[vineethvazhayil]

Originally Posted by bhardwhu

After a long search, I have finally been able to get hold of a car for self. This is Hyundai Accent, 2 Door, 1.6L. The highlight is that it has done 37000 miles, pretty low by US standards. The deal has been closed within 4 hours of this old lady posting this on craigslist as I was apprehensive if somebody else would buy it even before I did. At 38000 miles, it needs a timing belt change though. I am wondering if that could be accomplished by myself or is it better to take it to a workshop? The stated expense is about 500, which I consider is steep. Any ideas?

Regards

Himanshu

And for the change itself, it would be better if you get it done outside - it is not a simple oil change or anything simple of that sort. Like Jeroen mentions, mistakes on this install can be very expensive.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Are you sure about that? Usually it's more like 60.000 mils, so you might want to check. The owners manual should tell you.

Usually it is more like 100k miles - maybe the belt has worn out because the car wasn't used enough.

[bhardwhu]

Originally Posted by vineethvazhayil

And for the change itself, it would be better if you get it done outside - it is not a simple oil change or anything simple of that sort. Like Jeroen mentions, mistakes on this install can be very expensive.

Thank vineethvazhayil and Jeroen. The car was regularly serviced and the owner has all the records. The timing belt is scheduled to be changed at 39000, according to the manual. Do you think I could go on without a change in this car of 2008 vintage?

Also, if somebody could guide me - I have shifted my residence from Ohio to Indiana on a temporary basis for now. Depending on the project, it might get extended to 1 year or more. Do I need to change my driving license and motorcycle title? If not, can I register the car at Indiana since it is purchased here and have two vehicles from different state and different insurances?

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

How would Jiffylube compare to Walmart and Pepboys? The usual impression on the net is that chain stores are always more expensive than local garages. But I have not idea about local garages.

I am scared of taking my car to Jiffylube, even for an oil change. Too many horror stories around on the net from those who have gone there.

[tanstaafl]

I will have to agree with amitoj. Better to stay away from Jiffylube, Walmart and Pepboys. All the techs who work there are not bad, of course. But it is a crapshoot as to the level of experience of the tech who ends up working on your car.

My city driving rant is about people having trouble maintaining their lane while turning. I now never take a turn parallel to any other car.

Originally Posted by balajird

It gets tricky when the other guy is actually driving a big a** vehicle and you are left with no choice except to tailgate.... :P

Sorry, but there is no situation under which that is a valid choice.

[balajird]

Originally Posted by tanstaafl

Sorry, but there is no situation under which that is a valid choice.

It was a sarcasm rather than a recommended driving method, I would prefer to stick the "travel" lane rather than the "passing" lane.

[amitoj]

Dodge has certainly set the bar a little higher with their 707 HP Hellcat Challenger!
http://jalopnik.com/the-707-hp-dodge...ond-1603567665

The fastest muscle car. Ever!
Its a 10 second daily driver!!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iYol7m3WjGQ

It is so refreshing to see a manufacturer turn their backs on the electric/hybrid mosquito buzzing cars and come up with raw brute powwaaaah!!

[Jomz]

Originally Posted by bhardwhu

e?

Also, if somebody could guide me - I have shifted my residence from Ohio to Indiana on a temporary basis for now. Depending on the project, it might get extended to 1 year or more. Do I need to change my driving license and motorcycle title? If not, can I register the car at Indiana since it is purchased here and have two vehicles from different state and different insurances?

Have registered cars In Indiana with a Michigan license. They are fine with it. Indiana does not need to change out of state licenses till you have Indiana residency- which is after 6 months of staying.

You need to update your address on your insurance though. Not doing that is insurance fraud.

Reason being :- Insurance rates are calculated based on address at which the car is parked. you don't want to give them an address at a cheaper location and then park at a high risk location.

[maddy42]

Finally thanks to a quick decision and some push from my friends and family i was able to cross the chasm of buying a bike. I was able to buy a 09 Ducati monster 696 with 18k miles on it today.

Started with looking on craigslist for used sv650, triumph bonneville(Hard to come by and maintains value) and monsters. In between my mind would jump to the Gixxers too but then i wanted something which i could probably handle.

Got a good looking bike, got decent papers, with the previous owner getting it from a college kid. There was not much the guy could give me but he did all the work and cleaned up the bike, did the services on it and maintained it and was giving it to get on a 900ss project.

Overall goosebumps, i will be picking the bike up in a hour. Need to get the helmet and jacket shopping done. Wish me luck and i am really excited and anxious on this vehicle.

Got it for about 5k. Is it a good buy?

This is the link to the ad listed below.
http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/mcy/4545801994.html


Maddy

[autonarr]

Originally Posted by devarshi84

How would Jiffylube compare to Walmart and Pepboys? The usual impression on the net is that chain stores are always more expensive than local garages. But I have not idea about local garages.

Sometimes the chain stores do try to push you into adding on services that you may not need, and also push you to buy wiper blades, etc.

From my experience, the Jiffylube franchise I went to was reasonably priced. But if you have a Walmart nearby with an auto center, that should be a better option. But be prepared for a long wait- it may be by design, as they do want you to shop at their main store

[maddy42]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Finally thanks to a quick decision and some push from my friends and family i was able to cross the chasm of buying a bike. I was able to buy a 09 Ducati monster 696 with 18k miles on it today.

Ok got some pics of the delivery time.





Current experience. Its an amazing experience riding it and the amount of attention you get over driving. Bikers waving at you feels good.

Bike gets hot so i need to figure how to reduce that.

Also could someone give a tip of opening up the apartment automatic gates. I stood for 5 mins and nothing happened!!!

Got suited up and need to get used to the local heat. Will keep you posted.

Maddy

[Technocrat]

Congratulations, that's a sweet bike. Please share your review once you have clocked some miles on it

[VLOCT]

Congrats Maddy. Gorgeous Duc there.

Please check when the last full maintenance was done. '09 might be every 7500 miles. The earler models were every 5000 miles. This must be done. It won't be cheap but, please do not neglect to do this religiously. Please ask the previous owner about the best shop to get this done. Unfortunately, not all Duc dealers are equal. I would get any work on a Duc done only by a recommended shop, a specialist Italian or Duc shop, is preferable. I wouldn't let anyone else touch it. I will certainly stay away from mass dealerships that sell everything under the sun.

Safe riding. Please get the best gear you can afford. Have fun.

You can find pretty good deals at http://www.motorcyclecloseouts.com/?...udMaAssN8P8HAQ

[josejoseph]

Originally Posted by maddy42

Current experience. Its an amazing experience riding it and the amount of attention you get over driving. Bikers waving at you feels good.

Congrats Maddy! Enjoy the ride and the attention you get. Make sure to wear all the protective gear for safety.

Also could someone give a tip of opening up the apartment automatic gates. I stood for 5 mins and nothing happened!!!

If you don't have the remote to open the gate, there will be dialing machine next the gate where you dial the last 4 digits of your cell phone (in case you are a resident)+hash (#) or there will be a common passcode that you enter on the dialing system. I've also seen that you dial the resident's no. and they will unlock using their phone.

[balajird]

Dear NA members, I would request your opinion on a used car purchase, One of my co-worker is selling their Ford Focus SEL 2010 model car with 79000 ODO, full power options, leather and sunroof for 11K, while I don't know the person personally and have never interacted, wanted to know if the car is worth the price and should it be okay to go for a "Ford", as all this while, I have been looking at a Honda or Toyota.

I am thinking in the line of 10K if the person agrees.

Thanks for your time and advise.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by balajird

Dear NA members, I would request your opinion on a used car purchase, One of my co-worker is selling their Ford Focus SEL 2010 model car with 79000 ODO, full power options, leather and sunroof for 11K, while I don't know the person personally and have never interacted, wanted to know if the car is worth the price and should it be okay to go for a "Ford", as all this while, I have been looking at a Honda or Toyota.

I am thinking in the line of 10K if the person agrees.

Thanks for your time and advise.

These are very good cars! We had a slightly earlier version. My wife absolutely loved it. Me too. Focus is really nice to drive, easy to maintain and cheap in parts.

One the best places to get a good idea about the value is Kelly Blue Book. http://www.kbb.com
Make sure you know all the options, engine, mileage etc. it will give you an instant price for private sale or dealer trade in.
Jeroen