Recent content by ChrisMU

Replacing the carburetor was the second major mechanical repair I did on the truck… after replacing the leaking radiator. I put an Edelbrock “Quadrajet Replacement” carb on it, since my county still smog tested ‘84’s in 1999. The carb worked well, but I still think something wasn’t quite right...

Okay, now I see that it’s 3-packs. I was expecting the worst after seeing Portland restaurant menu prices… $8.19 Whoppers and places bragging about $16 mixed drinks.

2013 Ram 1500 5.7 Hemi, 120,389 mi., 5K OCI Out: VRP, Parts Plus Oil Filter (oversized FL-820S) In: 5 Qts. VRP 5w-30, 2 Qts. VRP 5w-20, Parts Plus Oil Filter (FL-820S size)

I lived in Southeastern Wisconsin from birth until nearly age 28, aside from two years in Northeast Iowa. In that time I had 5 cars and 1 truck. Not one was over $800. Not one was 10 or fewer years old. Not one had a properly working parking brake. All of them except the Tracer had some kind of...

Somewhat related, is $20/lb ground beef normal in the PNW? I took this picture on a trip to a Portland, Oregon suburb. I know it’s “organic” or whatever, but in Texas and the Midwest, it would be maybe $10-12.

The 84-month car loan has been a thing for 20+ years. When I worked at a Kia dealership back in 2006-2007, they put out ads for $99/month Kia Rios (not a lease). The fine print was that it was the rare ultra-base model with a manual transmission, possibly no power steering, no a/c, crank...

You could go up a size. I ran a 12-pack’s worth of private label Wix “AutoXtra” filters on my 2003 Corolla without issue. After that, I went to the V6 Camry size (51348?) or even Ford Ranger (51516). Now I’m using the leftover filters on my son’s Solara. Wix had better QC back then. The “old...

Thank you for the advice. I am leaning more and more toward a new Camry. I totally understand that Toyotas, particularly the Camry, are seen as “boring” or “appliances.” I want long term reliability in a daily driver. I have a ‘63 Cadillac and the IS350 for cars with personality. My 2013 Ram...

I do think the NA Civic hatchback deserves consideration. My only complaints are auto start/stop and the blacked out wheels/emblems. I like machined or silver aluminum wheels and chrome emblems. I totally understand Hyundai reluctance, since the Theta II problems… is their newer 4 cylinder NA...

The dynamic is that we both argue/discuss until a clear agreed-upon solution is mutually acceptable. If that weren’t the case, she probably would have bought a used final generation Jaguar XJ or a Mercedes and not the IS350 we agreed upon. She knows I know a good amount about cars and that a...

Also… I wouldn’t say I was trying to avoid hybrids, but batteries do have a finite life. If a car is 5-6 years old, that battery’s life is half over. That’s why I wouldn’t do an older used hybrid. My son is actually pushing for a new Prius. There is one base 2025 model at a local dealership...

Thank you! Physically, I’m doing pretty well. The chest pain isn’t too bad now. I made the mistake of mentioning “car accident” to the receptionist at the urgent care and she said that they don’t deal with car insurance, and that my health insurance wouldn’t cover it/would bounce it to my car...

So far, I’ve set the searches for 200 miles, which includes DFW/Houston/San Antonio and my local market of Austin. My wife won’t want to travel far by car, but I could possibly get a family friend to help with the drive back… or I could hop on a plane. I may try other areas, but I hear to avoid...

In early June, I unfortunately had an accident with my Avalon. I’m still really bummed out… it was the first really nice modern car (as in we had to make payments) that wasn’t inherited or mostly for my wife. Since then, I’ve been commuting with the Solara convertible I bought for my son. He’s...

2008 Toyota Solara SLE V6 142,256 mi. Out: Mobil 1 (according to previous owner), Valvoline oil filter In: 1.5 qts HPL Engine Cleaner 30, Mobil 1 5w-30 HM, PartsMaster (Affinia) oil filter First oil change for my son’s car under my ownership. I’ll run it for 4K, then switch to Valvoline Restore...