Posted by: JemDandy (My Page) on Fri, Aug 5, 05 at 7:18 Possibilities 1. Fuel filter..... I disagree, just a service item , due to be changed at 50 to 100K miles !! 2. Ignition module heating up and failing. Could be the cam shaft position sensor or crank (flywheel) sensor. .......This heat is hard on coils, transformers, computers.Temperatures are too high under the hood. Styling? running amok over common sense engineering...

Seems like you mostly have your mind made up on the type of vehicle. At work we make axles for the Jeep. I've not worked on that line in a couple years and then only to do an egronomics study. Gal at work bought a new Liberty and loves it... her first 4 wheel drive. We also make lots of Ford parts. I don't think any go in the vehicles you mention. I try to focus on the type of vehicle I want rather then any particular one. Last time I went shopping I wanted another Bravada but came home with a Blazer. The Chevy was about 5K cheaper then the Olds I looked at and well optioned. No heated leather seats but I'm happy with the cloth. That was in '03 and the little white truck is still trucking. About 3K in repairs/maintenance but that is still cheaper then car payments... I paid off the loan in 3 months so I only have to keep up with repairs. When I was younger I often looked for vehicles that needed repairs. If it needed tires, brakes, battery, muffler it was a good excuse to demand a rock bottom price. My Firebird needed all that stuff and the dealer knocked a couple grand off the asking price... which nicely covered the needed items. When buying used I make low ball offers and stand firm. I tell the seller I have "X" amount of cash and ask if they will take that. Then I pretend I really don't have another dime I can scratch up. I put the blame on the bank and say that is all they will give me... that way they don't waste time trying to work me over for more money. They can say no and I can find another vehicle to make an offer on. Most of the time I get the vehicle! Watch out for little snakes that want to run a credit check first. They are really just fishing to see how much they can soak you for. Tell them you have your own bank. First sign of pressure or implication you don't have enough money just walk. I've had them chase me to my vehicle offering to try to make the deal work... umm no... deal square from the get go or I'm gone. Sales people hate me... and I like it that way. If they leave you in the waiting room for an extended period of time just leave. Car salepeople tend to be fat heads that think it a sport to jerk you around. Always remember you have the money they don't. Any car dealer having a sales event should be avoided... they have special teams of high pressure jerks at those. : ) lyra

Thanks for everyone's comments; I very much appreciate your time. Believe me when I say we are fully aware that we're not buying a new house and expected age problems. What makes this house so attractive to us is its VERY low price. We're in Oregon where housing prices make it a buyer's market. Our budget allows for a limited price ceiling. This house has all the room we need. Those two points, combined with the house's location in a nice (but not pretentious) 55+ golfing community with several other amenities, were really the selling points for us. The current owner, who has never lived in the house (it was his parents'), acquiesced to replacing the broken gas furnace with a new one and coming down about another $3K on the house's price. His Realtor convinced him that otherwise, he'd never sell the place. It's been on the market since October 2011, our offer is the only one he's received in all that time, and, if WE don't buy it, he said he'd take it off the market and just let it sit. When his Realtor (who works for the same company OURS does...so that's how we know this) informed him that not only the neighbors but the HOA would eventually be on his case for letting the house fall into disrepair and then he'd NEVER sell it, he finally agreed to replace the furnace. What strikes me as stupid on his part is that he'd rather let the house rot than at least make a little money on its sale. It's selling for MUCH less than it's worth, but still, anything's better than $0! ANYways...we have scheduled electricians and plumbers to come and take a look to give us quotes on the rest of the problems but we are hopeful that they won't be so dangerous and expensive to repair that their costs will be manageable. Luckily, we have a bit a money to deal with repairs and we have no intention of doing any remodeling, so those added costs won't be an issue. The house is small and modest but actually perfect for our needs and, frankly, we very much want to live in this community. While there are plenty of other houses available in this community, so far none of them in our price range...which equals houses of this general age of 50-years-old...have enough room for us AND have a fully-fenced back yard for our little dog. We run an online bookstore and I have two Etsy shops...we need the room the finished garage and bonus room this place has so we can have someplace to keep our inventory and I can have an office and craft studio. As you probably all know, no house is perfect. We have prepared ourselves to take the bad with the good. But we ARE being realistic. If it turns out that the repairs will be costly because they'll be necessary to fix truly dangerous problems, then we WILL have to keep looking. We take solace in knowing that our building inspector came highly recommended and he is respected in his field for his knowledge and honesty. We just hope we find contractors who are as well. Thanks again for your comments! ...

> Friends, I really need your help. I want to buy a car. More precisely not only myself. For the whole family. Have you considered hiring an architect? An architect can design and build a car you will love. He will interview your entire family to gather the requirements and will decide the proper car orientation. Your crazy aunt Sally wants a space on both of her sides for her favorite cats - no problem, she will love our new design. Space for your pet hamster - we will provide the wheel. 60 Gallon aquarium in the center for your pet shark - what a great idea. An architect can help you avoid costly car mistakes like: closets with no window, the gas chambers, wardrobe closet at the end of a bathroom. [Sorry could not help it] -Pizdabolka