I Got a "New" Car!!!

catkiki

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No more having to take the bus and being exposed to germy people!

I got another car! It is a 1998 Mercury Sable GS. It is in good condition for its age and mileage. Passed the smog check and all! I will post pics once it stops raining. LOL
 

mrblanche

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The Mercury Sable is a dependable, well-established car in that year, with an excellent repair record. Of course, anything 14 years old could be beat up, but the trick is to find something that was used enough to keep it from deteriorating without being used so much to wear it out.

We have a long history of selling/trading cars that are way low on mileage for their age.
 
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catkiki

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Well, the mileage is quite high. It has 178,000 miles on it. I neglected to say that in my original post. But it has a new radiator and such. It passed smog with flying colors. In California, we have rigid smog controls and for it to pass smog with the mileage it has, says something for the condition it has been kept in. It will be a car to go back and forth to work in.
 

mrblanche

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One thing you should do is get one of those headlight polishing kits and polish your headlights.  Those are bad enough to seriously reduce your vision at night.
 
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catkiki

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One thing you should do is get one of those headlight polishing kits and polish your headlights.  Those are bad enough to seriously reduce your vision at night.

I was thinking about that. I am hoping to do that on my next paycheck
 

mrblanche

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Most auto parts stores have them (the one from Mother's or Meguiars would be a good bet) and Harbor Freight sells them, too. Walmart has them for about $17. In a pinch, you can buy a polish (NOT a wax) and improve them a lot. Get something like an aluminum polish (again, most of the brand names make them). You won't hurt them by doing them with something like that.

They do that because the UV coating is gone. You can't easily replace it, so they will need to be polished on a regular basis. I did it to Dottie's co-worker's car. It took me ten minutes and didn't cost her anything.
 
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catkiki

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I got one of those kits for $10. It did make a big difference. I also got a new gas cap since my "Check Engine Light" came on after I got gas. That made the difference!
 

mrblanche

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Well, that model of car has a reputation for being very reliable, so I hope you have good luck with it.

I almost bought a similar one for $1000 from a student at the trucking school Dottie works at, but its "Check Engine" light was on, and in our area, you can't pass inspection like that.  They can require you to spend $400 trying to fix it before they give you a certificate, but if it's still on the the next time, you'll have to spend another $400 trying to fix it.
 
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catkiki

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Well, that model of car has a reputation for being very reliable, so I hope you have good luck with it.

I almost bought a similar one for $1000 from a student at the trucking school Dottie works at, but its "Check Engine" light was on, and in our area, you can't pass inspection like that.  They can require you to spend $400 trying to fix it before they give you a certificate, but if it's still on the the next time, you'll have to spend another $400 trying to fix it.
That is the same way here. If the check engine light is on, it will not pass smog check inspection.  It passed with flying colors. The check engine light came back on tonight.

One thing, the battery is not secured. It moves around, a lot. Is there any way to secure the battery? Could that be a cause for the light since the battery moves and shifts?
 

mrblanche

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The battery shouldn't be the problem.  But you can secure it with a bungee cord (the heavy ones, available at truck stops, are great).

My bet would be an oxygen sensor or a catalytic converter.  I think it's AutoZone that will read the codes for you and tell you what it's saying.
 
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catkiki

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The battery shouldn't be the problem.  But you can secure it with a bungee cord (the heavy ones, available at truck stops, are great).

My bet would be an oxygen sensor or a catalytic converter.  I think it's AutoZone that will read the codes for you and tell you what it's saying.

Is that an expensive fix? I have about $300 for repairs, if needed. I know Pep Boys will look at it free.
 

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My check engine comes on all the time (2008 Chevy Aveo5). So far, every time, it's been a problem with the gas cap. Apparently, air gets trapped in the threads if it's not put on properly and the engine light will come on. I just unscrew it and screw it back on, drive a few blocks and if it doesn't go away I call the repair place. The last time it was on for a few days before it finally went away. 
 

mrblanche

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Is that an expensive fix? I have about $300 for repairs, if needed. I know Pep Boys will look at it free.
In the range of $50-$60, depending on the brand you buy, plus installation.  But I would get it read, first.  And before you do that, you might want to double check your gas cap and be sure it's on tight and that the place you screw it on is clean and undamaged.
 

subconsciousme

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I don't know if you have it where you live... but if there is a large city near you... there may be a charter high school that specializes in auto mechanics.

Here we do and the kids will look at your car for free--often times, even repairing it for free or extremely reduced cost so the kids can learn.

We also have a 211 service that can connect us to low cost services, including car repair (many charities will do this for low income people). Something to consider, if you ever need.
 

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Car looks like it's in great shape -- congratulations!

Regarding the Check Engine light --- we had that in our '99 Honda Accord.   Changed gas cap, but the light eventually came back on.  Then changed some kind of  regulator (I think), but not too long after that we sold the car, and heard the check engine light came back on.  I know people who have had that as a recurring problem and they never could figure out why.  Someone we know (who also has a Honda Accord) put black tape over the "check engine" so that he doesn't have to see it  -- and the car is still running great.,
 
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