A question or two :)

[snowfish]

A brake job, on the Escort, is way less surgery than the head gasket on the Ranger. Electric Metro will take some capital($$$) to throw at it. Any vehicle Will Not be problem free. But I think the Escort is a step in the right direction. Provided that you know the history of it. What else does it need besides brakes?

Sometimes the $1200 car, that you sink another $1200 into, is really not that good of a deal. (been there done that) You may be able to find one thats had a ton of work done, and they're selling it cheap. It's buyers market now. (not necessarily for Metros)

For instance, my buddy has an awesome 94 Subaru Outback, that he'd sell to me for $2500. (he'll probably get $3200, on craigs list, and that will still be a deal)This baby has new head gaskets, seals, brakes, fluid flush, every light works, No check engine lights, great tires, shampooed carpets, the whole nine yards. Too bad you're now closer. 25-30mpg is no Metro, but this will be as problem free, as a car can be, for a long time.

Anyway, just cautioning you to count the cost. You'll do great by asking lots of questions, doing some research, and networking. Or you'll just be laying down the benjamins needlessly. Happy hunting!

[Eco-Noob]

The Escort has been well-maintained, its just not in use anymore. The owners say its just in need of new pads+rotors.

I have a meeting with them this week to see whats up with making a deal.

I'll keep you posted, and thanks for everything so far!

[snowfish]

Good Deal Eco-Noob! Looking forward to an update. FYI, as long as the rotors are not warped, you may only need pads! I've "burned in" pads, more than once, on some fairly grooved rotors. I'm not recommending this, but it can work when funds are tight.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by snowfish

I did a head gasket job, on my 89 Toyota 4x4 22re, for around $500 (parts only. I do my own wrenching). But that Included, head gasket, misc gaskets & seals, timing chain, gears & guides, head resurfacing, head bolts, water pump, belts, hoses, spark plugs, cap rotor & wires, pcv valve, oil filter, air filter, oil, and coolant. Since I was down there, I couldn't see putting all that "old stuff" back on.
.

That's a pretty serious overhaul right there. I think the only things left to do were rings and bearings.

There are times I wish I had something more economical, but frankly I think I'm doing okay with my 22R. And dang, but that's a relentless engine.

[elhigh]

Originally Posted by Eco-Noob

Great Mileage. Currently jobless, and looking for ways to cut costs in life.

Fixing the Ranger is smart money. Selling it to buy a different ride - even something as thrifty as a Metro - might not be. Look in the Garage and see what other folks are doing with their compact pickups, and compare that to how you're doing now. I bet you can cut your current fuel costs by over a third.

[Eco-Noob]

Originally Posted by elhigh

Fixing the Ranger is smart money. Selling it to buy a different ride - even something as thrifty as a Metro - might not be. Look in the Garage and see what other folks are doing with their compact pickups, and compare that to how you're doing now. I bet you can cut your current fuel costs by over a third.

I agree that it would be smart money to fix the truck. We had the truck pressure checked, and it has an internal coolant leak, and the shop assumes that it is in the head gasket. The price for that head gasket (parts+labor) is more than I payed for the truck. The coolant leak is my main problem, since my gar runs always either extremely cold, or extremely hot, depending on the weather outside. (Usually cold in Northwest Washington...)

The idea behind selling the Ranger was something more along the lines of

Ranger = Metro+ Cash (insurance and gas). Or, that was at least my hope.
Or, if I could get the Escort from a friend it would be Ranger = Cash (insurance and gas). Although I was thinking about selling the engine to buy a metro like had been suggested earlier, and keep the truck to make a Ranger EV, but I don't think that would happen in the foreseeable future.

Thanks

[brucepick]

Eco-Noob, your post above makes sense to me.

If you're paying a mechanic to do any work then the cost of a head gasket job looks like more than what you'd be willing to invest in your '92 Ranger.

Getting ANY money at all for the Ranger would be great if that money gets you a gas sipper that you'd like to have.

Possible failure points on that path are
1) "New" gas sipper car is later discovered to need work - or -
2) You get little or no money for the Ranger.

From what you write it looks like the Ranger runs (hot or cold, but at least it runs!!). So I'd think you could sell it. Make sure you have a replacement lined up or you'll be without wheels for a bit. That puts you at a disadvantage when buying the "new" car.

[Eco-Noob]

The best situation would be my friend giving me his escort.

In which case, I have a more gas efficient car, I could sell the truck, and have cash for insurance+gas

I have that meeting with him this week. Crossing my fingers.

[Eco-Noob]

Another question that I have...

If I wanted to put a grill block onto my truck, how much should I cover? I'm guessing that it would have to do with the engine heat, right? If that's the case... How can I tell the effect on the engine heat with the cracked head gasket that makes my car run like either the Heat-Miser or Ice cold?

[Frank Lee]

No grille blocks until it's properly fixed!