Jump to content
SAU Community

Having Two Cars


Modena
 Share

Recommended Posts

Add me to the list, having a daily is very liberating... The feeling of not having to worry about where you park it at work / the shops / someone else's house at night / the beach / whatever, because of people who can't park / bird poo / tree sap / getting your mirrors knocked off / low-lifes stealing it or keying it, is very underrated.

I picked up an '02 Clio Sport for just under $10K with 55,000km and it had a few minor knocks on the exterior which kinda helps you not to worry about it so much, but mechanically is very sound. Similar to Goombeh's daily above, it is practical, comfortable, and also you don't have to sacrifice driving fun, as it's still a blast to take up Old Pac Hwy, whilst retaining under 10L/100 with your mountain bike in the back.

Before that, I had a couple of Corollas, the first one I paid $4,400 for, and it had an ambigious number of kms on it but it was so easy to drive and park, and maintenance was next to nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I have a hyundai excel for a daily plenty of dents in her but she just keeps going. The 32 is off the road atm and i cant drive it yet anyway green p's so im just gunna keep working on it until im off my p's. The last daily i had was a awd liberty was always breaking down the effing thing excel has lasted 12 months of being thrashed and she's still going

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah yes. just bought my third daily. Got sick of a stinky carby plunker with no A/C or power steering. sold it n now went with-

a 97 Hyundai sonata. Tinting, spoiler, a/c sony deck, new motor tyres n brakes- 1800.

loves it.

skyline is black so gets to stay polished and under garage+cover at all times. Makes driving it a joy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah yes. just bought my third daily. Got sick of a stinky carby plunker with no A/C or power steering. sold it n now went with-

a 97 Hyundai sonata. Tinting, spoiler, a/c sony deck, new motor tyres n brakes- 1800.

loves it.

skyline is black so gets to stay polished and under garage+cover at all times. Makes driving it a joy.

Good buy, mate. :thumbsup: .

My Mirage is still going strong too, but I will have to shop around for good deal if she breaks down in the future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

yeah the sonata it defaintely does the trick as a daily.

Took my 33 out for a spin today n it was looking all glossy n immaculate. Must have looked the shit drifting onto albany hwy.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

ah yes. just bought my third daily. Got sick of a stinky carby plunker with no A/C or power steering. sold it n now went with-

a 97 Hyundai sonata. Tinting, spoiler, a/c sony deck, new motor tyres n brakes- 1800.

loves it.

skyline is black so gets to stay polished and under garage+cover at all times. Makes driving it a joy.

Again, this looks like another ideal situation > update the daily without overcapitalising + preserve the high quality saving extra $$ to modify. :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find having multiple cars is simply getting way too expensive. Not the running costs as I only have 1-arse, so I can only drive 1-vehicle.

It's the various charges, things we have no control over. Rego and insurance.

I have to register my toy tractor just to slash the verge. That also means fitting lights, indicators etc. simply to maintain roo-visibility on our dirt track that the local council slashes once per year.

Also require a current driver's licence to slash out there or I'll be contributing to the blue revenue fund, that means I can't let the Grandkids loose, might get sued.

If I want to do contract road work with my excavator, it also has to be registered. Same with a dozer, bobcat...........

There's no excemptions for multiple registrations even though most of us can only drive 1-vehicle at a time.

So no, not happy at all giving this useless bankrupt Sate Govt. any more of my hard earned.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

What, do the cops setup tractor RBT's out side your house or something? Quick zip up and down at night time and noone would be the wiser.

Speaking of second cars (which i'm way off being able to afford right now), what is there in the way of tow cars that aren't utes or 4wd's? If/when i get the money and decide to invest in a trailer and a tow car, was kind of hoping i wouldn't have to get some huge beast that'd kill schoolkids etc if i ever tried to take it to the shops. But looking at everything, it seems something like, say, a falcon wouldnt be big enough.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think my car will hit 70000km's this week. Will probably do a pretty big service on it, as i've got no idea how the previous owner treated it.

However, the big question is, should i get the timing belt checked/changed? Its only 70000km but the car is 18 years old. I've got no idea if its the origional belt on there or a new one. If so, who'd you reccomend on the south side to do it?

Edit: disregard this one, I was meaning to post it somewhere completely different. God dam i'm turning stupid at the moment.

Edited by sneakey pete
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pete - I think you've answered your own question. If in doubt, replace it. For a reasonable cost you're buying peace of mind. As you say, you don't know how the car was previously treated. Also, can you guarantee that the car has not travelled more than the km's indicate?

As for a tow vehicle, for occasional towing, a Falcon or Commodore will handle it quite well (just make sure it has the appropriately rated towing kit and the factory towing capacity is up there). I don't know why people think that 4WD's are big, unmanageable land barges. Anything in the mid range (Prado, PAthfinder, Paj, etc) has good visibility all round, is easy enough to park (the pathfinder has a very tight turning circle for its size) and performance is enough to keep up with traffic. With the TDI, highway overtaking is just a matter of squeezing the throttle in 6th gear and letting the turbodiesel torque handle the rest. OK, you won't win too many drag races, but that's what the track car is for.

If you're towing something fairly big (ATM is over 2 tonnes) then you will have increased limitations on towing (mainly to do with trailer size, and braking setup). Just bear that in mind.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Love having a second car. Theres nothing like having a daily thats quiet, air conditioned, comfy and has a smooth ride. :)

It makes it extra special when you jump into your other car that first time and start it up :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I find having multiple cars is simply getting way too expensive. Not the running costs as I only have 1-arse, so I can only drive 1-vehicle.

It's the various charges, things we have no control over. Rego and insurance.

I have to register my toy tractor just to slash the verge. That also means fitting lights, indicators etc. simply to maintain roo-visibility on our dirt track that the local council slashes once per year.

Also require a current driver's licence to slash out there or I'll be contributing to the blue revenue fund, that means I can't let the Grandkids loose, might get sued.

If I want to do contract road work with my excavator, it also has to be registered. Same with a dozer, bobcat...........

There's no excemptions for multiple registrations even though most of us can only drive 1-vehicle at a time.

So no, not happy at all giving this useless bankrupt Sate Govt. any more of my hard earned.

it is a bit like that to be sure. Im on 3 vehicles (R33, Suzuki GSXR750, and the daily). so thats 3 regos, 3 insurances, 3 service costs (prob only 1.5 times due to only 1 arse but time is a service interval too)

as for the tractor issue. I say find the safest and most deserted time to do your slashing and be done with it, rego be damned. This nanny state shit is a croc and that is a prime example.

I think my car will hit 70000km's this week. Will probably do a pretty big service on it, as i've got no idea how the previous owner treated it.

However, the big question is, should i get the timing belt checked/changed? Its only 70000km but the car is 18 years old. I've got no idea if its the origional belt on there or a new one. If so, who'd you reccomend on the south side to do it?

Edit: disregard this one, I was meaning to post it somewhere completely different. God dam i'm turning stupid at the moment.

definately change it. timing belts are usually rated at 10 yrs.

Also scare your self by doing the sums on what it will cost if it lets go and lunches your motor- and then work out the cost efficency gain by letting it go the next 30 thousand kays (nothing really).

Love having a second car. Theres nothing like having a daily thats quiet, air conditioned, comfy and has a smooth ride. :)

It makes it extra special when you jump into your other car that first time and start it up :)

amen to that. I had my last R33 as the 24/7 car n it lost the charm big time. I just got sick of the noise, fuel n running costs n the dirt n door dings.

Now i love the growl n power on the weekends :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As for a tow vehicle, for occasional towing, a Falcon or Commodore will handle it quite well (just make sure it has the appropriately rated towing kit and the factory towing capacity is up there). I don't know why people think that 4WD's are big, unmanageable land barges. Anything in the mid range (Prado, PAthfinder, Paj, etc) has good visibility all round, is easy enough to park (the pathfinder has a very tight turning circle for its size) and performance is enough to keep up with traffic. With the TDI, highway overtaking is just a matter of squeezing the throttle in 6th gear and letting the turbodiesel torque handle the rest. OK, you won't win too many drag races, but that's what the track car is for.

Well that's the thing, the falcadores are only rated for about 1500-1700kg's of braked towing. Wouldn't be enough to haul around a skyline+trailer. On the other hand, as you said, if you have the proper attachments you'd probably be able to tow more on one without bending anything.

You're also right about the mid size 4wd's. The newst falcon is the exact size as the Pajero.

definately change it. timing belts are usually rated at 10 yrs.

Also scare your self by doing the sums on what it will cost if it lets go and lunches your motor- and then work out the cost efficency gain by letting it go the next 30 thousand kays (nothing really).

Yeah. I'd have to change it in 30000k's anyway. Thanks for the advice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If I had the money I would get a 2nd car.

But it won't be a daily, my current R33 will (still) be.

Since I have never driven a tiny car (with a fuel usage of something like 5L/100km), the R33's economy of 12-14L/100km seems 1/2 decent for me to use as a daily.

The other cars i have driven for extended period of time was a old VN commodore that drank more fuel than a hummer and a Camry that uses about 11-12L/100km with no power.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I enjoy having multiple cars. 3 infact. '98 CE lancer, '92 R32 GTS-T and a '04 350Z, the latter I am still paying off (high disposable income kicks ass)

The lancer was my first car and I never intended to keep it. But being 20 and a student, the car is usually parked out in the sun and on dirt at work. I really couldn't bring myself to park my skyline, with such a high sentimental value, nor the 350Z with a high monetary value out in the dirt to get damaged.

Edited by Truffles
Link to comment
Share on other sites

on this note. Shall we develop this thread into- do you have 3 or more vehicles and why? (+ any commentary on the running costs we are living with)

anybody doing this and have any comment they want to share?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well that's the thing, the falcadores are only rated for about 1500-1700kg's of braked towing. Wouldn't be enough to haul around a skyline+trailer. On the other hand, as you said, if you have the proper attachments you'd probably be able to tow more on one without bending anything.

You're also right about the mid size 4wd's. The newst falcon is the exact size as the Pajero.

Falcon can handle 2300kg. NFI about the commodore.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share




  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • this explains the possibility of several maps with different boost levels
    • ok, I understand much better how we can control the boost and increase the number of psi before opening the wastegate
    • Well.... yes and perhaps no. It depends on what you mean by "spool". For most of us, the point that we would describe as where the turbo is "spooling" is the point where the wheel speed gets high enough for it to start making some boost. This is coincidentally around about the point where it starts making noise - hence the "spooling" sound. If that is what you mean, then no - the wastegate should still be shut at this point. The boost will still be way below the point where it should start opening. If, on the other hand, you mean "spool" as "reach full boost", then yes. At the point where the boost has reached target, then boost control has already started. The wastegate is already open, and has been for some time. Some short time, definitely, but still, some time. If you have no boost controller - just the wastegate actuator connected to the boost source, then you have a mechanical system working as a pressure balance. There is pressure on one side of the wastegate actuator's diaphragm from the spring, and pressure on the other side coming from the boost measurement location (the "source"). This is not a digital thing. The wastegate does not stay shut until the boost pressure reaches the spring "pressure". The spring will start to compress as soon as you start to apply any pressure onto it. This can be controlled somewhat by adding pre-load into the spring, but you cannot add enough preload to make it into a digital switch behaviour. The wastegate will crack open and start to leak exhaust out (and therefore not though the turbine) well before you reach the target boost pressure. Electronic (and some mechanical/pneumatic) boost controllers will act to prevent the boost source applying pressure to the actuator until just before you reach target boost, thus preventing the wastegate from creeping open. And some boost controllers will apply boost pressure on the spring side to further push it shut. And this can be be necessary because the exhaust pressure in the manifold also pushes on the wastegate valve and tries to open it and you cab get it leaking even without it being connected to the boost source.
    • A stand alone boost controller will not give you the control you need, unlike a modern ECU. Your boost will always naturally target the wastegate's opening pressure first, your controller then will allow you to add more boost as required.
    • I recently discovered that I could not remove the outer bolt on one of my rear UCAs. Looked like it was seized to the crush tube. It wasn't all that long since I had last had that arm out (I dunno exactly, but certainly <2 yrs), so I was a bit surprised. I thought I had stock bushes in the rear knuckles, so I ordered some new PU bushes and resigned myself to having to do some dismantlery....and some butchery. It was clear that the seized bush was going to need to have the bolt cut out of it and then possibly some more brutality after that. Upon getting the 3x arms on each side disconnected from the knuckles (with the exception of the seized one, of course), I discovered that I had in fact put PU bushes into the knuckles when I did the subframe conversion about 12-13 years ago. So, I say "Oh, good, I might not have to swap any of these others out". We set to work butchering the bolt out of the seized arm. Stainless blade in a big-arse Milwaukee recipro made short work of it, and also damaged the arm, which added a welding and grinding and painting step to the whole exercise. During the butchery it became clear that the bolt was not just seized but bent. Head scratching ensued, as it is hard to understand how that bolt could get bent. I did suffer a broken (stock) toe control arm on that side a few months ago, and drove some miles with some significant rear wheel self steer and lack of control, which probably was the cause. But it's still hard to understand how it would bend that bolt, rather than just bend the arm. But here's the start of the real discoveries. The crush tube was rusty as all shit. I mean seriously rusty. A little on the inside, contributing to the tube seizing to the bolt (along with the bend). But the outside had at least 2-3mm of compressed flaky iron oxide jammed in between the parent metal and the PU bush. This one was brutalised and still took some effort to get the PU off the crush tube. So I thought I'd inspect the others more closely. The one on the tension rod adjacent the bent one was first. I had to use a 2-jaw puller to get the crush tube out, and it took some effort. It came out looking like the first one. All 6 of them were the same, except for one that looked not too bad. Had some corrosion on it, but was mostly OK. There was also a significant amount of corrosion on the inner surfaces of the knuckles. They took some convincing with pointy tools to let go their grip on the inside of the holes they were in. There was no sign of the original (SuperPro) lube anywhere. I and my bro-in-law have never seen any crush tube end up looking like this. It was seriously like the car has spent time putting boats into the water at the boat ramp. So, it seems like the PU might have been bonded to the steel on both sides, which would have to make them work more like stock rubber bushes (where arm deflection results in twist inside the rubber). Despite this, I have never had cause to believe that they were so tightly bound up. The suspension moved up and down much as you'd expect. The car never made any noises in those bushes that would have led me to believe there was a problem. Maybe the rusty interfaces actually were "sliding". Anyway, lesson learnt. Even quiet, non-troublesome PU bushes should be inspected every now and then!
×
×
  • Create New...