We almost made the national news yesterday.

In an alternate universe, I'm dead along with many other people. I've had the strangest feeling of being in "free time" ever since. Like I'm dead, and I'm waiting to fall down, and while I wait I'm going to do things my way dammit.

Anyway, I need to start looking for a vehicle with many seatbelts. Used, of course. I'd like to know of any sites where I can find out what type of problems certain vehicles tend to have.

This car of mine has had two engine fires and two total brake failures over the years. Children were involved every time, and I'm not doing this any more. Never again. Yesterday I could have wiped out all the children of four families plus the people I could have hit.

I just want pointers for information. I'll make my own decision about what type of vehicle I buy. I just need information.

-- helen (looking@for.one), May 12, 2002

Answers

helen,
You might try www.cartalk.cars.com, click on "Advice" from near the top of the webpage, and on the resulting page, click on "How to Buy a Used Car." I'd have posted a hotlink to the final page, except that the length of its URL would have caused an embedded space which would have ruined it. Good luck.

-- David L (bumpkin@dnet.net), May 12, 2002.

((((((Helen!!!!)))

this may not be exactly what you want, but do skim what the author has to say. In addition to David's link, this writer also goes over common scams, plus he gives links to car finders on the internet.

Good Luck! I'm looking at the Honda CR-V, myself.

http://www.carbuyingtips.com/carintro.html

Tips

-- (Meemur@Rainy.Street), May 13, 2002.

Let me guess. It was a Ford, right?

-- (built@crap.tough), May 13, 2002.

Two ‘engine fires’ and two ‘total brake failures’? Sounds to me like you need to be introduced to the concept of ‘maintenance’. Women and cars…..a match made in hell.

-- Stick (to@the.mule), May 13, 2002.

Thanks for the sites. I hope to spend a decent amount of time learning about what we can expect.

stick, I do maintain the vehicles. Unfortunately I don't know how to deal with master cylinders...and who engineered them to fail entirely with no warning? Next car, I want a hole under the steering wheel where I can stick my feet out and stop ala Flintstones. :)

The car is a Ford. On two occasions, the carburetor failed suddenly and flooded gas all over a hot engine. On two occasions, the master cylinder failed with no warning. I've had the car tuned and the brakes/wheels checked by professionals yearly. Three carburetor rebuilds, two brake system replacements, and a rear end replacement later, I can truthfully say the car either won't run or won't stop. If I have to pick, I'd prefer it just didn't run at all.

Now the Dodge, on the other hand, had a bad transmission four years in and the rebuild job is failing in a little over a year in spite of maintenance. Subarus in the family had electrical failures -- no kids that time, but there's story there ... The Datsun blew four or five head gaskets and cracked the head once.

That's why I want to visit sites with information about what tends to go wrong with certain vehicles. I see Mike Mule in a different light.

-- helen (gonna@break.the.mule.to.ride), May 13, 2002.

Daggone, Helen! I'm just glad you're OK!

You might also do a Web search on the make and model in question; you'd be surprised what might turn up.

-- Stephen (smpoole7@bellsouth.net), May 13, 2002.

LOL, I knew it was a piece of crap Ford! They make more lemons than any other brand.

-- (Ford@sucks.bad), May 14, 2002.

You can find reviews, prices and safety information at Kelly Blue Book

-- Pammy (pamela_sue57@hotmail.com), May 14, 2002.

Bless you all.

The Dodge wouldn't go in reverse this morning. Normally I park in such a way that I can get rolling downhill forward or backward, just as long as we're moving. But no, today I was parked in front of the house and couldn't back out.

I invented a new trick, ladies. When you need to add transmission fluid while wearing your nice work clothes and you can't find a funnel with a hole the right size ... suck up transmission fluid in a kid's dosage syringe and it squirts right in there. Only two or three teaspoons at a time, but at least everything stays clean and neat. Then use indelible ink to mark the syringe, wrap it in a paper towel, and put it in a baggie in your trunk for the next time. If you drive a Dodge, there will be a next time.

-- helpful helen (help@for.the.love.of.God.please.help), May 14, 2002.