Crap, my cars are dropping like flies

So, the BMW is sold, the Miata is up in the air waiting for me to fix the driveshaft and a couple of "while I'm in there"s. So, it's a nice day and I figured I'll take the 'vette to work - it's also advertised for sale and I figured it would be a nice shake-down drive before it goes off to a new owner.

Instead, it decided that today would be a good day for it to do a nice line in overheating. Managed to limp it into work but now that it's halfway cooled down it looks like there is no or hardly any coolant left in the radiator. Oh joy.

Did I also mention that it spent two months at a local shop last year, to have a couple of leaks and intake gaskets fixed? Not to mention that I brought it back a week later because it was pushing coolant out of the overflow tank?

Well, I guess that 600 miles later I think I can safely say that they didn't fix the coolant issue, at least not properly.

At this point I'm ready to do the "American thing" and buy a new car on payments that last too long and that I can barely afford because I'm sick and tired of the issues we keep having with the older cars.

How's everybody else's day going?

My '87 MR2 is in the shop still finding the intermittent hesitation on the highway, but otherwise I'm good. (Except for looking like my next rallycross is getting rained out Saturday, will make it 0 for 2.)

I hear you.

So far I'll be 0 for 2 on the local PDXen because my Miata seems to read the local SCCA forum and wants attention a few days before the PDX session every time.

I have a headache, but my cars haven't done anything unexpected. That is, the under-warranty Subaru is running fine, and the dormant BMW and Ranchero don't seem to have visibly returned to earth any further since the last time I looked.

Speed6 is in the shop getting window track replaced and CEL decoded. GTO is in paint shop having paint repaired from hail storm. OMG, we are down to 3 cars and neither the Miata or 911 are good cars for 89 degree high humidity day. But I have to yield to SWMBO and let her have the 4runner for her day at work. 911 felt good this morning but will be warm and damp driving home.

My miata is waiting in the garage to get beat on at an event My horribly unreliable VAG model continues to tick off miles without any issues, it did get a bath this morning Wifes matrix seems fine now that I actually put ATF in the trans and the right amount of oil in it after draining the wrong thing during an oil change

I never cease to be amazed at the quality cars that you leave you stranded when my abandoned-for-26-years AMC still works so well. If I find another Javelin in a field, you should buy it.

Miata - needs a new throwout bearing (putting off), needs new tires, has broken springs, needs new coilover collars, needs new exhaust.

Subaru - found a bolt in a tire yesterday, the exhaust we just replaced rattles like hell, Transmission needs to be either flushed or replaced.

Mustang - in storage, only needs a new LSD and new tires.

Me - I need a shop space that isn't 3 hours from where I live to be able to work on my stuff.

Saturn; no A/C due to cracked lines. P0420 and needs to pass smog. Pass rear window off track or something. Brand new Pioneer headunit I got for it ate E36 M3 after a handful of uses. Warranty requires I send it out or drive an hour away.

IS300; steering squeaks. CEL, most likely due to leaking valve cover. Coilovers need to be rebuilt.

LS400; gas gauge works, sometimes doesn't. Might be bad soldering or damaged trace when I frankensteined 2 clusters together and soldered in new capacitors. Keep getting incorrect driver's seat belts (90-92, when I need 93-94)

Celica; Cleared the crap in the garage out so we can start working on it. Fuel pump rubber is melted and is coated in white crystals. Need to find where the other fuel line is so I can blow it out with my air compressor. Tank full of old gas I don't know how/where to dispose of. Spark plug socket I have doesn't work on this car. It has a carbuerator. I don't know anything about those.

A new Chevy Volt is looking very good right now.

I threw in the towel on my GTO three weeks ago. Will be paying off the last round of repairs (>$4k) for some time, but from my POV the car payments I'm making are basically buying peace of mind - totally worth it. I got tired of waiting for the [next] other shoe to drop on the GTO; it wasn't like the money I spent was the last repair dollar it would have needed this year. I still like GTOs generally, but my example had led a hard life under prior ownership. Sometimes you just need a reliable daily in order to have the fun car.

My MSM is rapidly approaching "E36 M3 list" territory. (Yes, that was a filter.)

Went with a Haltech to replace the Hydra it had. Haltech's patch harness wasn't pinned correctly (alternator isn't being controlled) and has no provisions to bypass the immobilizer. Tuner now has to make me a harness from scratch.

.... i'm supposed to be leaving on a 7,000 mile trip with this car on the 22nd.

berkeley.

NOTHING is easy or simple on this car. I can't wait to get rid of it.

Mine are all working OK, don't jinx me!

e36 is waiting on a sensor - currently runs on 3 cylinders. MG has the wiring harness apart to be tweaked. TR4 is in many small pieces scattered between the basement, garage and a storage unit. Kawasaki needs the carbs cleaned to run.

Should I be terrified that the reliable one is a scruffy 928? Back of my mind plan is sell of bikes and projects and go for either an e46 m3 or boxster.

All my cars are in perfect working order.

All my Stags have been prefect, they have never let me down, they would have to run before they can break down

My Samurai got out of the shop recently after being in there for about 1.5 years to fix a lot of issues, but the only things taken care of were some front axle and brake problems. Still plenty more to fix. Rear axle and brake stuff, engine problems galore (thinking of just swapping it), possibly transfer case problems and some minor bodywork problems.

My AE92's finally almost done but now it has to sit on jackstands for a month while replacement camber plates and some exhaust parts slooooowly get here.

The Mustang's new suspension is in and I had it dynoed today before work.

The Eclipse is still parked in my driveway. Expect a very Challenge-friendly classified on it soon.

The RX-7 Turbo is still in storage, going on two years now.

I picked up a box that had my brand new ATS cup wheels in it, and the bottom disintegrated, thus dropping one wheel on the concrete face down & scatching the berk out of it.

I own a Europa, 'nuff said.

My Yugo currently has no shifter or coolant in it, and the ball joints are ready to blow any day now. So its parked till i finish gathering parts and put it together again. Maybe nothing big will break this year.

The DD prizm has a bad AC compressor I cant afford to fix, and the blower motor is making noise, but is otherwise reliable as gravity.

I refuse to brag on any of my vehicles, they might hear me. Oh, almost forgot: the ignition box on the XS650 took a dump. Man, you shoulda heard that thing backfire while I was limping it home.

My recently acquired MR2 is currently sidelined with another defective Alternator. Replacement Alternator, New Stainless 3" Downpipe & 3" Stainless Exhaust to be installed Monday with an Alumninum Moroso Oil Pan following shortly. Then Wheel/Tire Combo & New Coilovers.

Hah! Dakota hasn't moved more than 50 miles in two years. Needs a power steering pump, a new side mirror and has a smushed-in bum.

MX-3 blew a main fuse, runs rich, has some kind of weird sensor problem where the clutch fan runs all the time and smells like rotten pumpkins.

323 needs a brake job and I suspect a wheel bearing, but you couldn't kill that damn thing with dynamite.

I cant really relate to any of this. I do all my own work and i have enough cars that i am never in danger of not having running cars. So my list of things to do gets longer or shorter but i never get to bitch about what someone ELSE is or isnt doing to my car, or something they did isnt working out, or they wont do it fast enough, etc etc.

Having said that, i dont really recommend auto tech as a profession. I finally quit doing it for a living! Right now i am just living.

My LS1 swapped 951 is working perfectly. Although I did do a large amount of work on it over the winter. However it's all shaken out and 100% tip top and making 400rwhp.

My '03 Audi Allroad 6MT stage 3 is working perfectly after I did some minor driveway clean up and fixed the headlight washer jet and rear washer line.

My wive's '08 Lexus GX470 is under warranty. Plus it's a Toyota. It's getting an oil change this morning, that's all it ever needs besides a car wash/vacuum.

My '03 BMW F650 Dakar could use a new front tire soon and has a very slow oil leak, but I have a new set of knobbies waiting and I'm pretty sure I just need to snug down the oil drain plug.