How many cars you have owned

How many cars and trucks have I owned in the last 16 years? Well lets see.......20! I know I am a sick individual. But most of the time I get bored and end up selling one and buying another. Sad part is, is that I know the price I bought each of them for, the price that I sold them for, and the starting and ending mileage! For a grand total of 367,060 miles on those 20 vehicles! So is this a low number or a high number. I generally keep them for a year and get rid of them. Mind you,I have never bought a "NEW" vehicle. The lowest mileage on any of my cars was the last truck I bought that I currently still have, A 2005 Chevy that had 61K miles on it when I bought it. Oh there was a 1998 Honda Civic with 38K miles on it that I only had for 6 months. I hated that car it was too small.

They all have been used. I don't even know how much money I have saved by being able to work on them myself. I do everything from changing the fluids to major engine and front end work. I know a lot of people say that they don't have the tools or know how, but you can do the majority yourself. Most parts stores will rent you the tools you need to do a job for free. You pay them, then when you are done with the tools you return them and get your money back. Believe me I did not get all my tools over night. It has taken quite a number of years.

Repair Manuals

The best way to get a start in finding out more about the cars and trucks you own is to buy a Haynes Manual. I like them better than any other books offered. With the exception of the dealer repair manual. But these are a lot cheaper than a dealer book. This manual is based off of a complete tear down of the vehicle. I buy one of these for each brand of car that I own. If I sell it, I keep the book. You end up with a library of repair books, and who knows....you might buy another one of the same vehicles down the road. Parts stores sell these for $14-$25 depending on the brand of car. My Passat book cost more than my Chevy and Ford books. I feel like a Fleet Manager. I maintain all of my families cars and trucks. They have a problem they call me and we trouble shoot over the phone discussing the way that the vehicle is acting. I have gotten each of them to buy repair manuals so that they can help me find the problem. It has also made it to where each of them are more confident and can often fix it themselves.

Volkswagon Passat Engine Light Continued.....

So, I checked the engine light and the code read Cylinder lean(fuel to air ratio low). With the mileage on the Passat at 98,000 miles my first change was the fuel filter. When I pulled it out I discovered that it was the original! The first filter I found was $38 way too much for my blood. I opted for the $9.00 version of the same filter. I followed the steps in the code reader and erased the codes. I thought good, problem solved. Then 2 days later the light came back on. I opened the hood with the engine running to listen for any air leaks.(Sucking Noise in the Intake)I heard a lot. So I undue the cover over the engine and follow the noise using my ears and fingers. I found the problem.....it was some vacuum lines at the rear of the motor that had gotten baked by the heat off the motor. A few feet of the right size vacuum hose for $4.50 and the problem was solved. Minor problems like this are spendy if you take your vehicle to a shop. If you are patient and trouble shoot yourself or even enlist a friend or even check the internet you can do a lot yourself and keep money in your pocket.

More Tips...Volkswagon Check Engine Light On

Tired of looking at your check engine light? Don't be intimidated when it comes to working on a car. Everyone needs a starting point.

How much does a shop say they charge to "check " your engine light?.....Most charge $30-$60. You can have an auto parts store check it for free, but they can't erase the code that comes up. So when it comes time to find out why your "service engine" light is on, spend the money on a new tool instead of paying someone else. This is a great way to build up your tool box!



I paid around$60 for this code reader. I can read and erase codes and find out what the general problem is. The biggest problem when taking your vehicle to a shop is that "you" have "NO CLUE" what the problem is. This leaves the door open for dishonesty, and the possibility of "added charges". Not saying that all shops are dishonest, but there are plenty of people out there that will throw parts at a problem not knowing how to fix it, but you will still be the one paying the bill. It pays to have an idea what is wrong. Kind of like the people going into surgery and writing on the body part, "This Leg."

My Next Project

Well it has been sitting in my yard for about 2 years, but now it is about to get a make-over! My wife's grandpa originally had this truck. I did not want to see it leave so I bought it. It is a 1971 Ford F-100 two wheel drive sport custom, with 90,250 original miles! The interior is practically show room with NO problems at all. The outside shows use. So my plan is to fill the holes from having a camper on it,clean up and straighten the body and paint it back the same copper color. I want to be able to show it as an "All Original." Adding a nice sounding 2.5 inch exhaust to get some rumble, and possibly some nice rims to accent the old style of the truck.

My last project

This is a 1987 Dodge 250 that I went through last winter. It has a 360/727 combo. As limited budget build, I only paid $250 for it. So,I bought a rebuilt 360 and put an edlbrock carb and intake on it. Paid $350 for the flat bed, and the rest was spent on engine components, interior parts, body and paint work. I did the body work and paid $250 for a Maaco paint job. For a teenager to drive, the Maaco job looks great. I felt it turned out rather well for $4000.