Remember that the Volt is a four seater, and thought the hatch is great for hauling stuff, it's not a big car. Having said that, first gen Volts appear to be even more reliable than gravity and we love ours. I can't begin to say enough things about them as appliances.
We have also sold a couple of cars after they don't pass the emotional reliability test. Whether they're reliable or not isn't the issue, it's how my wife feels abo ut them when she gets behind the wheel with kids on board.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Good to hear about your Volt. I know a couple of other members have them as well. I haven't done an exhaustive search, but I can't recall hearing anything negative about them regarding reliability. Seems like most people really like them. I'm really drawn to a plug in hybrid, which is a little weird to say. The all electric range really appeals to me compared to a more traditional hybrid. I think it would just come down to physical fitment and ergonomics really. Do you have any idea how they age? I've read that GM basically overbuilt the battery system which is comforting, but I'm not sure what a reasonable expectation is for lifespan.
MadScientistMatt said:STM317 said:In reply to Appleseed :
Probably not one that I'd be as comfortable with. But if it's not going to be a cheap, easy fix does it make sense to spend several hundred or more on a truck that will only be worth $2500? It's still going to have 17 year old truck issues after fixing whatever is currently wrong. Clear coat is struggling, drivers seat is torn, AC doesn't hold a charge, engine front cover seeps oil, etc. I could probably fix it all for less than what I'm looking to spend on a new vehicle, but I'll have spent far more than the truck is worth and I'd have a vehicle that can't fit the family.
Between how much work it needs, the lack of time to perform such repairs yourself, and that it doesn't seem to fit your needs in the near future, I'd vote for replacing over repair.
My initial reaction was to repair, but I think I'm slowly coming around to this line of thinking.
I would do some more diagnostics on the truck. It'll give you a better idea of repair/replace, and you'll likely need to either fix the issue to sell it, or discount the truck significantly. So, I think putting a little time into it is worthwhile.
With that being said, it sounds like if you have other trucks in the fleet to handle truck duty, it's probably time to move on from it. We bought a minivan right before our second child was born because our '00 Saab 9-3 wouldn't fit two rear-facing seats, and we haven't looked back since.
What all is in the fleet? You have her car, your truck, and another truck? Seems like you could could cut the Ranger loose and find something better to fit the current needs.
We ran into the same thing, where we wanted to only have one family hauler, but we found there were several times when not having a vehicle that could pick up both kids was a giant PITA. When I rode a motorcycle as a commuter it was a crap storm when something happened and I needed to do a kid pickup or drop off.
I say cut a truck loose and get something that can commute and pick up mini-STM317 when needed.
octavious said:What all is in the fleet? You have her car, your truck, and another truck? Seems like you could could cut the Ranger loose and find something better to fit the current needs.
We ran into the same thing, where we wanted to only have one family hauler, but we found there were several times when not having a vehicle that could pick up both kids was a giant PITA. When I rode a motorcycle as a commuter it was a crap storm when something happened and I needed to do a kid pickup or drop off.
I say cut a truck loose and get something that can commute and pick up mini-STM317 when needed.
Current fleet is:
2013 Santa Fe- MrsSTM's daily and the family truckster
2001 Ranger- STM's cheap, beater daily
2000 Ranger- STM's racetruck
1964 Nova- STM's inherited long term project
1972 Chevy Longbed- Mrs STM's family heirloom
I'm coming to the same conclusion as you have. I'm going to keep tinkering with the daily enough to get it sellable and then move on. A cheap truck is great, but something with a backseat will be a better fit for the growing family.
I did have a chance to mess around on the truck this weekend. My month old coil pack was producing no spark on cylinders 2 and 3, causing the severe misfire that I'd experienced (Hat tip to VIGO!). After replacing it, there was still a random misfire present (PO300) just as there had been before the coil pack failed, but the severity is vastly improved. I cleared the code, and it didn't come back on my commute this morning, but I can still feel a misfire randomly.
I only had 1 spark plug handy after the coil swap, so I replaced the worst one (cylinder #2). I've got more plugs coming, even though they've been replaced once during this saga, and will probably replace the wires as well in the coming days.
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