Things I'm glad I don't have anymore

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I had a lamentable '82 Chevy Cavalier. By '86, when it had a mere 90,000 miles on it, I had brake rotors replaced twice, two exhaust systems, a wiring fire and a CHECK ENGINE light that gave the dealership so many crossed messages they finally just disconnected it. The thing was burning a ton of oil. It was a terrible and terribly unreliable little beast.

The '86 Camaro Z-28 that replaced it was much better. Much better.
 
I have been lucky

I've never had an extremely bad appliance, and when I stil drove, I never had an extremely bad car, even the 1978 Plymouth Volare.

The one thing I really do not miss is my vir***ity.

Lawrence/Maytagbear
 
Car - my first ever brand new car. (and the only one so far...)
A 1986 Holden Gemini, I think it was sold in USA badged as a Chevy Spectrum. I lived over an hour drive from work, working six days a week, my old 1971 Morris was clapped out so I decided I needed a brand new car to get me reliably to work...Constant trouble with gearshift jamming in gear or unable to select any gear, dealer kept changing the gear oil to different spec with little improvement, at one stage they said gear syncros hadn't worn in and I should change gears without using the clutch for a while...Also it ate brake pads, leaked water into the boot (trunk), it hiccupped and farted when driving slowly (86 was the first year of unleaded in AU and the manufacturers couldn't get the antipollution gear sorted)suspension at the rear bobbed constantly. On the way to work on the busiest day of the year - Christmas Eve breakfasts and I was rostered to cook - the engine seized up at 6.30 am on the freeway. It had to be towed - cam belt had broken, car was serviced just a few weeks before, I had asked if the belt needed to be replaced, dealer said, "these cars have longlife cambelts, they last the life of the engine." true enough, when the belt broke the engine was stuffed. I was not popular at work that day...by the time I got to work the excitement was over. Very glad to see the back of that car.
Anothe car I was glad to see go was actually totally reliable - a 1986 Toyota Corona wagon. It was vile to drive, sluggish, awful handling, I took it to suspension specialists everywhere to get the wandering steering fixed, they said "yes they are bad but they are just like that". Also worlds most uncomfortable seats. At 250,000 km I thought it was getting too old, I bought another car and sold the Toyota. My next door neighbour bought it, she still has it, it has now done 490,000 km and 500,000 km is coming soon - the car had a new clutch but the engine and gearbox have never been touched, still runs as reliably and horribly as ever. My neighbour still loves it, although it is getting scruffy it is the first reliable car she has ever owned...and she is 50.

chris.
 
I didn't actually own it, but I don't miss it anyway

I had an older friend that I used to do housework for. This guy was well-off, but he was SO CHEAP that everything he had was bottom-of-the-line.

Among the lowlights were:

* A nasty Galaxy (or was it Hotpoint?) Washer/dryer set that left everything linty and gray, and all the controls were broken and mended with duct tape.

* Matching stove, dishwasher, and side-by-side fridge, all from Grants (the only time I've ever seen appliances branded by Grants) all in the most ugly shade of yellow. The oven on the stove was wildly erratc, and didn't even have a clock, and half the burners were dead. The fridge was OK, but the doors sagged, and the dishwasher just redistributed the dirt.

I complained and nagged and b*****d about those appliances but since he didn't cook he didn't care. I finally got him to pry open his wallet wide enough to replace them, and he was amazed at how clean his clothes suddenly were and how he could have both ice cream AND ice! It was quite a revelation to him.

Of course, since he was SO CHEAP they were all that ugly bisque color that he got on clearence from Sears, but at least it all worked.
 
A long commute

During the 90's and into the 80s' I had the commute from hell - the Nimitz from the East Bay into Silicon Valley. Some Friday nights I just gave up on trying to get home in any reasonable amoutn of time. I'd work late, or go shopping or something down there. If I tried to get home on time, it would usually turn a 30 mile distance into a 2 hour ordeal.

Then I got laid off, and after a couple of other jobs I went back to school and retrained as a machinist. Now I have a job that I could walk to, although I usually drive the 2 miles to and from the shop. I get 30 minutes for lunch but I can still make it home and back (thanks to microwave).

It's funny, though, sometimes when I get home in mid-afternoon, I get the odd feeling that something was missing from my day - the gridlock on the freeway. Usually I take a nap to shake that feeling off ;-). Or go for a stroll in the back yard or sit by the fish pond. All infinitely more enjoyable than fighting traffic.
 
My 1980 9HUGE DIAL) D&M Kenmore--the same series Sears got in trouble with the Federal Trade Commission for false advertising, saying you didn't have to pre-rinse and things would come clean. Bolderdash!! My 1977 Forest Green AMC Pacer My 1984 Hotpoint PotWasher that came with the house.
 
An NEC VCR I used to have-when it died-it and I went to the shooting range-and then-BLAM!that was the end of the NEC-Other shooters liked to shoot at it too!the last time I saw its remains only a twisted headwheel remained.I tried several of my guns on it-was a HORRIBLE machine-the worst VCR on the planet-no wonder it was on sale the day I bought it-It lasted two years-Another friend who used the same range had one-his got the "Boom of Doom" treatment too-His 12Ga shotgun worked wonders on his."one shot" head alignment?
 
Lets see:

01 A Beko washing machine (got free from a friend, totally crap. The weight was loose and couldnt be fastened. It totally broke after a few washes, destroying the plastic tub)

02 A old cd-player (from 1984) that doesnt play the tracks in order, if it played at all. It could start at track 01 and then jump to 06 in the middle of the melody.

03 An old dishwasher (Atlas) that stood in the kitchen of my new apartment. I just knew i should have taken my Mielé dishwasher with me when i moved. Damn. Anyway, that Atlas dishwasher did everything then clean the dishes so out it went pretty fast.

04 An Sony vinyl record player that only played when it wanted. Otherwise it just stood there doing nothing. And it destroyed 2 records for me.
 
I don't miss having to have roommates or working nights to make ends meet!

By the way, I loved driving my Dad's 1965 Corvair Corsa black 4-speed 2DR hardtop. It was a good car since my Dad knew how to maintain it.
 
Hey Dan, Our kitchen appliances are bisque colorand we like them. The 2 things I'm glad I no longer have are my '78 Ford Granada, and the '79 Plymouth Horizon. The Ford had rear leaf springs that were always breaking, and the Plymouth was a POS all the way around. That car was in the shop more than it was in my driveway.
 
I think me and Helen are the only two virgins left and that goes away on July 8th. It's like, ok, we had fun at the reception, but we have some business to take care of.

Crossville to Gatlinburg, TN is about a 2 hour drive. That day, 1 hour. We'll see just how fast that Prius can go.
 
My first stereo

was a realistic eight track player - that's it: no radio, no phonograph, no nothing.

You couldn't rewind or fast forward, and in the middle of a song (usually a good song) the music would fade, there'd be a big CLUNK, as it changed tracks or something, and it would fade back up.

I really don't miss that stereo.
 
That's how those 8 tracks worked. So for albums that consisted of connected songs (like Pink Floyd DSoTM), the clunk would come inappropriately in the middle of the song.
 
I don't miss 8-tracks either-the clunk was from the PB head being shifted from one pair of playback tracks to another(stereo)and when the lubicant on the endless loop of tape wore off-the tape would jam-usually the tape would catch on the players capstan and wind around it.Sometimes that happened with radio station cart machines.
 
I have a few.....

The HP Computer that crashed slowly and miserably, and drove us crazy. Austin actually took it outside, hit it with a sledgehammer, and shot it with a pellet rifle...a la "Office Space" (I took a few swipes at it myself)

Our gas-guzzling Suburban and Tahoe

Pantyhose...it's always too big or too small; either way it sags at the crotch! I haven't worn it in years! Say YAY!

The Black and Decker auto drip coffeemaker - I never knew how bad a cup of coffee could be!

The defective Kenmore Upright Vacuum that never worked properly (belt kept disengaging and screwing up the beater bar), but always "worked fine" when the Sears guys tinkered on it; yeah, right.

I'm sure I could think of more, but there is painting to do!

Venus
 
"Pantyhose...it's always too big or too small; either way it sags at the crotch! I haven't worn it in years! Say YAY!"

She said Crotch.. huhu huhu huhu heheh hehhee hehheh huhu huhu uhuhu huhu
 
1990 Kenmore upper MOL dishwasher. After a year the trim strips on the front started to fall off. The door always leaked despite numerous service calls. At 18 mos, the timer went out. At three years the tub rusted through and it drained the wash water into the motor. It certainly did go out in a blaze of glory! It was replaced with a 1993 Maytag that was built like a tank and cleaned better than anything we have ever had since.

1971 AMC Gremlin. Need I say more? Bought in 1975 for $300 after I got out of college and had a low paying flight instructors job. It needed a valve job, so I spent $150 and did it myself. Had a machine shop overhaul the heads and do the valves. It was a very basic bottom of the line car. Split pea green wth a black interior. Manual everything, steering, brakes, no A/C, not even a radio! I put about 80K miles on it and then the oil pump went out while I was on the freeway. Goodbye engine. The biggest problem with this car was the rust! By the time it died (1980) the only floor left in it was the drivers side. The TOPS of the front fenders rusted through. I was actually glad to see it go. But it got relatively good gas mileage. It had the 232 6 cyl.

1982 Toyota Corrolla 2 Dr Hardtop. This was a pretty nice car, but what earns it the POS marks was the A/C. In Texas this is pretty important. That a/c would never really cool the car. Lots of cold air came out of the a/c, but I think the vents weren't big enough or it was really weak at movng the air. It was always hot inside the car. The dealer and a a/c specialty shop said it was performing as designed. This car lasted 120K before it was wrecked (rear ended on the freeway). Also what made this car a real POS is that no matter what kind of tires you put on it, if someone spit on the freeway it would want to make like on a water slide. I was glad when it was gone.
 
About the Corvair

I had a 66 Corsa in college. It held the speed record for a non stop trip between New Orleans and Denver, 14 hours with 4 on board. It had the 4 single barrel carbs and a turbo charger so it put out 180 horses right to the rear wheels. And it was fast too. It was a very reliable car. The body didn't rust out either. But it did leak oil like hell. And when you would turn the heater on in the winter time, you'd get gassed. One weekend a buddy of mine invited me to come to his parents home for a weekend and asked if I would drive. His Dad told me to park on the drive, as the subdivision didn't allow on street parking. BTW, this was a brand new home with a pure white driveway. When Sunday came and he saw what his driveway looked like, he about shit his pants. I only saw this freinds parents a few times after that but his Dad would always cuss my out about my car. Needless to say the Corvair was never invited back again.

Now I am the coordinator for an event called the "Wings & Wheels" show at the 1940 Air Terminal Museum in Houston. In May we had the local Corvair club out. See the link for photos. It seems that about 15 years ago a third party mfg came out with new polyurethane dip tube seals (the main cause of oil leaks) and now once you replace the seals, no more leaks ever again.
We had all these Corvairs out to the airport and I was expecting a sea of oil in our parking lot. There was not one drop!
The Corvair is becoming quite collectable. And believe it or not most parts are still available at a relatively inexpensive price. I got to drive the red one, a 1969 one of the last made and it DID bring back the memories. I had forgotten how fast those cars could be!

http://www.wingsandwheels.org
 
Things I am SO glad not to have anymore...

After Saturday night...

A freakin' marriage certificate to my 1st Ex husband...I divorced his sorry butt over 25 yrs ago, and was totally reminded of why I split from him in the first place.

The biggest male chauvanistic pig I have EVER encountered in my life.

I hope that night, I cured him of EVER calling me again.

Sorry...I had to vent, or else I will blow up....LOL
 
GET BACK IN THE KITCHEN WOMAN!

Is that chauvinist enough for ya? LOL

Yeah, I have a cousin who's really that and it's so horrible to treat a wife that way.

On the flip side, I was in a (very very short) relationship with a girl who turned out to be a male-hating feminist. So being on the recieving end of hatred because of your gender is not pleasant. So yeah, that's another thing I'm glad I don't have.
 
What a fun thread!

1. My 1980 Volkswagon Rabbit with a diesel engine. I had friends that had diesel Rabbits and swore by them. The one I got was a piece of sh*t that was always at the Old Volks Home (a repair shop). One time I was driving along on I-694 and the damned thing began to wildly accelerate all by its self-I almost "pit my shants". Seems that the cylinders would develop this tremendous vacuum that would pull the lubrication oil into the firing chamber. Then there was the time the right rear wheel fell off just outside Madison, WI at 11:00 at night. My woman friends told me they loved the way that diesel engine would vibrate ;)

2. Our 1962 Airstream Tradewind. After having a taste of full time RVing in the early '90's, Dennis and I talked for years of going back on the road with an Airstream (or Avion or Silverstreak). So when the day came, we paid WAY TOO MUCH for this trailer and then sunk way too much money into it. The only thing the Airstream has going for it is-
A) Everyone notices you and waves.
B) They do tow a bit easier than other "square" trailers.
Livability in an Airstream is non-existant-The beds were designed for midgets and the kitchen was designed for people who mostly eat out. Restoring an old Airstream was much more costly than we had expected. I guess they don't call 'em Land Yachts for nothing. (Since a Yacht is a whole in the water into which one pours money) We dumped that thing off at Iowa Boys in North Hollywood, CA and then moved our butts to Maui!

3. The '93 Chevy Corsica that was our first "Maui Cruizer" All the controls in that car were in the exact wrong place from were they should be and it leaked oil so bad we had to lay out cardboard "maxi-pads" for it. It was a cheep ride for us while we determined if we were going to stay on Maui. Finally Dennis said "I don't want to be the last owner of that car." so we traded it in on our Ford Ranger.

4. The Bird. The gal who lives in the main house at our place was given a big white Parrot by a "friend" who was moving back to the mainland. At first I thought "How Cool". Well, the longer she had it, the more the novelty of having it wore off and the more it was neglected. Neglected parrots tend to scream. A lot. Finally called the landlord and said "It's the bird or Us!" The bird left.
 
Diesel rabbits

I forget the exact cause, but I think this motor's problem was that engine oil would leak past the rings. It had something to do with the fact that the original Rabbit diesel used the same block as the gasoline version. The problem was that a diesel cylinder develops much more pressure than a gasoline cylinder, and the Rabbit gas motors couldn't take the pressure. So there would be some sort of ring failure.

Now, diesels will run on just about anything, including motor oil. The speed of the motor is governed by how much fuel is injected into the cyclinders. So when the rings failed (or the block or the piston cracked, the motor would start getting way too much fuel, and would start racing. Since diesel motors, once they have warmed up, don't rely upon anything other than internal heat and compression to keep running, there was no way to shut the thing off. Eventually it would suck all the oil out of the crankcase and then the bearings would starve for oil and the motor would self-destruct. Volkswagen deserves a big thumbs-down for this lemon of a motor.
 
what iam glad i dont have anymore

my white 1985 plymouth horizon, had more mechanics under it than i did.
my 2 2006 bagless eureka vacuums, which couldn't suck a flea off a dogs back.
a 1970 monkey wards dryer,my mom and dad to replace the front on the dryer(having gone thru 10 panel fronts) before they got a front that the door would stay shut without using duct tape.
having gotten rid of a 1994 cutlass sierra maroon in color from JD fly by nighter the car had warped rotors, the ashtray would fall off all the time, wires hung down under the dash, and when you went to put on the brakes, the lights would flicker, the trunk button never worked, and the abs (anti-lock braking) never worked.
And after being pi**ed off i had to get rid of a 1963 lady kenmore washing machine after someone (no one would tell me who did it)but they packed it full, and to start it turned the timer knob in the wrong direction, and killed it.
and sending my dog lacy back to the angels for animals agency when she chewed up a fairly expensive dining room carpet, and chewed the wood on the door of my closet in the kitchen to which the garbage can was stored behind, and tore up some new floor tiles in my newly redecorated kitchen.

Kelly
 

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