ZacFields
07-31-2008, 11:13 PM
Yes, it still exists and it runs just as good as it always has. Don't ever say American cars never last. If you take good care of them, they'll keep on kicking.
We bought Ashley's Ford Focus earlier this year, so for the last 6 months or so we've just been driving that around. Ashley and I work at the same place, so between the Focus and my motorcycle, we haven't had to take out the Cavalier in quite some time.
I got in the car, and it has that old musty smell that one would expect when a car has been sitting with the windows rolled up for a long time. Lots of muscle car guys love this smell, and I guess I have a bit of a love for it myself.
I turned the key... nothing. Should have started it at least once a week and maybe drove it around the block. Damn battery is dead. So I pulled out the charger and gave it a quick charge. About half an hour and I was able to squeeze enough juice out of it to get it started right up.
I drove it around my area a bit. Up Stoney Point road a little ways and in that area. It felt good to take my old friend out for a joy ride after it had been so long. That car and I have been through a lot of good times. It's the only car I've ever owned.... 6 years and counting and that starts back when I was 16, which makes it more impressive that it's still around 90,000 miles later (I'm at 140,000 total).
Now, I don't have the time or the desire right now to "fix it up" like I used to, but there are some pressing needs:
- For starters, one of the muffler harnesses broke off at some point, so the muffler doesn't sit right like it should and it bounces a bit.
- I noticed a few rusted holes around the welds behind the muffler. I'll take a wild guess and assume it would quiet down a bit if I patched those up.
- I've got a flex-fiber drift front bumper in my storage room that I've had for about a year and a half now. I need to put it on, because the old bumper is toast.
- Needs an oil change... not because of mileage but because of how much time has passed.
- There's a leak in my AC system somewhere. If I'm going to get any use out of this car, it should be in the summer time, so this is something that I need to find and fix.
Outside of that, everything is great with the car. I'd like to do some of the necessary repairs (the muffler harness, oil, and front bumper) ASAP because when school starts back up, there's going to be one day a week where I'll need to take it to work if it's raining (and can't take the bike). The rest of the stuff can wait until another time.
Anyhoo. that's my story. It felt really good to take her for a spin. The suspension felt a lot stiffer than I remember, but that could be due to having it sitting in my garage so long without moving.
We bought Ashley's Ford Focus earlier this year, so for the last 6 months or so we've just been driving that around. Ashley and I work at the same place, so between the Focus and my motorcycle, we haven't had to take out the Cavalier in quite some time.
I got in the car, and it has that old musty smell that one would expect when a car has been sitting with the windows rolled up for a long time. Lots of muscle car guys love this smell, and I guess I have a bit of a love for it myself.
I turned the key... nothing. Should have started it at least once a week and maybe drove it around the block. Damn battery is dead. So I pulled out the charger and gave it a quick charge. About half an hour and I was able to squeeze enough juice out of it to get it started right up.
I drove it around my area a bit. Up Stoney Point road a little ways and in that area. It felt good to take my old friend out for a joy ride after it had been so long. That car and I have been through a lot of good times. It's the only car I've ever owned.... 6 years and counting and that starts back when I was 16, which makes it more impressive that it's still around 90,000 miles later (I'm at 140,000 total).
Now, I don't have the time or the desire right now to "fix it up" like I used to, but there are some pressing needs:
- For starters, one of the muffler harnesses broke off at some point, so the muffler doesn't sit right like it should and it bounces a bit.
- I noticed a few rusted holes around the welds behind the muffler. I'll take a wild guess and assume it would quiet down a bit if I patched those up.
- I've got a flex-fiber drift front bumper in my storage room that I've had for about a year and a half now. I need to put it on, because the old bumper is toast.
- Needs an oil change... not because of mileage but because of how much time has passed.
- There's a leak in my AC system somewhere. If I'm going to get any use out of this car, it should be in the summer time, so this is something that I need to find and fix.
Outside of that, everything is great with the car. I'd like to do some of the necessary repairs (the muffler harness, oil, and front bumper) ASAP because when school starts back up, there's going to be one day a week where I'll need to take it to work if it's raining (and can't take the bike). The rest of the stuff can wait until another time.
Anyhoo. that's my story. It felt really good to take her for a spin. The suspension felt a lot stiffer than I remember, but that could be due to having it sitting in my garage so long without moving.