I called an 1 hour and 40 minute away used car dealership with a silver 2-door Jeep Cherokee (had to have a rare 2-door). They say come on up, will give you a discount for cash and a 90 day warranty.
Problem was t just snowed the night before, but only about two inches and it was sunny, real sunny - a pretty day even if you were sick of winter and snow. My wife gives me her keys so that I can go to the bank and says; drive careful, my car (2000 Ford Focus) handles poorly in the snow.
I pull out backwards out of our driveway and into the street, not fast, but fast enough so that I will not get stuck on the concrete apron slope. The in the middle of the road traveling backwards at 2 mph I cut the wheel and squeeze the brakes. The car's front slides out from under me and the front pivots about. This was alarming, not fun as there was no feel at all or warning, and once the physics started there was no stopping it.
I pull up to the first stop sign about 150 feet from our house, a good place to tap the brakes well before the stop sign and see how slippery it is, right? I was going less than 5 mph touch the brakes lightly and start sliding, the car goes past the stop sign and follows the crown of the road like a hovercraft - a 30 foot slide from less than 5 mph, no steering, no brakes.
I have never driven in worse conditions, it was unreal.
I turn right and on to a street just a little more traveled where the snow melted a bit and you can see some pavement, it' slippery in spots but not terrible . The next turn on to a road even more traveled and it's a wet street but all bare pavement and no problems at all, but I drive under the speed limit of 30 mph just to be safe.
I drive south on State Street to the regional mall where the bank is, there is a wide gentle turn from the 40 mph street (I'm doing 30 by now). The drive into the mall has not been plowed or traveled on, like going from black to white. I slow down to 15 mph look in my rear view mirror to make sure I don't get rear ended, change to the deceleration lane while slowing down to 10 mph. My foot is ever so slightly on the gas pedal gong a steady speed and bored of driving like a granny.
I enter the wide, long and large turn at 10 mph, I go into the turn just fine but about half way through momentum is taking me toward the far curb a good 25 feet away. In that 25 foot travel distance I have no brakes, and no steering. The drivers side front wheel contacts the curb on it's broadside flat somewhere above 5 mph, the car does not rest there, like a hockey puck the car slides towards the middle of the road and only because it's climbing the crown of the road comes to a rest.
I'm really freaked out, but know I have to move or someone else coming down the wide turn will have no brakes and bump into me. The car takes off to the first stop light and slides to a stop at the stop sign. I turn on to the circular drive which is bare wet pavement and feel at little shimmy at 30 mph. I look at the steering wheel and it's cocked a good 45 degrees while going straight.ops:
I go to the bank, take out extra money and go to the nearby Firestone repair shop off the mall's circular drive which is open on Saturday.
Lifetime Alignment $160
Tie rod end (left inner - bent like a fork) $218
Tie Rod ends (r,L outer - worn from age) $195
.........blah, blah total is $608.90 and I get the car a couple of hours later.
Happy Valentines day honey - I love you!...............Thanks for letting me take your car.
Okay, maybe it's fate giving me a clothesline and a straight-arm or the infamous Focus poor snow handling bit me in the arse. However something new came out of this. At 2:00 PM today (Sunday) I looked at a 1998 TJ Jeep Wrangler (Jeep Jeep) for near half the price of others at $3,650. At this price it needed work, more work than I wanted to get involved in. The Jeep is black (like the Tracker was) with a hardtop for winter, and would look great in Zebra Stripes one day.
However the private seller's daily driver a black 1998 S-10 pick-up (I think short box) 4x4, 4.3L automatic with 150,000 miles (rust around rear wheel flairs) is also for sell (not listed yet) for just a little less.
We shook hands, I'm picking it up Monday night.
I did not even test drive it (will do Monday night when he has more time), and forgot to write down the VIN.
I got a good vibe about the guy and the truck, I think I'm buying this one the old fashion way - kind of in need and in a hurry.
I'll eventually have to get a VehiCROSS, it will just be a few more years.
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Originally Posted by pbkid
