1994 Thunderbird

Post by **TireSmoker** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 2:40 pm

Check this out as a potential replacement -- looks cheap enough.

'95 Cougar, 4.6, $1500

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/car/550282037.html

markss327 · Post by **markss327** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 3:20 pm

Doesn't look to bad....

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Fri Jan 25, 2008 9:49 pm

This is what I know now.

After some screwing around with Allstate (his insurance company) getting ahold of the plow truck driver, all seems to be going OK. I have a date tomorrow to leave my car at Classic's body shop and getting a free rental car on Allstate for a couple days while Allstate's adjusters evaluate the 'Bird. After that, who knows. Currently the car is "unsafe" since one headlight doesn't work, and the other one points at the ground.

I have lots of potential replacement vehicles bookmarked if necessary. I do like this car, but I haven't seen much like it for anywhere near the same money, especially with the lower mileage. The next car, if necessary, will need to be pretty much ready to go. I have a project in the Trans Am, and don't want to spend too much time on a driver if I can avoid it.

More to come on this next week...

-BP

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 8:50 am

I'm currently driving around a 2007 Nissan Sentra rental car with the base 2.0 and the CVT transmission. I actually like the way the CVT performs up to about 60mph, it acts like it has a 2800 stall with a 4000rpm breakaway, so it's actually reasonably quick off the line. It really makes the most of the motor. It even seems to work pretty well for short blasts at freeway speeds. What I don't like is when I wring it out for a long stint and the motor just sits at 6000 rpms, but doesn't seem like it's moving the car as much as it should (if that makes sense).

This is the worst car I think I may have ever driven in the snow. It doesn't steer, it doesn't stop, and it doesn't even go well forward.

Now the wait begins for the Allstate rep to show up at Classic to evaluate the damage.

-BP

ttamrettus · Post by **ttamrettus** » Sun Jan 27, 2008 12:48 pm

I had a Dodge Caliber for a week as a rental when the Honda was in the shop and I HATED the CVT transmission in it. It always felt like it was slipping. Like in a 4 speed car with a bad clutch. You give it gas but the car never catches up to where you think it should be. I was totally turned off to CVTs after that.

markss327 · Post by **markss327** » Mon Jan 28, 2008 7:57 am

The Nissan has 'fake shifts'.

It feels and sounds like a conventional auto, but it's not. RPMs climb and drop. I drove an '07 Altima 2.5 with a CVT (6spd) and was impressed. The brochure says the CPU has over 700 'shifting' combinations, based on load, RPM, throttle position etc. I had a sales guy on board, so flogging would have been inappropriate. Although, I do remember one sales guy, where flogging was promoted.....

I'm hinting to Colleen - 'this would be a nice replacement for the Dodge Cariven'. As for me, the Nissan CVT is the best of both worlds, Colleen gets her auto, where I can manually 'shift', even though it's only got two pedals....

I wonder how expensive a belt replacement is.

ttamrettus · Post by **ttamrettus** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:23 pm

replacement car?

http://atlanta.craigslist.org/car/540476310.html

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Thu Jan 31, 2008 9:37 pm

That might make a decent parts donor, but I still don't know the fate of my poor bird. The adjuster has seen the car and claims he wants to fix it, because it's nicer than the average T-Bird. But there may not be parts available either new or used he says, to make the car right. He's supposed to have gotten back to me today or tomorrow, but until then, I'm still driving the rental. He stated that thier estimate came in around $2700 using used or reman type parts since "new" parts aren't available.

More to come...

-BP

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Sun Feb 03, 2008 6:40 pm

After calling Allstate on Friday, I've learned that the T-bird will be getting put back to it's original state. That's good news as far as I'm concerned. That means no extra work for me, and more time to work on the Trans Am. I was told about five days to repair. I'm thinking it will be another week and a half. Either way is OK with me as I'm racking up the miles on the rental.

-BP

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:39 am

So I called the repair place yesterday for an update on the 'Bird, since I hadn't heard anything all week. He said the car is apart and they're waiting for the Allstate adjuster to come back to look at the "hidden damage". I guess I'm not out of the woods yet... In the mean time, I guess I'll keep driving their car.

-BP

ttamrettus · Post by **ttamrettus** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:03 am

Typical. If they (ALLSTATE) would have gotten on it right away it'd be done by now. All that rental car money wasted. And we wonder why our premiums are high? Cause of all the "in-efficiency". I HATE insurance companies.

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Fri Feb 08, 2008 8:51 pm

Today I called Allstate, and that guy says that there isn't any hidden damage, and that the bodyshop claimed to not be able to get the parts and the Allstate guy says there's no problem getting the parts. I guess at this point I'm giving up calling or caring. I'm just going to keep driving the rental until someone calls me. It's two weeks tomorrow that I got the rental, and all I know is that my car is apart and I'm not sure when it will be done.
If there's any positives so far, it's that my T-bird isn't getting any salt on it, and that I'm getting 30mpg while it's cold outside, where the bird just barely scratches at 20mpg in the cold.

-BP

Basement Paul · Post by **Basement Paul** » Tue Feb 12, 2008 10:12 pm

DCR Systems, aka Classic's body shop, called me today with the real scoop. Allstate's supplier of "quality used parts" sent a WHOLE BATCH of crappy parts to the body shop to be installed on my car. Thankfully, Classic's shop has standards, and decided to scrap ALL the parts that were sent to him. Some support pieces were broken, the fender was rotted through, and the front bumper had been repainted and repaired already several times.
The estimate requires 25 hours of labor to repair the car. This won't be started until good parts arrive to put on the car. The shop told me even if the parts arrive tomorrow, it won't be until the following weekend before the car is fixed. I'm thinking I'll be lucky to see my car in two weeks.
At $20 a day, they'll have over $600 in a rental car alone if this goes a whole month. I've already had a rental for 2 1/2 weeks.
I can't believe they didn't just try to total it out in the beginning, and it doesn't look like I'm out of the woods for that still.

What a struggle.

I switched out rental cars from the Sentra with bald front tires to a 2008 Dodge Caliber which goes like a tank in the snow. I like this car much better than the Sentra, except for the dash board hits my RH knee slightly while driving, and the brake pedal is a little spongy.

-BP

markss327 · Post by **markss327** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 6:38 am

Drive the rental.
I can't believe that Allstate has a supplier that sends out crappy parts. It' amazing how some bean counter, stuffed away in some minuscule cubical, figured out how much could be shaved off the bottom line, if they use second rate parts to repair older cars. In the long run, the rental is going to cost them more than if they'd sent decent parts in the first place.

It could be worse, you could be driving am Escort.

TheRookie · Post by **TheRookie** » Wed Feb 13, 2008 10:31 am

My whole family used to be with Allstate for 30+ years Then they got stupid, so we've all switched. Not really surprised.

TireSmoke.org

1994 Thunderbird

Parts Car

96 THUNDERBIRD 4.6L V8 WILL TRADE FOR ANYTHING - $700