in anyone's experience: is going for the 4wd vs 2wd better/worse? seems like everything 2wd is RWD, which where I live, could get dicey
4WD is better for resale, and if you live where it gets icy you’re absolutely gonna need it. It’s that, or sand bags and/or kitty litter in the bed to improve traction. Actually, kitty litter is a good thing to have on hand anyway if you get stuck. Obviously everyone has their own financials to worry about, but I would absolutely go 4WD if you are even considering it. Just my opinion. There’s some serious gear heads on this board who can chime in though.
I'd say go for it... better to have it and not need it and need it and not have it kind of thing. Sure, it adds to the complexity of shit that could go wrong and have to be fixed, but I'd take it into a shop to have it looked at. Figure out the maintenance schedule for the vehicle, see if there's something major coming up that could be $$$. (This is a motivator for some people to sell their cars... major engine maintenance like timing belts, or transfer case rebuild, etc, that is not cheap). Have someone who knows those vehicles take it for a drive... see how well it shifts into 4wd, and how it drives once it's there... you want someone with experience to be able to say "woah, that's not right". If you're not going to take it to a shop, have the guy switch from 2WD to 4WD Low to be sure that it actually does... I had a guy try to sell me a Jeep once who had a fucked up transfer case. I asked him to switch to 4w low and he pulled the "not sure how to, I've never done it". "Well then, let's pull the instruction manual out of the glove box and give it a go". He then came clean that it was fucked and needed a rebuild. Fuck that guy. Don't be taken in by one of those guys.
Got some color on her. You can't tell in the pictures, but the roof is white with the slightest green pearl. Being cut and buffed and then the interior will start going in. Also redid most of the air ride. Added a better compressor and an additional tank. Old system would raise so s-l-o-w
Fuck me running. Should I pull the trigger? 2005 Roush Mustang Stage II. Supercharged. 415 hp. Manual transmission. The bad: Rebuilt title. 114K. The good: $8K. I'm leaning towards "Fuck it" and buying it despite the rebuilt title. I love my Camaro, but I'd consider selling it for this. That rebuilt title worries me.
A few texts exchanged with the seller and I've learned the car was totaled at 113K. I'm guessing it was a front end hit, Roushs had a GT front end. This car doesn't have GT grille. I'll check it out tomorrow and figure out what I'm going to do.
If it's from a guy that does this for a living, rebuilds salvaged cars, then he probably saw something good in it that made it worth his risk. It sounds like that kind of situation, with only 1,000 miles since its accident, someone picked it up and put it back together for a profit. That probably won't help resale value but might give you a little peace of mind. I've been shopping mustangs, it really doesn't sound like a fantastic price to me. I'm a couple thousand miles away so our markets might be different.
Wonder if the airbags deployed and the cost associated with them put it beyond fixing costs for the insurance company?
After (Soberly) educating myself a bit more on Roush 'stangs, I agree with you. The seller quoted the HP specs for the supercharged model, and this one is definitely not the supercharged model. This is basically a glorified GT. A wrecked glorified GT. I think I'll pass.
I've got an issue. You might recall me posting when I got back from my trip that my car had a fucked up idle as soon as I hit town. I wrote it off as the car just made a hard run across the desert. The next morning the idle was fine. A few days later it threw a CEL, but it was still running fine. Then Wed. on my way home, the fucked up idle came back. It was 104 degrees, so I figured it had to be a line somewhere swelling up with the heat....kind of a repeat of the run across the desert. The next morning it was popping and misfiring. They told me the air intake elbow was cracked, which made perfect sense...ie....it would act up at high temps. I drove off with my rough idle , but the CEL was at least off. I ordered a new elbow and had it sent next day air. I went in today and had them replace it. And I waited. And waited. And waited. Finally the manager comes and starts babbling at me about needing to do a compression check. In 20K miles the car has never used a drop of oil, I don't think a compression check is necessary. So they button the car back up and I go start it up. It's worse then ever and the CEL is back. I only drove the car maybe 5-8 miles with the fucked up idle, so I doubt I've fouled a plug. The engine runs out fine, no loss of power and no backfiring. It just idles like it has a monster sized cam in it....literally rocking the car and almost dying when I pull to a stop. It's also still showing the normal revs at idle. Could it possibly be some weird MAF issue? I know usually when the MAF goes bad the car just won't rev. It's a shot in the dark, but other then that I'm drawing a blank. Any ideas?
Possible vac leak? Some piece of plastic or hose dry out in the heat and crack? What was the CEL code? I know your car is pre-OBD but I think there is a way to still check it. In my old 1986 Silverado, I would put a jumper lead and count the number of times the CEL flashed.
My car is OBD II. My first thought also was vac line, it's always been a vac line when the CEL lights up and it's never affected the car's running. Not sure what code it's throwing, but that's how they traced it to the air intake elbow as the culprit. I did a little searching on a 4th gen forum about MAF issues and came across this: "There is a code for an MAF sensor that is not working at all, but not for an MAF sensor that is inaccurate. When you unplug the MAF sensor, the PCM defaults to speed-density, allowing it to calculate the mass air flow based on RPM, MAP and IAT. If it runs better, it would be pointing to an inaccurate MAF sensor." His next sentence is what caught my attention: "Is it possible there is a tear in the rubber elbow between the MAF sensor and the throttle body, or that the bottom of the rubber elbow is not fully on the throttle body? That will throw the MAF sensor readings off." I'm thinking I may try unplugging the MAF in the morning, but it still doesn't sound like any MAF issue I've encountered before.
Are you sure that they replaced the elbow, and didn't just say they did? Can you go to an auto parts store and have them read the codes for you, and you tell us what they are?? For the record, I DO NOT think you need a compression check. That's going to cost the same OR MORE than a tune-up.
I completely agree about the compression check, that's why I told them "No. Give me my car back." They did replace the elbow, the only difference is the sound suppressor tube wasn't hooked up. (It's a 93-95 GM elbow, and the suppressor tube inlet is blocked off. I did have them drill a hole for the Opti Spark vent tube though.) One other thing I forgot to mention, on the way back home on my trip, above 95 mph the car sounded different. Like louder, definite change in engine tone, rougher. And when I de-accelerated it was like I was on bad road. The car would shake and make unfamiliar noises until I got to about 87 or so. I don't know if that's a design flaw with the car or a symptom of something going bad. I really do need to quit reading possible scenerios on other message boards. It's like reading WebMD when you have a headache and convincing yourself you have brain cancer.
Do you think it could be a crank position sensor or cam sensor? I know the optispark is different and those sensors either may not be there or don't serve the same function they do on other engines. I had a crank sensor connection just get dirty and it would cause a rough idle. Disconnect, clean it and plug it back in and it would last another year or so.
This morning the car is idling fine. I unplugged the MAF and blew out the connection. It warmed up to 220 or so and the idle stayed perfect. I'll go by Autozone and have them clear the code and see what happens.