Can I ask a serious question without being thrown off topic?

[monkeybomb]

+1

everything TOK said

[danny_galaga]

and dont buy anything you need to call a towing company for! i dunno, cars in the US and Canada used to be so cheap. a backpackers dream!

[thebrownshow]

Dude, just get the cheapest damn thing you can find that actually RUNS already.  You're putting WAY too much thought into a $500 car.  Just think, if you had just bought something a month ago instead of discussing it on the internet and being indecisive, you could be driving around town tonight looking at REAL girls rather than downloading pictures of them.

Just joking around with you there, but seriously, just pick something.  It's a car.  Just get wheels.  Then get a job.  Then get new wheels later.

[missioncontrol]

yeah just pick a car... at $500 it's going to be craptacular anyways.... buy a domestic if you want to save on repair bills....

[Bones]

I think you should put more thought into this important purchase USS.

Maybe start a poll or something.

[pointdablame]

To be fair, I dont think USS has his license yet, so it's not absurd for him to be looking into so many vehicles.

I started looking at cars fairly seriously almost a year before I got my license just so I could get a feel for things.  I looked at dozens and dozens of cars before actually throwing some cash down, and I didn't have a lot to spend either

If I'm right and he doesn't have his license yet, its not like he's wasting time and could have already been driving... the car would just be sitting in his driveway.

[USSEnterprise]

I don't have my license, but I do have my permit. I want the car I learn to drive in to be my first car. Since I'm not getting either of my parent's cars, I want something I could learn in. I'm also considering getting my first car with a stick shift, for that same purpose, so as I'm learning, I'll also gain that skill, and be able to drive one later on if need be.

[pointdablame]

i wouldn't get a manual trans just because it will be a learning experience.  Anyone can learn to drive stick in 10 minutes, its one of those things that has an aura of being so difficult, but if you can't figure out how to shift gears, you shouldn't even be driving a car in the first place.

That's not to say DON'T get a manual for your first car.. they are lots of fun.  But don't get one just so you can learn "for the future."  It's not hard.  Plus, as a fellow New Jersey driver, I'll tell you this:  manuals are way more fun, and I like them more, but I never want to have a manual as my daily driver here in Jersey.

[TOK]

Sent you a PM, Enterprise.

[thebrownshow]

i wouldn't get a manual trans just because it will be a learning experience.  Anyone can learn to drive stick in 10 minutes, its one of those things that has an aura of being so difficult, but if you can't figure out how to shift gears, you shouldn't even be driving a car in the first place.

Apparently you've never tried to teach your wife how to drive a manual transmission. 

Seriously though, I completely disagree on this here.  Everyone should learn how to drive on a manual.  I learned on an '82 Ford Escort and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Once you learn how to drive, you start getting into habits, some bad, some good, and the longer you go on an automatic, the more difficult it is later.  You've got to unlearn all those habits.  Hell, I've even seen 40-year-old engineers have a hard time with it because they never learned.

Learning to drive is overwhelming enough for some people that adding in the whole clutch-shift thing isn't really all that much more difficult.  Do it all at once if you can.

[monkeybomb]

I learned on an automatic and then bought a stick.  It took 20 minutes to get a solid feel for it.  I think the big issue should be getting a car that won't break down that much and will be cheap to fix when it does.

[ChadTower]

I learned on an automatic and it took 15 minutes to become good at driving a standard.  It was a Tracker, so it's not like it had any power, but I was doing fine in stop and go traffic without stalling in less than a half hour.

[shardian]

I learned on an automatic and it took 15 minutes to become good at driving a standard.  It was a Tracker, so it's not like it had any power, but I was doing fine in stop and go traffic without stalling in less than a half hour.

A tracker has a VERY forgiving clutch. I had no idea what I was doing when I got mine and did fine. I learned on an S-10 manual stick, and it was definitely not that easy.

[saint]

Most annoying thing about switching to an automatic when you've been driving a stick for a while is when you accidentally try to push in the clutch to switch gears and the car screeches to a halt! 

[ChadTower]

Heh.  It gets worse.  Friend of mine was driving his sister's automatic and had only ever driven a standard.  He jammed the thing into reverse going 40 and dropped the transmission.

[AtomSmasher]

Heh.  It gets worse.  Friend of mine was driving his sister's automatic and had only ever driven a standard.  He jammed the thing into reverse going 40 and dropped the transmission.

Heh, my grandpa did that years ago in a police car.  The police had just switched from 3 on the tree manual transmission to automatic transmissions.  He got a call of a robbery or something, and he meant to put it from 3rd gear to 1st and then floor it, but he put it from drive to reverse and destroyed the tranny.

[NightGod]

I learned on an automatic and it took 15 minutes to become good at driving a standard.  It was a Tracker, so it's not like it had any power, but I was doing fine in stop and go traffic without stalling in less than a half hour.

A tracker has a VERY forgiving clutch. I had no idea what I was doing when I got mine and did fine. I learned on an S-10 manual stick, and it was definitely not that easy.

/seconded

I learned on a S-10 stick with power nothing...damn that was a nightmare to learn on, but I can get in anything short of a semi these days without any problem (and most semis are automatic anymore, so that would almost be a non-issue).

I remember in the Army when we were doing licensing-hopped in the duece-and-a-half and the guy was like "You ever driven manual before?" "Sure, I learned on one" "well, OK, so you have an idea, but this is a bit harder to drive than mo..." he cut off at the end there because I stopped listening to him and just drove away, smooth as can be. He didn't bother talking the rest of the time except to tell me where to turn.

For USS-manual trannies WILL last longer than an automatic, as a rule, but only if the people who drove it don't strip the clutch. If you're getting it for your first car, I would seriously find a mechanic you can trust to check it out before you buy, especially at the price ranger you're aiming for.

[ChadTower]

A tracker has a VERY forgiving clutch. I had no idea what I was doing when I got mine and did fine. I learned on an S-10 manual stick, and it was definitely not that easy.

Not surprising, considering that it's meant for 18 year old girls.

[DrewKaree]

A tracker has a VERY forgiving clutch. I had no idea what I was doing when I got mine and did fine. I learned on an S-10 manual stick, and it was definitely not that easy.

Not surprising, considering that it's meant for 18 year old girls.

Which explains why you bought it.

[Stingray]

Its a ford, so I know it won't last too long

You have no concept of reality do you? NOTHING you buy for $500 is going to last long without constant maintenance & repairs. How is it that you can buy a new computer every three months, piles of non-working pinballs, Pepsi machines etc, etc, but you only have $500 to spend on a car?

-S

[horseboy]

How is it that you can buy a new computer every three months, piles of non-working pinballs, Pepsi machines etc, etc, but you only have $500 to spend on a car?

-S

Because the chicks in his grade dig pinball and PCs. Who needs to drive somewhere for a date when you can have some chick hold your multimeter for you while you fix a pin? Don't you know anything about women.

[monkeybomb]

Its a ford, so I know it won't last too long

You have no concept of reality do you? NOTHING you buy for $500 is going to last long without constant maintenance & repairs.

But certainly a $500 honda civic is a better choice than a $500 jaguar along those lines.

[ChadTower]

Which explains why you bought it.

Wasn't mine, I was too poor to have a car in those days... I was the designated driver on some nights when we all piled into one and went to the beach.

[shardian]

A tracker has a VERY forgiving clutch. I had no idea what I was doing when I got mine and did fine. I learned on an S-10 manual stick, and it was definitely not that easy.

Not surprising, considering that it's meant for 18 year old girls.

I'll have you know mine is very manly, thank you very much...

[ChadTower]

It ain't manly but we sure did pick up lots of chicks in that car.  They'd just walk right up and go "oh it's so cuuuuuuute" and get in.

[DrewKaree]

Its a ford, so I know it won't last too long

You have no concept of reality do you? NOTHING you buy for $500 is going to last long without constant maintenance & repairs.

But certainly a $500 honda civic is a better choice than a $500 jaguar along those lines.

An even better choice for him is a $500 bicycle. 

The best choice is $500 worth of bus passes.

[Vigo]

about four years ago I bought a 1987 ford taurus for $500. It ran well...I had it for about 3 years and had to do about 150 dollars of repairs to it over the years. I sold it for a couple hundred after I was done and moved up to a better car...The car still ran well when I sold it....

It was a gamble, but just as much of a gamble as about any car for that price...and I know If i had to do the same repairs to a European car in the US, I would have spent well over 1000 dollars in repairs, not to mention the extra labor I would have to do....

[DrewKaree]

....must.....resist.....urge....to.....post 

can't do it.

Vigo, but did it look cool, did it work, and how much was free shipping?

Sounds like school has started in the Tulsa area. 

[horseboy]

....must.....resist.....urge....to.....post 

can't do it.

Vigo, but did it look cool, did it work, and how much was free shipping?

Sounds like school has started in the Tulsa area. 

What does Tulsa have to do with anything?

[missioncontrol]

what is the statute of limitations for keeping a post serious?

and will the statue fit in my basement?

[AtomSmasher]

what is the statute of limitations for keeping a post serious?

and will the statue fit in my basement?

Sorry, but I already have the statue in my basement.

[DrewKaree]

Sounds like school has started in the Tulsa area. 

What does Tulsa have to do with anything?

Ya really don't know?  Want a link?

[Stingray]

Sounds like school has started in the Tulsa area. 

Up yers, Karee! 

-S

[USSEnterprise]

Its a ford, so I know it won't last too long

You have no concept of reality do you? NOTHING you buy for $500 is going to last long without constant maintenance & repairs. How is it that you can buy a new computer every three months, piles of non-working pinballs, Pepsi machines etc, etc, but you only have $500 to spend on a car?

-S

I currently have two of my pinball machines and my new computer up on eBay.

[USSEnterprise]

I just came across an 1994 Infiniti G20 in an Auto Shopper for $600. Its got everything I need, and its driveable, but the engine knocks. Now, from what I've seen thanks to a google search, knocking can commonly be caused by something called the EGR Valve. The valve itself costs $100. Anyone have an idea on how difficult to replace?

[ChadTower]

Knocking is also commonly caused by the engine being 5 minutes from complete death.

[Vigo]

If it's a tap, you don't have to worry, but watch out for those rattles, thats a bad sign, unless of course it is coming from the mid section of the engine, but if it is more close to a thump, That means that you ran somebody over.

[shardian]

A big no to the tapping valve. I'll tell you from personal experience that the tapping that suddenly gets louder, followed by a loud clunk and the engine shutting off while cruising down the interstate is not a good thing.

[ChadTower]

Give it a little tappy.  Tap tap taperoo.

[thebrownshow]

My engine got the little tap tap taperoo once.  5 minutes later there was a cloud of white smoke and a trail of bits of metal behind me when it threw a rod.