaking fluids that we could see and it was all there. The interior was all there save a few trim pieces too. But the real kicker was that the car started right up and ran very nicely. It's not like when you come across a car that starts but sounds ready to die, it ran very well. The writing on the window said the engine and transmission were good. It was such a shame that someone would junk a perfectly good car.

After he got his parts and we weren't able to find any vans, I grabbed a few things for the Prizm (climate control knobs, armrest, a coin holder) and then we grabbed a bite to eat. By then he had to head back home but suggested I try another junkyard not far from us. So I took my Intrepid there and sure enough located a downer Caravan...the only one there. Unfortunately they were closing soon so I only had time to grab a center console bezel to replace the one that was broken when the van was broken into. I pay for it and head to my car, and this is where it gets interesting (and the main point of this thread).

I pop the trunk of my car and put my tools and the part in the car. There's a guy standing next to a black early `92 or so Camry. As I close my trunk the following conversation begins:

Him: Those Integras are pretty unreliable.

Me: It's not an Integra, it's an Intrepid

Him: Oh, well they're pretty much the same Dodge anyway

Me: No, Integras were mad e by Honda

Him: Oh, well anyway you should get rid of that thing as soon as possible because they are full of problems

Me: No way, I love my car and it's been problem free since I bought it.

Him: You know my car is probably worth more than used. It's a worth $5,500

Me: (thinking to myself, I highly doubt that, and looking it up later the average one is worth only 2,200) That would have to be for a mint, low mileage example...I'd never pay that kind of money for one of those.

Him: Oh, well...I only paid $800 for mine, I got it at an auction.

Me: That's were my car came from, I paid $2,100 for it.

Him: You know Mercury Mystiques?

Me: Yeah

Him: They're kind of like your car, I knew this lady who had one and the timing chain broke and damaged a pulley thing that ruined her engine.

Me: It was probably an interference engine. My car uses timing changes, so unlike the timing belts in your Camry and other Hondas and Toyotas which have to be replaced every 50,000 miles and cost $500 - $1000 each time, timing chains only need to be replaced every 150,000-200,000 miles.

Him: Oh...well Toyotas and Hondas go for a long time, this has 220,000 miles on it.

Me: (I've gotten in my car by now and started the engine up with the door open) My car has 190,679 original miles on it, which includes the engine and transmission. I know someone with a 1990 Suburban that has 230,000 original miles on it. I also have a Dodge Shadow with 213,000 miles on it. It'll probably rust away before it stops running.

Him: (changing subject). ...yeah rust is bad here with all of the snow and salt and stuff.

Me: Yeah, it's important to keep your car clean to keep rust from spreading

Him: Yeah that's what I do...Anyway...I still think Toyotas and Hondas are more reliable

Me: I haven't had a single problem with my cars ince I've owned it besides a gasket to the fuel pump. Meanwhile, the Toyota I have at home has had the transmission replaced because it lost 3rd and 4th gear, the master and slave cylinders had to be replaced, the timing belt had to be replaced, and I've had to replace half of the interior because so many stupid parts have broken on it.

Him: (shocked) Really?

Me: Yeah, I've had to replace the rear view mirror because the plastic internals broke, the window regulator...

Him: I had to replace mine too, cost me $40 and I had to drill holes to get it out (it must have been welded)

Me: Luckily mine was bolted on so it only too an hour to replace after I bought one for $20. Anyway, I've also had to replace the inside driver's door handle once, the outside twice, and the rear exterior handle once. Their made out of such cheap, $h!ty plastic. I see so many Toyotas with broken door handles (to my delight as I'm saying this I notice his driver's door handle is broken)...just like yours!

Him: Oh, well, uh...it was my fault...I pull the handle kind of hard. Your handles are made out of plastic too...

Me: Yes but mine have ever broken, nor and of my Chryslers for that matter.

Him: (he's run out of ammo at this point). Well, I've got to get going. Nice talking to you though. Have a nice day.

Me: You too. (I close the door and drive away with a smile on my face).

That was the first encounter like that I've had with a random person.

[Dsuupr]

Guy sounds like an uniformed fool. Goes to show how dumb the world (when it comes to cars) around us really is.

Edited February 17, 2008 by Dsuupr

[Delta Force79]

Clearly they're the same car

What a moron...

[vonVeezelsnider]

If I had a dime for every conversation I had like that...

[Intrepidation]

Clearly they're the same car

What a moron...

Clearly.

[2005 EquinoxLS]

I have had those conversations with people at work. It is pointless.

[siegen]

unlike the timing belts in your Camry and other Hondas and Toyotas which have to be replaced every 50,000 miles and cost $500 - $1000 each time, timing chains only need to be replaced every 150,000-200,000 miles.

That is a tremendous exaggeration. I replaced the timing belt in my car (a '99 Integra) at 85-90~ thousand miles just to be safe (I did it myself along with water pump). The old belt looked nearly new, almost difficult to tell the difference between the new and old one. The recommended interval is 90k miles for my car I believe, and newer cars are over 100k. It is possible very old Accords or Camry's had 50k intervals, but I highly doubt it.

It might cost you close to $1000 if you take your car to the dealer, bend over, and take it up the ass . If you take it to a respectable shop, at least for my car, I could have had it done under $400. I spent around $100 in parts and did it myself however.

I didn't think timing chains had to be replaced?

[FAPTurbo]

Mercury Mystique's are like Dodge Intrepid's, wtf?

[Lamar]

:pokeowned::pokeowned:

And from a Dodge guy too... (I keed, I keed!)

[daves87rs]

Clearly they're the same car

What a moron...

[daves87rs]

That is a tremendous exaggeration. I replaced the timing belt in my car (a '99 Integra) at 85-90~ thousand miles just to be safe (I did it myself along with water pump). The old belt looked nearly new, almost difficult to tell the difference between the new and old one. The recommended interval is 90k miles for my car I believe, and newer cars are over 100k. It is possible very old Accords or Camry's had 50k intervals, but I highly doubt it.

It might cost you close to $1000 if you take your car to the dealer, bend over, and take it up the ass . If you take it to a respectable shop, at least for my car, I could have had it done under $400. I spent around $100 in parts and did it myself however.

I didn't think timing chains had to be replaced?

Si, I've noticed that they are like hot and cold sometimes when it comes to that belt........

A co-worker has gone through several belts in his 98....(he had better luck with his beater 99 Neon..)

On the other hand, My friend in Indy has a 99.....and his Teg has 106k, same timing belt-no issues at all......

[A Horse With No Name]

If I had a dime for every conversation I had like that...

Exactly. Talked to a guy today who is getting rid of a 2002 Cavalier to get a 92 Accord with twice the miles because "Hondas are better cars and more reliable." He's had zero problems with the Cavalier.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

That is a tremendous exaggeration. I replaced the timing belt in my car (a '99 Integra) at 85-90~ thousand miles just to be safe (I did it myself along with water pump). The old belt looked nearly new, almost difficult to tell the difference between the new and old one. The recommended interval is 90k miles for my car I believe, and newer cars are over 100k. It is possible very old Accords or Camry's had 50k intervals, but I highly doubt it.

It might cost you close to $1000 if you take your car to the dealer, bend over, and take it up the ass . If you take it to a respectable shop, at least for my car, I could have had it done under $400. I spent around $100 in parts and did it myself however.

I didn't think timing chains had to be replaced?

Timing chains will streatch and go bad with time.

Chris

[A Horse With No Name]

Also, Dodgefan I am as mystified as you are about old Cadillacs being junked. I've seen a lot of decent Cadillacs scraped for no reason and I just don't understand it.

[Intrepidation]

Also, Dodgefan I am as mystified as you are about old Cadillacs being junked. I've seen a lot of decent Cadillacs scraped for no reason and I just don't understand it.

It was a real shame. If there was space enough to move it you could probably have driven it right out of the yard.