A Horse With No Name

Tires are shot because they are age checking and cracking, also the tread is wearing down. Tires seem to be wearing evenly...but the $60 to put it on an alignment rack at a local tire store might be money well spent. I am a little worried about the rusting shock mount... Chris

Thanks for the replies, guys. Sounds like I might be suggesting a Regal to my friend! Chris ...and the search idea is pure genius, Camino! Chris

So, my 19 year old daughter has a 17 year old friend. 17 year old friend "Britney" (not her real name) was given a '99 Jeep Grand Cherokee with an inline 6 as a gift when she got her permit two years ago at 15 1/2. Jeep was bought new by her grandparents....and has had good care. About 150K on it... My questions...what weak spots are there on these vehicles? Her father and grandfather ran a buisiness that for years was very profitable...sold the buisiness...and now the guy they sold it to has run it into the ground. Girl's father is loosing his job Dec. 31. So...I want to know what to look for that is specific for this vehicle to help her keep it running through the rest of high school and college for her. Only place the truck is rusting is by the front passenger shock mount. Do these rust often here? Where else do they rust? What weaknesses do the I-6 Mopar motors have in these? Tranny weaknesses? Also, tires are about shot on the rig. Am thinking about trying to get her a set of new front cheapies and rear tires off of a CFC truck at the local yard. Does anyone know what the bolt pattern is for the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and what other wheels will fit on this thing? Couple of local yards have good tire/wheel combos, even on alloys, that are cheaper even than getting a used set of tires balanced. Don;t know really how to help her, as she is trying to keep the thing running on what she makes working part time a few hours a week at a local resteraunt. Sorry for the rambling post... Chris

I have a friend looking for reliable wheels, and I want to ask a simple question-using JUST BUICK as a possible choice, what would be the best set of wheels for 4-6K? Chris

I agree with oldsmoboi, you can save $ with Mobil 1. Running Mobil 1 in both of my cars...major upgrade in performance over the dino stuff. Chris

meh...not so much of a fan of the later cars. But cool none the less. Good luck on the 9th attempt to replace the Silverado. Chris

Camino loves banks from what I hear. Hence he just wired the money for that "local" truck to Nigeria... The guy on the phone seemed soooo honest.... Chris

If I had the $, I would by you a new Silverado just to be able to lend a helping hand on the E type. Damn...an E type...you know well my love for THAT car! Chris

+1 again on the credit union thing. MUCH better than banks, IMHO. Chris

Positioning my friend, positioning. Get yourself in the position to move on with some cash and.... Good luck, seriously. You've got a Miata lovin' GM fan in Ohio pulling for you! Chris

If I were you, I would be all over that Jeep like flies on cow$h!. Do you realize how much fun Zora and Arkus would have riding in that beast with the top off in the summer time? Dude...Jeep...6 cyl...manual....nice plow. I'd offer them 5K for the truck and never look back. Looks like a NICE little truck. Hell....that's tempting even for me! Chris

...and your life sucks exactly...how? The Lotus 7 and Healy are two of my all time favorite cars. In this regard, I willbe just all to HAPPY to watch you suffer. Chris

That would be sweet-my father ordered a couple of cars from Ford, and the idea of ordering a car has always appealed to me! Chris

Actually I worked through college for a landscaper, and being in Muncie, Indiana we plowed a lot of snow in the winter. We had a CJ-7 that was great for smaller stuff, and 4WD fullsize fords and chevy's for larger stuff. The cab on those isn't a bad size...I'm a good sized guy and I'm comfortable in them. The Dakota + a larger truck would be a nice plow combo, I think. Would be perfect (the Dakota) for something like the smaller lot of a drug store or small church or something. Just my two cents. Chris

Hopefully the general has more small car offerings than just the Cruze...coupe non withstanding. Chris

That Dakota would be tempting... Chris

Keep us posted! Sorry about your luck, but in general, people just suck. Earlier this year someone in aparking lot did $800 worth of damage to my Miata and drove away. People are just jerks, sometimes. Chris

Yes...but to me I think the Intrepid should reflect the era its from...so somehow I think the older style is more fitting. How is the Mercury working as a winter beater? Chris

Actually I like the Intrepid just as it is. I think one can go overboard with modest appearance upgrades. Still thinking it will look killer with a new paint job. Chris

I can respect that, I felt the same way about my 71 Chevelle. However, I waited until I found "just the right car" a car that had been owned by an elderly couple from Iowa and had been taken care of with no real rust, etc. Love that you love the TA so much...it is one of my fav. cars!

Why not save cash and spend $6,000-$10,000 and buy a really nice car? The $1700 car will take $10,000 by the time you go through it. Wait for a second gen T/A until your in just the right position to buy just the right car. Just my two cents! Chris

Hence my suggestion that you keep the Buick and save cash for a 'bird. It's the only way to get a better car. Right now, I am going to pay off my Miata before I buy another car, and I am going to get a cash downpayment. But I am going to buy a $24,000 car... Chris

Ruining our future is no more cars. Newsflash-Peak oil is here, doesn't matter if you want to believe it or not. Volt FTW! Chris

Decent truck for the $, Z....but I think he wants a 3/4 ton. You could look at Ford and Dodge...but if you get an older Dodge get a tranny cooler on it for the A/T because they had tranny issues. Chris

I am a HUGE fan of the 77-78 Trans Am's so don't take this wrong...but you probably could have done that on a Schwinn. Those cars were for the most part dogs right from the factory. One of my fav. 70's cars, though. 318 powered 71-72ish Cuda in sublime green used to run around Madison county/Mt Sterling Ohio when we lived out that way...that was back when I had my 66 stang Fastback and drove it everywhere. Was kind of cool because there were two old cars in good condition being driven around town everywhere. Chris