I got no car and it's breaking my heart...

What do you think of when you hear "vintage car"?

A '57 Chevy? A Model T? For me it's a 1964 Cobra, my favorite car EVER.

But to consider a 1997 Ford Ranger amongst those ranks seems to me a bit premature. And, yet, that's what Ford is telling me about my truck and the parts I need to fix the housing on my gas tank.

I'm sitting in a McDonalds near the North Aurora Auto Mall simply because I'm stuck here. I am truckless for the next several days while Ford looks for a replacement part that is less expensive than the $275 they were quoted for a single metal strap. And I need two of them because the other, while not broken, is thoroughly rusted and on borrowed time. The guys at Wal-Mart took me in the shop and showed me it firsthand last night. Not pretty.

Why $275? Because Ford no longer manufactures it. The dealer would need to buy it from a vintage parts supplier. This is a part that, when readily available, only cost $60.

If other parts that I may need for future repairs are similarly deprecated, it may seriously be time to shop for a new vehicle. Much sooner than I had wanted.

FML.

Previous Post

The sky won't fall forever...

Feb 18
Remember a few weeks ago when I had that near-miss in my truck and I was griping about black ice and road salt? I also said that nothing much happened to my truck. Turns out that's not entirely the case....
Next Post

Beep beep mmm beep beep yeah...

Feb 19
Two posts in one day! Well, things have changed since my earlier post. In addition to the two straps for my gas tank, the brackets that connect my rear suspension to the frame have rusted through. There are two brackets...

Comments

You can follow this conversation by subscribing to the comment feed for this post.

Sybil Law

My husband finds parts for cars online ALL the time. Every type of make, model and year. Or he goes to a junkyard.

kapgar


At least he has the know-how to do the work. Not I. 

The comments to this entry are closed.