An idea: the maggot-mobile

[Mulletizer]

I am coming to the US in a few weeks for a road-trip from Tahoe to Seattle. In case you missed them, my blatherings about it are here.

Only problem is, hiring a car at my age (24) and for that period (a month) costs STUPID money. So I am going to buy something old, pray it holds together and head for the snow.

It was suggested on the other thread that (rather than offloading it on Craigslist or ebay when I am done) this could become a maggot road trip car passed from deluded internet loser geek skier to deluded internet geek skier. This seemed like a beautiful idea to me, especially if my money ends up going to a good use rather than mostly being lost due to selling in a hurry.

What do maggots think about this? Is it a stupid enough idea that it might work? Anyone going to need a cheap car in the PNW from the 13th March?

Advice on where to get a car and how to insure it would be much appreciated. And if you have a car that fits the bill (nearly worthless but got some life in it, in the Reno/Tahoe area) please make yourself know.

Cars spotted so far:

1988 Suby wagon, doesn't go uphill.
Another Suby. Note choice mirror.
Ugly-ass motorhome. Prolly smells of mould.

[crashnburn'd]

Remember, you'll need insurance and registration.

[bad_roo]

It's OK. He has a licence to thrill.

[Cornholio]

"need" is such a harsh word... (kidding)

Anyway, the first suby looks promising if you could arrange with a Tahoe mechanic for a new tranny install.

[300hp]

even though the first one has a better body, trust me, you don't want to swap trannys on a suby if you're trying to stay under a budget. The tranny swap is at least 7-8hrs labor by someone who works on alot of the cars. It took 3 people 10hrs or so to do mine. Take the OG XT turbo and drive it till the doors fall off.
Hunter

[powstash]

Remember, you'll need insurance and registration.

Nah, he'll fit right in with all the illegial aliens.

[MOHSHSIHd]

dude, it has turbo painted on the side...thats a must buy


oh and you can get some super cheap insurance that dosent cover you for anything really, just makes you legal to be on the road...

[crashnburn'd]

The insurance/registration piece was more for whoever the caretaker of the car would be... It's easy to get it started, but would be a pain if the car was passed around.

[Mulletizer]

dude, it has turbo painted on the side...thats a must buy


oh and you can get some super cheap insurance that dosent cover you for anything really, just makes you legal to be on the road...

Sounds cool. Any advice where to get it? Do you need to get it in the state where the car's registered?

Those cars weren't really serious suggestions, just stuff pulled off craigslist fairly abritrarily.

What's the deal with insurance/registration? Would want the minimum - ie 3rd party only. Does the car need to be registered/insured by a state resident?

Cheers,

Mullet

[300hp]

thought about this again. I'm on my second suby and have had 2 older jeeps in my posession as well. Hows about an 84-88 Jeep cherokee? Get something with the 4.0 Inline six motor. I see these go in my area for between 300-600 in good mechanical condition. They're pretty much unstoppable. As an upside when compared to the suby, there are a bazillion cherokees on the road, any mechanic can fix them and parts including full motors are very cheap.
HTH
Hunter

[splat]

Just called the local transmission shop for you on that, $3300 to replace the tranny.

[Blurred]

Chilton Manual=$15

Used transmission from junkyard=$250

30 pack of pbr=$17

8 hours later=a car worth $2000

[uglymoney]

Just show up, call on the first piece of shit Ford Escort, Ford ZX2 from the mid nineties, go buy it ultra cheap, drive the shit out of it, sell it ultra cheap, go home. Preferably an Escort Wagon. Cheap insurance, Subaru like roominess, ultra cop stealthiness, upper 30's mpg fuel sipping feature.

My roomate has one of these, and my mom has a 1993 Escort Wagon with over 200,000 on the clock. They;ve never fixed a thing, my roomate has done almost nothing to his either. They run, and run, but they are shitboxes and the Ford logo on a car means the depreciation is terrible (buy cheap), even though these cars have Mazda like reliability. Parts if you need them are dirt.

That is my 2 cents on a car to buy cheap for a month and resell for the same of more than you paid, whithout risk of breakdown/majorly expensive repairs to get your money back.

[hop]

I'll second the Ford Escort on the gas sipping, cop stealthing, reliable* fronts.

We've got a wagon and a hatchback at work and they're both beat to shit yet still fun to drive.


*by reliable I mean that it will always start and run, but your door handles, window rollers, radio knobs, etc. will probably fall off.

[bcrider]

Hey what ever happened to the “maggot camera” idea?

[bad_roo]

It's fixed under Frozen's desk.

[PlayHarder]

Suby's are grocery getters, a maggot vehicle should be something like this:

[DaveTV]

If you are not a resident, how do you register it and get title?

[Mulletizer]

If you are not a resident, how do you register it and get title?

This I am wondering about. Is there a way?

[assgasorgrass]

This rig is across the street from my house. 1983. The lady says "it sticks in 4th gear and is hard to get out sometimes". Other than that seems solid, good carb, new brakes, isn't leaking oil like a sieve, she is the second owner and has all the repair records. You might be able to get it for $350 or maybe lower.

[RootSkier]

This I am wondering about. Is there a way?

I don't think it will be that hard. To register: take it to whatever state's Department of Motor Vehicles with signed title. Pay money. They will give you a temporary license to tape to your window.

Proceed to any insurance company. Buy cheapest insurance (monthly) which is legal in that state.

I don't believe you need to be a resident to register a vehicle in any state I have lived in. They are happy to take your money. The insurance place won't even ask to see a driver's license, probably.

[crashnburn'd]

I don't believe you need to be a resident to register a vehicle in any state I have lived in. They are happy to take your money. The insurance place won't even ask to see a driver's license, probably.

When I moved, I registered a car in NY using a MN drivers license. You don't need to be a resident, but you do need to provide some form of identification. If you have a drivers license and a passport, I'd think that would be enough. Although I really don't know.

[assgasorgrass]

I think what he would have to do is get a 30 Day Temp Registration. Probably would be a good idea to have liability insurance situated prior to registering the vehicle. The other issue is smog certificate or whatever they are called or not called in the particular place of purchase\registration.

[bc]

I think what he would have to do is get a 30 Day Temp Registration. Probably would be a good idea to have liability insurance situated prior to registering the vehicle. The other issue is smog certificate or whatever they are called or not called in the particular place of purchase\registration.

If you buy on the CA side of Tahoe, here's the story:

Smog = responsibility of seller. Make sure they have a certificate within the last 90 days before you even bother looking.

Registration = you need (1) a driver's licence from somewhere CA recognizes as legit. Pretty much any country with electricity counts. (2) ID. If US, any state DL is OK, if not, a passport will do. (3) an int'l DL can help, but isn't essential. Also, different DMV's are more likely to help than others. if one DMV won't help you, drive down the road to the next one. It's a county-by-county system. (4) $$$. Based on purchase price of the car. Make sure it is (a) currently registered, (b) has clean title (i.e., look at the title the person presents to see if it has anything like "salvage" on it) (5) time. It's relatively easy to register a car in CA, but if you don't have an appt., it could take a while.

Insurance = do it cheap. If you buy a cheap car and buy cheap insurance, you're good for like $30/mo. Just look into it ahead of time, get some phone numbers of cheap companies, and you can call one on the phone as soon as you get it and be set up in a couple minutes. Just go for the minimum coverage on the cheap car. State reciprocity means the other states in the US will accept whatever insurance you get in CA.

Further questions? ask.

good luck!

BTW, the highways in the US (at least the interstates) pretty much shut down when they have an inch of snow on them, so even though Suby's are awesome, any car that runs will do.

[bc]

FYI: car registration is totally state-by-state. You're good until your (annual) registration expires. So, say, you register a car in Oregon for like $30 a year, you can drive it in NY or CA for the next 12 months without paying $500 CA prices. Totally based on purchase price, of course. CA is still cheap if your car costs $200. FYI.