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$900 Volvo Fuel Pump!

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$900 Volvo Fuel Pump!

Old 09-02-06, 01:06 AM
  #26  
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Cars suck. They suck BIG. I f****** hate cars. Not only do they cost large amounts of money for individuals; they also take up huge amounts of public resources including space, they're disastrous for the environment, and they damage the quality of life in urban areas. Are they useful in rural areas, and for specific uses that require large amounts of force? Absolutely. Does everyone need to have one to get to the mall or take the kids to soccer practice? Absolutely not.
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Old 09-02-06, 09:09 AM
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Originally Posted by trmcgeehan
I have a '93 Volvo wagon with 223,000 miles on it. The original fuel pump finally went out, and I soon learrned Volvos have TWO fuel pumps, one in the tank and one under the car. So I replaced both of them. $900 later, I was back on the road. I could have gotten a hell of a nice new bike for $900. Volvos are great cars, but when they break, they are mucho expensivo.
I remember spending 4-6 hundred dollars a year to keep my old beater running. Those were the days I never had any money to spend because after paying for insurance, gas, parking, tolls, parking tickets, and regular maintenance, there was NO money left for major repairs. In fact, I'm almost certain the OP used a credit card to make this payment so the actual amount paid will exceed $900.00 dollars after the interest is paid. If you really want to see a group of unhappy people, visit a Sears auto center and watch all those credit cards come out to pay for the costly repairs.

Today, cars are getting very expensive to repair and all the electronics bult into them are not ment to last 7-10 years. It's understood you're supposed to sell the vehicle by year 5 or acquire a new lease to avoid all the costly bills. In other words, you're required to spend the rest of your life paying the banks or you'll pay the mechanics. It's all part of the "system" designed to extract money out of your pocket for an expensive lifestyle. Count me out.

Those for us on the forum who are carfree will never have to pay for a technician ever again. We don't have to worry if the mechanic read all the "books" to do his job correctly or whether he's ripping us off by overcharging on parts and labor. We don't have to study complex repair manuals or get under a cold, dirty vehicle to save money on repairs. Thank goodness, those days are over because our lives are not dependant on the upkeep of an expensive engine. We have found jobs that are close and easily accessible by foot or public transportation and shopping/entertainment is done the same way. Our lives are simpler and we prefer it that way. Carfree for life.
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Old 09-02-06, 05:10 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Dahon.Steve
Those for us on the forum who are carfree will never have to pay for a technician ever again. We don't have to worry if the mechanic read all the "books" to do his job correctly or whether he's ripping us off by overcharging on parts and labor. We don't have to study complex repair manuals or get under a cold, dirty vehicle to save money on repairs. Thank goodness, those days are over because our lives are not dependant on the upkeep of an expensive engine. We have found jobs that are close and easily accessible by foot or public transportation and shopping/entertainment is done the same way. Our lives are simpler and we prefer it that way. Carfree for life.
What a whiner. Cars aren't much more complicated than bicycles, just bigger. A Haynes manual costs about as much as the Zinn book I got. Cold and dirty? How warm and clean is your bicycle? My life IS dependent on the upkeep of an expensive engine - I tore my heel open when I got in a wreck (pedal snapped) two days ago, and I can't ride. I could go to the doctor, or I can keep putting neosporin on it and hope it gets better. I could drive a car, if I had one. Car free is hardly carefree. Life requires more planning, more forethought, and more effort.
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Old 09-02-06, 05:44 PM
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Precisely. A mechanical device is a mechanical device, each has their own advantages, disadvantages, and operating conditions... So unless an individual is actually making valid, quantifiable statements about how they operate, it's just opinion, which is fine, but not something to base an entire lifestyle around. Besides, there's no point in being reactionary, it just discredits an otherwise good idea. Just use the tool for whatever purpose you deem fit, if you feel it can be improved, then do it. Otherwise, STFU n3wb1!1eleven!
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Old 09-02-06, 06:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Eatadonut
Car free is hardly carefree. Life requires more planning, more forethought, and more effort.
Agreed.

I did the planning, forethought and effort to become carfree. The good news was it didn't require much thinking or sacrifice at all and I found it quite simple. If becoming carfree was phsically difficult, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I'm not the smartest guy in the world but I found going carfree as simple as moving from one town to the next. In fact, if becoming car free ment changing jobs or traveling across the country, I would have done it.
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Old 09-02-06, 08:18 PM
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A few years ago when I was really into cars, I bought a replacement fuel pump for my '72 El Camino for $11.


And by the way, I find working on cars to be one of the most miserable experiences known to man. I felt that way even when I liked cars!
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Old 09-03-06, 01:47 AM
  #32  
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Originally Posted by Eatadonut
Cars aren't much more complicated than bicycles, just bigger.
Hey, one word is missing in your sentence! Let me rewrite that for you:

Originally Posted by Eatadonut
Rhoades Cars aren't much more complicated than bicycles, just bigger.


Now it makes sense.
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Old 09-06-06, 12:59 PM
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Originally Posted by Runaway Cyclist
Hey, one word is missing in your sentence! Let me rewrite that for you:





Now it makes sense.
Exposed driveline says what?
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Old 09-06-06, 02:53 PM
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I bought my volvo for $500... put about $250 into parts (labor myself... brickboards.com is a good resource) and then sold it after 3 years (and a major speeding ticket) to a freind for $425. All in all a good experience, although I'm happier now without a car altogether... I let my fiancee worry about all the car stuff!

car-lite is nice, especially when the you're the lite and the significant other is the car half!

foreign parts are expensive. Find the nearest junkyard.
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Old 09-10-06, 03:30 PM
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Since many people here seem unaware, repair time is not based on actual time but on an industry standard book that gives times for various repairs (don't remember the name). So even if the mechanic is an imbicle and it takes him double the time to do the repair, you should still be charged the same unless you're paying for them to diagnose a problem. (parents used to own a transmission shop, fyi)
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Old 02-16-10, 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by bmclaughlin807
My entire ENGINE cost me less than that! Damn.
But it's noot a fuel pump. Replacing the engine will still give you a car that won't run
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Old 02-16-10, 08:37 PM
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Originally Posted by bragi
Cars suck. They suck BIG. I f****** hate cars. Not only do they cost large amounts of money for individuals; they also take up huge amounts of public resources including space, they're disastrous for the environment, and they damage the quality of life in urban areas. Are they useful in rural areas, and for specific uses that require large amounts of force? Absolutely. Does everyone need to have one to get to the mall or take the kids to soccer practice? Absolutely not.
the closest mall to my house is 50 miles (one way) and the community soccer fields are several miles out of town on a gravel road. i'm sure all the kids would appreciate the pre game warm up.

have you ever considered the urban sprawl that would take place if cars all the sudden disappeared? cities would become huge and commutes would get longer and longer. not only that but career mobility would be severely limited. right now i could take a job 30+ miles a day without relocating but if i were restricted to a bike i would have to relocate. its IMPOSSIBLE to ride 30 miles in snow over your bottom bracket. you also cant just say "call in" either because everyone would. i think the last survey my company did, something like 50% of the 1500 employees commuted more than 30 miles one way. the small towns they come from also have no businesses so other employment is not an option. public transportation would also not be an option. there are not enough "common routes" to make a transportation system efficient or economically feasible.

if i lived in a warmer urban area i would probably go "car lite" an sell my daily driver (i will always have a car to tinker with), but for now i feel blessed that i have a truck that got me through 250mi of snow and ice last night and a car in the garage that i can spend my summer weekends restoring, modifying, and racing (legally on a closed track)

Last edited by thirdgenbird; 02-16-10 at 08:59 PM.
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Old 02-16-10, 08:48 PM
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How Much?

My bicycle needs new brake pads. Today I changed one of the V-brake caliper arms because a spring broke on the old one. After putting it together and adjusting the brakes I see that the pads need to be changed. What will that cost? I'll be able to tell people I got a brake job for $20.00.

My Alivio rear shifter isn't shifting. That will cost more to fix and I've never done it before. I'll bring it into the shop. Then I'll be able to tell people I got a transmission rebuild for $50.00 including parts.

While at the grocery store I talked to a shopping cart attendant. We talked about bicycles and how much they cost. He told me that a set of tires for his tuner car cost about $900.00. That's 90 hours of work for him assuming he's earning $10.00 per hour collecting shopping carts.
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Old 02-16-10, 09:05 PM
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Originally Posted by Smallwheels
While at the grocery store I talked to a shopping cart attendant. We talked about bicycles and how much they cost. He told me that a set of tires for his tuner car cost about $900.00. That's 90 hours of work for him assuming he's earning $10.00 per hour collecting shopping carts.
this is not necessarily a fair argument about the "cost of cars". i bought new high quality aftermarket wheels AND tires for BOTH my car and truck for less than a Bora Ultra wheelset.

thats 8 17in wheels, 4 low profile performance tires, and 4 35in tall 12in wide truck tires (installed) all for the cost of two 700c wheels without tires.(not installed)

back on topic, as much as a campagnolo fan as i am, $900 for two fuel pumps installed beats the socks off of a $200 bottle cage.

Last edited by thirdgenbird; 02-16-10 at 09:14 PM.
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Old 02-17-10, 05:32 PM
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Transmission Repair

Originally Posted by Smallwheels
My Alivio rear shifter isn't shifting. That will cost more to fix and I've never done it before. I'll bring it into the shop. Then I'll be able to tell people I got a transmission rebuild for $50.00 including parts.
I got this repaired today. The cable was sticking and a bit rusted due to getting exposed to slush and road chemicals. It cost $6.00 including labor. So my transmission repair cost $6.00. What's the lowest price repair for a car transmission? Probably more.
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Old 02-17-10, 05:40 PM
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Wonderful. the worst thread in the history of the forum has been dug up from the grave...again!

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Last edited by Roody; 02-17-10 at 05:44 PM.
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Old 02-17-10, 07:12 PM
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wow shame on me for not noticing its age. i just saw it on the "whats new" page
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Old 02-18-10, 05:36 PM
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Originally Posted by thirdgenbird
wow shame on me for not noticing its age. i just saw it on the "whats new" page
It should be on the "who forgot to take out the trash" page.
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Old 02-19-10, 01:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Dahon.Steve
Agreed.

I did the planning, forethought and effort to become carfree. The good news was it didn't require much thinking or sacrifice at all and I found it quite simple. If becoming carfree was phsically difficult, I wouldn't have been able to do it. I'm not the smartest guy in the world but I found going carfree as simple as moving from one town to the next. In fact, if becoming car free ment changing jobs or traveling across the country, I would have done it.
Becoming car free for me meant changing jobs and moving which I did within three months, that was 7 years ago and it was one of the best things that I did. I could have spent year after year complaining about the distance I was commuting but one day I just decided enough was enough and things had to change. When I started the process it was scary but things just got easier and easier. I feel pretty sorry for people who think there's no other way to live, but if more people started to make the decision to go car free or car light, business and government would have to respond but while people continue to believe they can go on living into what has now become 'indentured servitude' to car payments, gas, insurance, parking, etc.. there is a polarization that is taking place between the wealthy (the small group who aren't that affected by car costs) and the middle class who are now pretty much 'working poor'. Those of us who are car free/light and have jobs seem to be out in left field, we may not be rich but we're usually not poor and like good survivalists seem to be able to hold our own during this time of change. Of course we're now being looked at with fear and resentment by some, kind of like the people on the Titanic that managed to make there way to the lifeboats. We all make choices. Where to live, what to drive, etc.. If things start to become untenable we always have the choice to change, whether it is our jobs, where we live, whatever. Like those poor dudes who are trying to farm the desert in Ethiopia, yea you feel sorry for them; but you know what? the smart ones left a long time ago..
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Old 02-19-10, 08:29 AM
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Originally Posted by thirdgenbird
have you ever considered the urban sprawl that would take place if cars all the sudden disappeared? cities would become huge and commutes would get longer and longer.
That's quite a straw-man argument. But, assuming such a carmageddon, probably just the opposite would happen. Cities would become compact and dense. People would get apartments close to rail lines, the main streets might be filled with wagons, carts and bicycles. Like Bejing till recently. Suburbs would be maybe 5-10 miles out of downtown just like they were in the 19th century. Life would go on.
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Old 02-19-10, 09:38 AM
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you are forgeting about millions of americans that live in rural areas being car free here is not practical. if cars disapeared, small town usa would likely die and cities would over populate.

Last edited by thirdgenbird; 02-19-10 at 09:43 AM.
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Old 02-19-10, 09:47 AM
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you're also ignoring job flexability. if the company across atlanta offered me a job i would be in for a HUGE commute. housing prices close to buisnesses would also sky rocket...
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Old 02-19-10, 09:52 AM
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married couples would also be swayed to work close together as well, not where they fit best. (sorry my phone limits post size)

edit:
sorry, i shouldnt post here. this thread proves nothing changes.

Last edited by thirdgenbird; 02-19-10 at 10:21 AM.
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Old 02-19-10, 10:43 AM
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Originally Posted by Roody
Wonderful. the worst thread in the history of the forum has been dug up from the grave...again!
Can you explain how this is the worst thread in the history of this forum?

Originally Posted by thirdgenbird
edit:
sorry, i shouldnt post here. this thread proves nothing changes.
If you so care to change the forum, stick around.

Let's all hug and go back to posting our opinions, ideas, stories, etc without getting our emotions wrapped up in an internet forum.
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Old 02-19-10, 01:31 PM
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i mean i should quit posting in the car free subforum. i am a young single guy that does travel via bike in the summer but i still own a car AND truck. why? because its a passion and hobby.
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