My GSL (which has not seen rain or snow) will have to be my daily driver for a while. Yesterday I was driving on I-81 going about 70mph (the limit) in my 97 Dodge 1500. I was in the middle of a construction zone, no where to pull off. I blew a head gasket, lost all coolant rapidly with no place to pull off (construction zone is about 1.5 miles or so- Goes from two lanes into one then back to two lanes. No shoulders to pull off ANYWHERE. By the time I could get out of the zone, the temp was pegged and the truck was shaking violently. When I got out and checked-there was no coolent left except in the reservoir. I had towed to my friends shop last night and we pressure tested it this a.m...Looks like a cracked head the way it was testing .

If I had time to pull off, I could have avoided that..Really pisses me off. This is gonna cost at least $750 or more.
I'm gonna buy a Tacoma 4door. Everytime this beast breaks down it's $700+..

Just had to vent. Ram tough...Hurrumph

 

I made the same decision about 6 months ago, but the wintertime here in AZ is mild (daytime lows around 35, highs still about 55-60).

My 'commuter' car at that time was a 93 Infiniti Q45, and the maintenance on it was killing me. Fuel injectors going out, new radiator, brake lines, ABS controller, fuel pump controller, etc. After spending thousands per year on that car, I decided it was cheaper in the long run to put the miles on the car that I can trust.

My 84SE gets driven back and forth to work every day, and now my Q45 has become my wife's get around town car. Not a bad deal, and the SE isn't showing any signs of stress or wear...

 

i drive mine all over dont worry they do fine

 

With proper price controls, you would have only been out $500 each time..lol...sorry, couldn't help myself......you should have simply hit the hazards and STOPPED right on the damn highway...got out on the passenger side and took a bunch of those orange cones from the construction sites to mark out a gradual lane closing zone 100 feet behind where you stopped...Now ya know...

 

I-81 is nothing but semi's. Not a good idea to stop w/out shoulders. The spot I was in has jersey walls on either side. Screw the motor, I like my body, bones intact.
Price controls won't help now. My buddy broke into her and the motor is fried. Junkyard motors range from $700-$1,800 around here (for a 360 ci V8). Damn.

Looks like I'll be dumping $$ and running this truck for a few more years to hopefully break even. Aaargghhh!

What really sucks is I was going to package my Nikki for Sterling/Carl this weekend too! Arrrghhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I'm gonna have a big frekin gin and tonic after work, baby.

 

Damn dude, that sucks, I know how it is dumping money into cars just to keep them running (91 grand prix 175K).