SAmadei

I have two thoughts... first, if the stripes have been on there a while, the yellow paint not under the stripes may have faded enough that you will see the stripes even once removed. I've had this problem after removing dealer "emblems" from some cars. My Bonne still says "Lester Glenn Pontiac" in the right light as the black paint faded ever so slightly. Vinyl or paint, I'm sure any body/paint shop could remove them for a reasonable price. How the repair holds up in the long term is another story... paintwork being black magic. That said, at least the stripes seem limited to the hood.

I'm thinking it means just that. Assuming you didn't install a an incompatible bulb or blinker relay recently, blinking at double speed indicates a blown bulb. Why it remained on otherwise night be a CTS "feature"... though it would seem strange for it to go out if you turned the headlights on... as if the other filament lighting canceled any bulb-minding feature the CTS might have. I would have immediately put the 4 ways on and did a walk around. I really detest blown bulb and getting pulled over for such a lame reason. Surprised nobody would reply to this all day.

Alright... lets compare to the recently purchased Grand Prix GTP. We found a wide variety of GPs out there... Could have paid as low as $1200... but we got one at $3200... it was lower in mileage than I could find elsewhere, one owner and the owner was mechanically inclined. The car was bought to prep for a 3 year trip... Yeah, I will not see it for three years, so I was tasked with doing a low budget Overhaulin' in 7 days. Final bill... $1000, not counting that the car will need tires in about 1.5 years. Yeah, I could have found better GPs at $4200~4500... but then I would STILL be putting upwards of $1000 in them... brakes, suspension, tune up, tires, etc. Yeah the GP has some disappointments... The exhaust is not as perfect as I'd like... but that judged to be "good enough". Same with tie rod ends. But overall, I'm confidant the car will last... its already gone about 4K in miles. DF is right that the hypothetical $5K Camaro Z28 would also need a bunch of stuff fixed... also, I imagine a Z28 would have a more worn out drivetrain, from numerous burnouts, high speed chases and other showing off. This is where you sound like my old roommate from college. He got bored with a car as soon as the first or second thing broke. In fact, he would take out his anger on the car... and more would break. As for trusting yourself or having the proper space... Well, I've learned that any space one gets is still not "proper"... it can be an easy excuse to not get greasy and sweaty. Anymore, I just pray that my days of fixing a car in a lane of traffic during a downpour are over. And for trusting yourself... well, it sounds like you are elevating those doing the work on your car to a higher level. Its not the case. Mechanics make mistakes. Sometimes serious mistakes... and you have to live with them. Between the internet and some common sense, you can work your trust up. Trust me, between the internet and Harbor Freight, its easier to fix cars not than ever. Plus, the OBD2 and the machining and metallurgy on the cars make it somewhat easier to figure out whats going on, as well.

Everything DF is talking about is part of what I'm trying to help convince you about. Cars cost money. If you got a "steal" you will put money into it. If you buy something CPO, yeah, you won't put much money in it for a long time. In my case, I like to keep a log of repairs I have done... and I overdo jobs... like suspension... I overhauled the Van's entire front suspension because I wanted to be sure it would be good for the next 200K, even though I didn't need everything. Unless I am destitute, I can't imagine selling my father's Van. Its too useful and I've never get enough $$ for its useful value. It may look like a faded, 20 year old Chevy Van... but its a 1 ton... and I now know what items are a problem... and I will get to them. Once done, the Van will be pretty bullet proof for a long time. Also, by doing the work yourself, you can do 5x as much at a time. You might not have been able to definitely diagnose the clunk in the suspension... but since I was able to replace it all, I definitely eliminated it. It's also a learning process. You're uncompromising ideas WILL be compromised... as I've alluded to... I know. When I read your posts, you sound like me 20 years ago. I was unable to remain uncompromised... and I had the benefit of cars that were 20 years younger and much more common. The question will be... how will you compromise? Newer, boring cars, requiring little effort? Older cars that require a given amount of work done by oneself? ;-) Same bit I was touching on, as well. Better the devil you know than the devil you don't. A few other comments... The dealership is going to flag a lot of stuff that is passable... hoping for a big job. I took my Tempest to get brakes and Sears felt the need to write up everything that was wrong... which was quite a bit... came up with something like a $5K bill. Well, I ended up replacing my own brakes (as usual) and had no problem getting lots of mileage outta the other "broken" things. I'm sure if the "Thoughts" 88 was brought to a dealer, he would have a field day, as well. As for the Firebird, I feel its disposal was premature... as you are clearly interested in similar cars... it would have been a source of a lot of parts at a minimum. But, of course, I understand that when at the whim of others, storing a parts car can be a problem.

Doh! ;-) We are on the way to our relatively simple fix. ;-) Wait... solenoid?!? You mean clutch master cylinder, right?

I don't see why you'd keep the Camaro as a beater... seems to me beater=DD. Something that don't need to be perfect that you can put 300K miles on. The Grand Prixs and Rivs are good DDs... The problem here is the cars you are attracted to. My father always urged me to stay away from Camaros, Firebirds, muscle cars in general. The problem is not the cars, but the people who owned them first. Camaros, Firebirds, Monte Carlo SS's, 442s... these were beat to death by their owners... so the trick used to be to buy the less desirable cars... the Malibu or Cutlass with low mileage, but good engine. Trouble is... in 2010, those old A- and G-bodies are in short supply, as well. Looking at ONLY '90s cars... You've got Camaros and Firebirds... both pre-beat to death. You have Caprices... most of whats out there are ex-police cars and ex-taxis... i.e., beat to death. Nothing else is RWD. In a few years, STSes, GTOs and G8's will become affordable... but they are already being abused... and will make the F-bodies look downright common. The prime DD-type cars are the big GM FWD cars now. Bonnevilles, Park Avenues, LeSabres, Rivieras, Auroras, LSSes, 88s... these cars were owned and taken care of by mature drivers. Then you have the Grand Prix, Impala, Monte Carlo, Intregues, Centuries, Regals... also mostly mature owned... but somewhat abused. Nowhere near as abused as the F-bodies, though... Thats why the Oldsmobile in the 'Thoughts' thread is so sweet. It appears to be a car well taken care of... it has a ton of life left in it. I fear the DD situation in the next 10 years. Looking forward, I'm outta options. Big GM cars are on the decline... A few Chrysler options... which I doubt I'd switch to. I guess I'll be driving virtually the same cars I have now indefinitely. Honestly, about 2020, I'll be cutting up pickup trucks to stretch and convert 2009 G6s to RWD. Its just bleak. Another reason, I have to start building my own cars from scratch.

Then you've got a lot of heartache in front of you... or better have cubic dollars. I've already been down this road... and I'm losing the battle. Every year, there are less and less cars, but more rust, faded paint, clapped out engines and broken plastic. Thats why I finally got the Bonne... but I'm still not happy with it... but I don't know where to go from here... aside from some GTOs and G8s before they disappear into history... I've driven much of that list and consider then all to be crap... and most require serious pain for egress and exgress. I tried to own a '66 Toro... I'm glad I passed, it would have been a money pit disaster... I would suggest a nice, big GM front driver... for now. Something supercharged. There are some nice hop-up parts for the Grand Prix GTPs. Sure, there still FWD, but can be made to be fast as hell. I was surprised how many Grand Prix GTP coupes were floating around.

Unfortunately, I feel part of this is what comes with a 10 year old car with so much electrical stuff that can get flakey. Corrosion, leaky caps, dirt causing voltage leakage... I'm convinced that 30 years from now, there will only be restored classics from before 1980 or 1987 at the latest... and newer will have much of the OEM stuff replaced with aftermarket replacements... restification, if you will. I've tried the 1983ish beater, too... and its seems just about everything is a money pit unless you are willing to do the work yourself and replace a bunch of major parts to get reliability. Of course, I look at every part I replace as being one I won't have to cope with again for 100K. I'll leave it as an exercise for someone else to post the picture of the Honda Accord... ;-) I dunno... I forget the specs for your Camaro, but in looking for the Grand Prix for my sister, I came across a lot of very nice Camaros and Firebirds for cheap. Unfortunately, they weren't nice enough for me to recommend for my sister. I didn't see alot of the Camaros full of rust or junked engines... but higher mileage and wasted paint was generally keeping the prices down. Right now there is a 2002 V6 Camaro for $3K with 68K on it... and a 2000 Z28 going to $4500... that sounds crazy, to me. In any case, the problem here is that the car can't be driven... any car that has a problem keeping it from moving (beyond a dead battery), is going to be worth only 1/3 or 1/2 its normal value. And most people selling cars like that are frustrated and can be chewed down faster. So I'm not real surprised you're getting lowballers. Yeah, thats right... I forgot there is no neutral safety switch... again, I don't have enough stick shift cars at my access. ;-)

It think its self-preservation. I wouldn't risk driving it if its so marginal... you might damage it worse and end having to tow it anyway. The only way I'd drive it... I'd disable the neutral starting switch (If necessary) and start it in 1st gear and drive it that way. Thats how I got my Eagle home when the clutch slave cylinder came off. Road-side repair tip... when something falls off your car... you can tell what parts are yours because they are usually somewhat warm.

Well, I agree that the problem sounds like the clutch. Trouble is that most clutch issues don't usually come out of the blue, unless it has been abused. Same goes for the transmission, itself... so I doubt its the synchos or anything internal. Unfortunately, I've had few stick cars... so I'm not as clutch knowledgeable as I wish I was. I've had clutch engagement issues which sound just like your problem when the hydraulic clutch fluid was low and let in air... similar to spongy brakes, if you can't engage the clutch all the way, you're not going to have fun getting the car in gear. In my situation, I just had to top it off and bleed it. IIRC, that involved mashing the clutch pedal 20 times or so... I've also had the bolts holding the slave cylinder come loose or fall out. With the slave cylinder dangling there, your ability to engage the clutch is severely reduced. In either case, jacking the car up and poking around could turn out to be a cheap solution. Otherwise, even a new performance clutch plate kit and flywheel is only something like $300-$400 bucks... and could be done in an afternoon. I'm sure OEM replacement would be a lot cheaper, as it is a wear item. I'd rather fix a clutch on a F-body than replace the transaxle that my Bonneville will eventually need.

Backing up a step here... what is actually wrong with the clutch? As Ocnblu mentions, it sounds like a linkage issue. $1500 estimate sounds pretty crazy. Knowing these have a hydraulic clutch, a easily fixed leak would leave you with no clutch.

I'm going to likely be answering the wrong angle here: Yes. The 1981 Diesel Cutlass Supreme was equipped with two batteries. I always thought that was pretty cool. As for new cars, I have no idea.

I've wanted to see ElectroChromatic windows for years... but I fear that law enforcement would see it as a threat if the perp could black out their windows at will. Of course, I'd like to see where this would work when the vehicle is not running... to turn a chrome sheen to reflect heat out of the interior. I hate hot cars from sitting in the summer sun. This would have interior materials last much better, as well.

Well, we have biannual inspections... another reason mechanical safety is a moot point... a lot happens in two years. Well, besides the "state run" (actually Parsons run) free inspection, you can pay a mechanic to inspect the car. They have to be licensed and certified and have the IM-240 equipment. Its something like $39 or $49 + plus the costs of repairs. Of course, there is a conflict of interest here, as a car failed for too much stuff won't get repaired... so they usually overlook most things but will do a "injector flush" that will somehow get the car through... as the emissions seems to leave the largest data trail. NJ is actually quite active in busting crooked private inspection places... going under cover. I know of several shops that lost their license. There is generally no second inspection at private places, as it passes or the car don't get repaired/gets repaired someplace shadier. If you fail at the state run places, you get the same red sticker. It give you either 14 or 30 days to repair (I forget)... the problem is this period starts when your original inspection runs out. So if you get the dreaded red sticker... its sometimes better to peel it out. Otherwise the sticker is a real cop magnet. It used to be a $28~$42 ticket for a uninspected car. But a decade ago, the state started really sticking it to people... it was something like $128, but now its higher, $200 or so... Of course, if your car is over 25 years old... the escape from this is to register historic. No inspection at all, but you have limited use. But this is usually rarely enforced. Oh yeah... those all can be cause for failure. Plus Horn, Brakes. Parking brake. Visible smoke, obvious fluid leaks, exhaust leaks, loudness, missing equipment... they get you for rust because the car cannot have any "sharp edges". Mirrors are a big one. You can fail inspection if you don't have your driver's license with you... or give them a out of date insurance or registration... even if you renewed and got them mixed up. the funny thing is that in some cases, if you had something on the car... it had to work. So if you put an extra mirror on... and it was cracked, you could pass by removing it. Inspection sure has changed. I remember in the '70s going through with my parents... you used to drive your own car though inspection. then they would do the brake test for you. Now they don't even like you to watch too closely... I'm dying to see how it is in a few days when I take the new (to me) car through...

Even recently, last trip was just under 2 hours for me at Mays Landing. Still have emissions testing, so don't scrape that out too quickly... If its unsafe you can still get a ticket. So, we're joining a bunch of other states that allow "rolling deathtraps". You better just stay safely at home. Don't worry, I know plenty of ways to get a "rolling deathtrap" though inspection. And many people just buy stickers illegally. So whats the point? I don't know MA inspection... but I know a lot of states require paying for an inspection at a private location, well, then they will be friendly any take your money... failing for a minor reason means non-repeat business. We can pay to have a private inspection in NJ, but I But in NJ, we have free inspection... at the moment... so you had incompetent state employees (later Parson's employees) on an ego trip justifying their job by failing anything they wanted. It didn't always, but it happened enough. Here are some of my firsthand or secondhand stories... 10 year old Chevy Prism... failed for small rip in the fabric on the back of the seat. Argued that he could touch metal inside the seat, which could cut someone in the right circumstance. Solution... duct tape... Renault Encore... IIRC... failed for not having a lit-up gear selector... which it didn't have from the factory. Solution... took to another inspection station. Old Tempest... failed for brake equalization. Trouble is, the technician missed the pad sensors with passenger side tires! He claimed it "didn't matter". WTF? Solution... took back though on different lane. Old Wagon... failed for a tiny rust hole. Solution... duct tape. Old Blazer... would have failed for massive rust. Solution... massive duct tape. '98 Sunfire... failed for no catalytic. But it had a Catalytic. After a second check, it was "reinspected" on the spot and passed. Dad's Old Cube van. Failed for cracked side view convex mirror. Solution... removed mirror. Guy in front of me had a '90s Sable wagon roadster registered as a 'Classic' car. These are only inspected to certify that mileage is below 2500 miles a year... Inspection guy held up for 15 minutes the line arguing loudly that he would not sign off a safety inspection for such a car. Problem is, he was not there for that. Granted, NJ should not have allowed that to be registered as a 'Classic', but thats the states' call... not the inspectors. Sexy lady friend would have failed for a non working horn. Inspector says 'Car horn beeps?'... she shakes her head no... He ignores her and asks again... She says 'BEEP!'... Passed. I'll stop there. In general, I've had a lot of trouble getting older classic cars though, as they rarely see older cars... and expect the old cars to compare with the modern cars... which even brand new, they didn't. Not only that, but just in general, they don't like people having something unique. Sure, you'll have no problem getting your Toyota appliance though. For the record, I have never habitually driven a vehicle I felt was unsafe. Sure, I've limped home a few times with an exhaust leak or braking problems... but they got fixed by me fairly quickly and would not have been caught by inspection, anyway. I've only had one mechanically related close call... total unexpected brake loss why driving something home after buying it, causing me to run a red light. Again, would not have been caught by inspection, as the master cylinder suddenly let go a bad time. Actually, the only legit safety fails I've generally had were for the parking brake. And the only time I use the parking brake is... during inspection. And a few for emissions... but usually off by so little that taking it back though on a different day passed. In the end, the inspection process has been an expensive sham... protecting us no better that 3oz liquid bottle limits on airplanes or the war on drugs.

After 35 years of the DREAD of waiting in line for hours... to pass everything, but be failed because there is a small chip in your side view mirror... I say HALLELUJAH! Ironically, I am in the process of fixing up a car for my sister. After buying it, I realized that the side view mirror is cracked... you can't even really see it... but I KNEW that it would cause the car to fail. Otherwise, the car is fine... I'm going through it with a fine tooth comb, as I won't see it for a while. So, I just spent days tracking down a replacement and installing it, just so the car can be inspected... Side view mirror glass can be a real PITA. And after Aug 1... I could have run the car through without a door. LOL. Granted, I don't think this is going to make a difference in the average safety of cars on the road. Most people have safe enough cars... or get a sticker illicitly for their deathtrap. I see cars with fresh inspection stickers all the time with super dark tint all around, pink headlights pointed like Marty Feldman, green blinkers, screwed up wheels 3" beyond the fender. Yet, I can't squeak through because the rear view mirror popped off in my hand while waiting in line (yes, this has happened to me... and I would have fixed it sticker or not). I'm not too worried about emissions. Anything OBD-II or newer, they pretty pass anything without a CEL. And I can tweak many cars to pass the sniffer... I think I need to celebrate!

Whole story Here

In general, its my understanding its the noise... a less than pleasant whine. I suppose in this era of sound cancellation and better tolerances, that could be eliminated. Its a been a fairly common upgrade to replace your chain with a gear drive on various V8 engines. Of course, many upgrades for power aren't the best for the street...

So it starts out as a '79-'81 Firebird with a Formula hood... and at the end its a 3rd gen Camaro? Other that that, pretty cool. One of my first songs I really liked... Edit: Screw flying cars... I can't wait until we can fly cars in space!

Have you considered a geothermal heat pump system? Efficient and also provides air conditioning. Sometime in the future I'm planning on looking into a setup like that.

Likely Apples and Oranges being compared here... You can get smaller tankless HW heaters for cheap... but on big one for a house will be more. Then there is the question of durability. Some of these tankless units have rusted right out. For a propane Bosch unit for a 1300 sq ft house, it was $1000... based on the idea of using one major and one minor use of hot water at a time. So someone could take a shower and someone could wash their hands, but shower and running the washer would be out. If you want a unit that can handle multiple major concurrent use the price goes up. Same with the energy source... big Electric units are very expense and require a non-trivial electrical hook up, as the electric elements just can't transfer heat like a burner unit. Useless the market price has crashed, $650 sounds like a smaller unit that might carry a fairly short warranty from a iffy brand. You might need 2 or 3 of these to do a large home. But I don't follow this market anymore... so for all know they are giving them out free with a purchase of a sandwich. So, based on what I saw when I was shopping for a unit, lets say Balthy is being quoted for a 2000K sq ft house... I could see $1500 for a good unit and $1000 for the labor to put in water lines, fuel lines and exhaust. HVAC guys aren't exactly cheap.

Lets see... a nice day for a drive in Brooklyn... Pink 1959 Cadillac Lincoln with suicide doors. Nice '74ish Impala. And finally... a Transformers Edition Toyota Previa...

I would be hopefully driving a 2010 Pontiac GTO with an alumium, fuel injected Pontiac made 455 making 700hp... With an 8 speed tranny, hopped up suspension, a bunch of electronic toys all based on a frame first manufactured in 1964. Honestly, the only think that GM could have done to stave off the imports would have been to lock down the exploits of the UAW when their overpaid employees were purposely making cars poorly. Most of the other things would have come and gone and GM would have needed to react... and would have reacted pretty much the same, with or without the imports.

There was some info in the comments... also, there was considerable info in the G8board threads... but a lot of that disappeared in the following hours, "for fear of police retaliation". The guy is a regular poster on G8Boards and there was considerable threads with his modding adventures.

Apparently, there are photos of his car sporting dark tinted taillights. He swapped them out a few weeks before he got the ticket. The tail lights he has he modified slightly, as well... he opened the unit and blacked out the chrome ring and then painted the top of the lens (the part that wraps over the top). I would like these modifications myself... I don't care for the plastic top on most lenses... Some would say they are still modified... but the taillight lens itself was not. In fact, when asked, the heavy lens tint would not have been an issue, as the taillights are still red, provided enough light makes it though the tint... in general, visibility from 50 feet. I think this is pretty ridiculous. He has modified the trim near the lights. Whats next? You can't put a sticker near your taillights? I guess painting your car or putting a bumper sticker on your car (assuming either does not cover your lights) is illegal, as well.