By Christopher Smith
Getting to know the SHO
Buying a cheap used car for daily duty—especially a sub-$1000 performance ride—is almost always a roll of the dice, but that’s exactly what I did in part one of this series. For some reason, the masochistic side of my personality loves the risk. Chalk it up to adrenaline or the thrill of the challenge, but it’s definitely part of what makes cheap car challenges so much fun. There are always surprises to be had. And, as with any new relationship, it takes time to uncover all those little mysteries and secrets. The Old ’89 is no exception, though I’m pleased to offer a positive report after nearly a month behind the wheel.
First things first—what was the “minor” issue that allowed me to get this car for less than a grand? The symptoms were pretty much just as the previous owner described—a severe miss after about a half hour of operation, though the miss was more like a severe bucking of the engine similar to someone learning to drive a stick for the first time. It would occur at any speed and get worse with lower revs, and the condition was so severe that it was all I could do to limp six miles back to the homestead once it finally started to act up. In the process of trying to return home, I discovered the car would usually work normally for a couple minutes after a shutdown and restart; I say usually because this procedure failed to work when I was faced with a quarter-mile ascent up a 10-percent grade. There was no way around this hill of hills, so I gave myself a run-up with the hopes of having enough speed to coast the distance if necessary. I managed a pathetic 65 miles per hour in the space of a half mile, at which point the car—as if suddenly realizing the consequences of losing momentum en route to the top—magically returned to normal operation. I charged up the hill without issue, and once I cleared the crest, the bucking promptly resumed. If ever there was a case of an inanimate object displaying sentience, this would be a top contender.
May 04, 2010
Buying a cheap used car for daily duty—especially a sub-$1000 performance ride—is almost always a roll of the dice, but that’s exactly what I did in part one of this series. For some reason, the masochistic side of my personality loves the risk. Chalk it up to adrenaline or the thrill of the challenge, but it’s definitely part of what makes cheap car challenges so much fun. There are always surprises to be had. And, as with any new relationship, it takes time to uncover all those little mysteries and secrets. The Old ’89 is no exception, though I’m pleased to offer a positive report after nearly a month behind the wheel.
First things first—what was the “minor” issue that allowed me to get this car for less than a grand? The symptoms were pretty much just as the previous owner described—a severe miss after about a half hour of operation, though the miss was more like a severe bucking of the engine similar to someone learning to drive a stick for the first time. It would occur at any speed and get worse with lower revs, and the condition was so severe that it was all I could do to limp six miles back to the homestead once it finally started to act up. In the process of trying to return home, I discovered the car would usually work normally for a couple minutes after a shutdown and restart; I say usually because this procedure failed to work when I was faced with a quarter-mile ascent up a 10-percent grade. There was no way around this hill of hills, so I gave myself a run-up with the hopes of having enough speed to coast the distance if necessary. I managed a pathetic 65 miles per hour in the space of a half mile, at which point the car—as if suddenly realizing the consequences of losing momentum en route to the top—magically returned to normal operation. I charged up the hill without issue, and once I cleared the crest, the bucking promptly resumed. If ever there was a case of an inanimate object displaying sentience, this would be a top contender.
