Oddly a little sad

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jmm63

jmm63

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Joined
May 26, 2003
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Location
Denville, NJ
We picked up our new (to us) car last night, a 2000 Mercury Sable LS Premium, such a cream puff. 112K miles and in really very good condition. Knock on wood it stays that way. Its mostly for local running around and for the partner to get to work etc.

But what I'm sad about is seeing his Ford Ranger its replacing drive away tonight. 167K miles on that one and as of the past few months many things wrong with it. Our mechanic said it was unsafe to drive anymore. Still, we kept chugging along until we found another car. One of the springs in the back actually came through the bedliner last week. That's when we stopped driving it and rented a car. I had it for sale in the driveway and a mechanic spotted it this morning, offered a reasonable amount and drove away in it tonight. Hopefully he can fix it up without having to junk it. It was a cute truck and its just silly to be sad about it but I guess we all get attached to things that we shouldn't.

jmm63++4-11-2012-18-24-8.jpg
 
You guys got a good looking car.  They are very reliable.  Ford/Merc bucket seats are so comfortable as they have longer seats.

 

Enjoy it.
 
I looked at the wagon version of the Sable when they updated the styling in 2000; I thought it was a nice car for the money; still do.

It's a shame about your truck, but when the supports for the suspension components start rusting through, it is usually time to say good-bye. I remember a friend had a Super Beetle where the body mounts were pretty much rusted away. I was always afraid if he braked too hard, the chassis would stop but the body would keep going.
 
Didn't you used to drive a Volvo? I seem to remember something about that..

When salt is used on the roads in the winter it really can eat up a car. I remember years ago when I lived in Chicago and Minneapolis how cars usually started to rust after three or four years. I think that happens less often now, but still they rust in these areas.
 
What year was the Ranger? My buddy Sam had one like that in dark green (leased) in the late 90's. Was it rusting out overall, or just in that one place?

My '95 Explorer (based on Ranger) has over 350,000 miles on it. It has only started to rust in the last 4 or 5 years; mainly on the tailgate and rear quarter panels. I have it checked for rust or corrosion of the frame whenever I take it to the Ford dealer for service. So far no problems.

Hope the new Sable with prove to be satisfactory. It looks very nice, and I like the color.
 
Yikes!

I got chills when I saw the Sable's license plate.

At Saint Leo the Great school (or "Saint Leo the Fcking Awesome!" as it will forever be now, thanks to a highly respected AW member's spontaneous exclamation sometime back) we were subjected to nuns from the BVM (Blessed Virgin Mary) order. Generally the worst of the tight-ass worst, or Debuque's finest (and I'm not talking hams here), depending on how you look at it.

I'd have to get new plates if I bought that car! LOL!

As for the truck, look at the bright side. It went to a good home where it will receive what it needs to continue running instead of possibly making a premature landing in a muddy/dusty dismantler's yard.
 
Wow Allen, good memory. My ex had the Volvo and took it to North Carolina when he moved, that was 6 years ago. Still makes me mad because it was purchased with funds from our home equity loan so I feel I still own half of it!

Tom- the Ranger was a 99. And although the body was in pretty good shape the suspension components were rusting. Our mechanic warned us it was pretty bad and that the brake lines were rusting and it was only a matter of time before they rusted through and we lost brakes. The spring popping up through the bed was a shocker for sure.

Ralph- those plates were the previous owners, got new ones on it now. We're hoping to see the truck again one day since the guy who bought it is a friend of the man across the street.

But speaking of Sables/Taurus's... anyone have one? This car is getting HORRIBLE gas mileage and I can't figure out why. The engine runs so smooth, no black smoke out the the tailpipe, no leaks whatsoever. Were getting probably 14 miles per gallon.
 
Jim

gas mileage could be the actual gas your using.....I am having the same issues with the Jeep.....with the prices going up, their adding more Ethanol, and its killing mine.....I used to get 400 to 450 miles on a tankful....now its like 200.....its a V8, but drinking it like water......I have just about rebuilt my Jeep....tuneup-new plugs, new air-gas-oil filter, new fluids-antifreeze, oil, trans, gears, new rotors and brakes, new spider gears and seals and bearrings for both pumpkins, new shocks, new tires-----I did this all myself.....parts around 600.00....and my mileage has not improved.....I don't know where else to try and correct this.....

I have noticed some rust starting under my Jeep, and never thought about during the winter, when a storm is comming, they would spray the roads with this heavy salt solution, it would dry, and activate when snow hit the surface and melted....never thinking that this is attaching itself to the underside of the vehicle.....

these Taurus/Sables last a long time, with proper maintenance and care, I just sold my SHO, bought new in 93, had 112,000 miles on it.....and still running powerfully strong....

Congrats and good luck with it!
 
That solution thats sprayed on the roads to "supposidly" help to make it less slippery and make plowing easier corrodes everything under the vehicle, especially the brake lines and frames. I agree with you Yogi, this new, more expensive gasoline gives horrible mileage. My Silverado now might get 10 mpg, when it used to get great mileage and I have replaced all the brake lines and the frame has been mostly replaced. But the body is still fine, still looks new. Guess I will keep it instead of looking at a payment every month.
 
Jim

Which 3.0 Liter engine does it have? If it's the DOHC 200 HP engine then yeah, it for some reason will use more gas even for a small engine. My friends parents bought a brand new Taurus in 99 with the DOHC engine and remarked how bad the gas mileage was compared to the one he had with the 3.0 pushrod engine. I'd imagine there would be a slight difference in gas mileage, but they said it was pretty drastic.
 
The Sable has the 24v 6, which was only available in the Premium edition. I spoke to quickly about the mileage. I didn't know it has one of those weird Ford gas gauges that fluctuate if your not always on level ground. We just checked the mileage and its getting about 21 mpg in the city, which is pretty good considering the truck probably got about 14. So far, knock on wood, the car is doing great and I think I actually like it more than he does. Smooth ride, nicely equipped, and for 12 years old, it looks GREAT. I just detailed it last week. The only annoying thing is the leather trim panels above the arm rest on three doors are falling off. I'm going to try some spray fabric/leather glue to see if I can get them back on.
 
Oh right on. The Taurus my friends parents have has that engine and complained about the mileage. They probably have heavy feet. Looks like you got a good deal on a nice car! Congratulations!
 

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