All times are GMT -6. The time now is From RAM to Jag, to Mazda P'up to the garage in one easy step
Posted 08-02-2009 at 07:47 AM by Wayne
As the entire world has undoubtedly read (I'm sure there are 5 people in the world that read my ramblings here), I sold my Dodge RAM a couple of weeks ago because it was financially irresponsible to keep it for the 6 mile journey back and forth to work 2 or 3 times per week.
Since selling the truck and going bike only, it's rained 80% of the time, leading me on the search for a replacement (yet somewhat cheaper) vehicle that I could pay off and just use for the utilitarian stuff that I need. A week into the journey, a 2004 Jaguar X-type popped up on radar for $6,000. Needed a little bumper replacement on the rear, but was otherwise immaculate and only had 62,000 on the clock, which isn't bad for a Ford, erm, Jaguar.
BEAUTIFUL car. Everything I could have hoped for in cheap transport, and had it been ready for resale from the current owner, I've no doubt that I'd be the current owner today. Alas -- or perhaps thankfully based on the multiple concerns over Jag reliability -- it wasn't and the current owner showed no signs of actually getting it ready any time soon. This had the result of leading me to keep looking.
Enter Friday...
Friday morning, after a sleep apnea-induced late sleep in, my dad calls me up and we end up driving to Dalton, GA. There, I found and subsequently purchased a 2002 Mazda B2300 pickup, 5-speed, 4 cylinder, basic get-me-round. Beautiful shape, 70k on the clock, and not a scratch on it. The 3 hour ride home was great, no problems, ran like a top leading me to believe it's a 200k miler potentially.
Enter 8pm Friday night.
We'd gotten home and I decided to go get something to eat. I got in the newly insured truck, then got about 2 miles down the road, when after a quick chatter, the clutch went out on me. Completely and totally out, meaning the truck would neither go in, nor out of gear.
Here I am, sitting in the middle of traffic on a Friday night, having just spent $5k on a dead truck, and flustered beyond belief, For the sake of the sensitive readers, I won't tell you what language I was speaking at the moment.
A few minutes -- and several rude drivers -- later I decide to give it a push to get it out of the middle of the road when all hell breaks loose. I wait for a break in oncoming traffic, then give the beast a very light nudge on the A-pillar when gravity takes over.
This leaves me running after the truck, trying to jump inside, nearly ending up under the truck itself, only to have the pristine paint job meet up with the underside of a big metal mailbox on the side of the road. Imagine scraping off 18" x 6" worth of paint from your own car, and you'll understand why I was crying.
... and it still hasn't stopped raining ...
This is what it's like to feel cursed ladies and gentlemen. It's not something I highly recommend.
Original post : From RAM to Jag, to Mazda P'up to the garage in one easy step.
Since selling the truck and going bike only, it's rained 80% of the time, leading me on the search for a replacement (yet somewhat cheaper) vehicle that I could pay off and just use for the utilitarian stuff that I need. A week into the journey, a 2004 Jaguar X-type popped up on radar for $6,000. Needed a little bumper replacement on the rear, but was otherwise immaculate and only had 62,000 on the clock, which isn't bad for a Ford, erm, Jaguar.
BEAUTIFUL car. Everything I could have hoped for in cheap transport, and had it been ready for resale from the current owner, I've no doubt that I'd be the current owner today. Alas -- or perhaps thankfully based on the multiple concerns over Jag reliability -- it wasn't and the current owner showed no signs of actually getting it ready any time soon. This had the result of leading me to keep looking.
Enter Friday...
Friday morning, after a sleep apnea-induced late sleep in, my dad calls me up and we end up driving to Dalton, GA. There, I found and subsequently purchased a 2002 Mazda B2300 pickup, 5-speed, 4 cylinder, basic get-me-round. Beautiful shape, 70k on the clock, and not a scratch on it. The 3 hour ride home was great, no problems, ran like a top leading me to believe it's a 200k miler potentially.
Enter 8pm Friday night.
We'd gotten home and I decided to go get something to eat. I got in the newly insured truck, then got about 2 miles down the road, when after a quick chatter, the clutch went out on me. Completely and totally out, meaning the truck would neither go in, nor out of gear.
Here I am, sitting in the middle of traffic on a Friday night, having just spent $5k on a dead truck, and flustered beyond belief, For the sake of the sensitive readers, I won't tell you what language I was speaking at the moment.
A few minutes -- and several rude drivers -- later I decide to give it a push to get it out of the middle of the road when all hell breaks loose. I wait for a break in oncoming traffic, then give the beast a very light nudge on the A-pillar when gravity takes over.
This leaves me running after the truck, trying to jump inside, nearly ending up under the truck itself, only to have the pristine paint job meet up with the underside of a big metal mailbox on the side of the road. Imagine scraping off 18" x 6" worth of paint from your own car, and you'll understand why I was crying.
... and it still hasn't stopped raining ...
This is what it's like to feel cursed ladies and gentlemen. It's not something I highly recommend.
Original post : From RAM to Jag, to Mazda P'up to the garage in one easy step.
Total Comments 3
Comments
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bleep, that is really bad luck. Should've waited for the Jag.
I bet you`re kicking yourself.Posted 08-06-2009 at 12:04 PM by Tension 
Updated 08-06-2009 at 02:51 PM by Wayne -
I am actually regretting the choice to go ahead and buy the truck at this point, but still think that it'll be more reliable than the Jag would have been. Who knows though, Mazda, Jag are both Fords.
Posted 08-06-2009 at 02:52 PM by Wayne
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Man that sounds terrible.
I hope you get it fixed soon and also hope it will be your last problem with it.
I remember borrowing someone's car once and the clutch suddenly died on me in the middle of a busy junction.
These things always have a knack of choosing a bleeping raining and windy to happen.
Posted 08-08-2009 at 02:33 PM by GadgetMaster
