Escape From the Prison Planet

[DRIVEN]

It's been a busy couple weeks. Little blue house finally got hauled out Thursday morning.

Now it's time to clean up the site. My nephew is coming over in a couple weeks so hopefully I can put him to work for a day or two. He's already scheduled to help my dad paint his house.

Still need to get the HVAC, painters, and plumbers back out to fix a couple things. No word on the wall. Haven't seen or heard from my builder in over 2 weeks.

 

[DRIVEN]

I've been doing a ridiculous amount of travel for work. In the last 10 days I flew back to Jamaica for 5 more days, came home, did an inspection in Missoula, MT, did a couple local jobs, and just got back from Seattle last night. Really racking up the miles.
I think I mentioned before that I've been using my daughter's car for work. Well, she's back from school so I picked up a replacement yesterday.

I've been looking for a pretty specific car for a few months -- the late 1st gen Matrix / Vibe with AWD. Picked it up at a little gypsy lot 510 miles away. It's got 205k on the clock but ran perfectly and didn't burn a drop of oil. The exterior shows some age but the interior is in amazing shape. AC blows cold and it's got all the power options including the 110v inverter, sunroof and premium sound system (LCD display is burned out though). Through the carfax and some old receipts that were stuck behind the glovebox I've deduced that it's a one family car before me. Most of it's life was spent in Minnesota but it doesn't look any crustier than an Idaho car...surprisingly.
My plan is to catch up on some maintenance stuff, put a new stereo in it, then put on another 200k. I'm also thinking it needs some sound deadening. Nothing rattles but it sure is noisy on certain road surfaces.

 

[Longroof79]

I like the little Vibes and Matrix. They're economical and relatively utilitarian. I considered buying one a while back for my wife. The Corolla engine is a pretty bulletproof powerplant.
That one looks pretty decent despite the high miles.

 

[DRIVEN]

Yup. That's exactly why I had them at the top of the list. They're actually tough to find at a decent price, in the NW at least. AWD was the real draw for me. We don't get a ton of snow here but I do have to deal with it on my work trips. I had to travel to get this one but it was several thousand less than comps so it was worth the trip. After driving it for 10hrs yesterday I had a pretty good idea of what I'll need to address. Got just a tick over 35mpg though.
I picked up an air filter, cabin filter, wiper blades, and transmission fluid this morning. Also ordered up an audio unit and install parts from Crutchfield. Once my dad wraps up his El Camino and gets out of the way I'll rack it up and really go over it.

 

[Longroof79]

I'm glad to see your new home project is coming along nicely.
I'm sure after a good 10 hr shakedown drive in the Vibe, you pretty much know what it needs and what you're up against.
My neighbor had a nice clean one that I was interested in, but traded it in and told me after the fact. So much for communication.

 

[DRIVEN]

Got caught up on the maintenance stuff. It popped the CEL with an EVAP vent code so I'll see if it returns. I got it up in the air and got to take a good look at the underside. LS rear axle seal is wet as is the TC output seal -- also to be monitored. Also pulled a couple plugs and found them really worn but not showing signs of serious oil consumption, so that's good.
I've got 2500 miles worth of jobs in the next 10 days so if there are any hidden issues, they should be obvious by then. I can't believe how busy the next 3 months are going to be.

El Camino is back on the road. I also finally got around to getting to the DMV to get the Cutlass registered in Idaho. There is a tiny DMV about 30 miles south of me so I tried it out this morning. Great 2 lane drive! That old car was born for that type of road. Only 1 worker and I was the only customer. Best DMV experience ever.

 

[DRIVEN]

Try not to let the jealousy overcome you.

 

[DRIVEN]

Also...barn find reveal.
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[Injectedcutty]

That Datsun wagon is cool! I would drive the wheels off of it!