I'm looking for a reliable car for two grand. It has to drive in snow & be good for traveling. I plan on living in a state with black ice, rain & curvy roads. A bonus would be a hatchback with all wheel, & traction control. What car should I get?
You want a hatchback AWD for less than $2000? Ha! AWD hatchbacks are usually the realm of performance cars like the Subaru STi and you sure aren’t getting one of those for a couple grand.A price limit of a couple grand isn’t going to get you much I’m afraid. Whatever it is will end up needing work and maintenance. I’d try to find an old toyota 4x4 truck. It’ll be rusty and have a lot of miles on it but it’ll be easy to work on and keep going for a long time, not to mention being great in snow with the right tires.You might also find an old Subaru of some kind but not the sporty ones. Forester or Impreza are AWD and great in snow. Like the Toyota truck, it’ll have a lot of miles and won’t be really nice, but it’ll be in your price range.
Why do so many people in Seattle drive Subarus?
Many people in Seattle opt for Subaru’s because:They have excellent 4-wheel drive. Seattle is a city that was built on 7 hills, some of which are very steep. The topography is similar to parts of San Franscisco. In ultra-rainy, slushy or snowy weather, cars with 4-wheel drive are some of the only ones which can get around town.Mountainous region where outdoor activities are popular - again, Subaru’s have excellent 4-wheel drive and are safer vehicles for going up to the mountain passes for snowboarding or skiing, or to camping areas. Also, they are rugged vehicles with a lot of trunk space for all your gear, and are easy to attach racks to for your bikes or skis. If you need room to pack up a pair of mountain bikes, your tent, your stove, groceries, clothes, and all of that to drive 2 - 4 hours out to go camping or something, Subaru’s have the space and will get you there safely.Reliablility - Subaru’s aren’t flashy, but they are reliable and low-maintenance. Old school Seattlites - the original grunge crowd - are not flashy people. There’s a tremendous amount of wealth in this area, but you do not see a lot of hot, flashy cars or people wearing a lot of flashy clothing or bling. Seattle culture actually looks down on that sort of thing; we’re kind of the opposite of LA or parts of Texas. Being understated and low key is looked on favorably here, as is being outdoorsy. Or at least looking outdoorsy, in your Subaru and polar fleece.
What is the best garage or mechanics around Seattle to install a big Jeep Wrangler lift?
"Best" is of course subjective, and any mechanic will at some point make someone unhappy about something. 4 Wheel Parts is pretty well respected though (www.4wheelparts.com). They are a national chain, and have shops in Lynnwood and Tacoma. I have never personally worked with the guys at North Ridge 4x4 (www.northridge4x4.com) because Silverdale is a bit further than I usually want to go, but I hear many rave reviews from Jeepers I respect. If you are in the area, I would certainly try them first. I hope this helps. Happy Jeeping!-Sky
How long does it take to repair a head gasket?
You don’t repair a head gasket, you replace it.Once I had a rally car - a bit of a ratty old junker if the truth be told - that had a 2.3 litre overhead cam engine. It was a bit like this, only this one is way nicer:Anyway I was heading off to do a rally on some Friday night. On the Thursday, the day before, I took it out for a blast around the lanes to shake down any last-minute faults, and blew the head gasket. It was too late to do anything about it that night, so next morning, I got up at the crack of dawn, stripped the engine down to the point of having the head off (it was OHC, so that involved also removing the cambox, timing belts, etc. plus the exhaust manifold, inlet manifold and carburettors) By then it was almost 9am, so I drove to the nearest big town - 25 miles away - to get a replacement head gasket set. 25 miles back, and by 10am had the head all cleaned and ready to be reassembled. Engine back together and running by 12pm, I then had to drive it 250 miles to where the rally started. It all went smoothly and I made it with plenty of time to spare.So the answer to your question, for me, on that occasion, for this car, was about 6 hours, including an hour to fetch the parts. Sometimes what you need, apart from the basic skills, which in my case don’t amount to all that much, is a great big incentive!As I recall, the rally ended in disaster, but that’s another story.
Am I required to have chains for an AWD car on the way up to Tahoe from SF?
Required by Caltrans, or need? These are two completely separate questions.A further separate question is whether or not Caltrans or CHP will check your vehicle for chains.Are they required? Yes - All 4WD / AWD vehicles are required by law to carry chains when in chain control areas (even R1 restrictions) - Winter OperationsWill they ever stop you and check? Extremely unlikely. I have never been stopped for it in a decade of Tahoe trips, and the same goes for everyone I know.Will you need them? Depends. Not likely on the highway. Caltrans usually does an incredible job of clearing the interstate and most modern AWD vehicles with at least somewhat decent tread on their “All season” tires will be able to keep moving. But, on the local roads, they may very well become necessary in order for you to move, or turn, or stop, since you didn’t mention what kind of tires you have on your vehicle - if they aren’t Continental DWS, Michelin Pilot Sport AS+, General Altimax RT43 all-seasons or Nokian WR-G3 all-weather tires, you will very easily get stuck or slide off the road in certain spots. I have passed quite a few Quattro audi’s and 4WD SUV’s sliding off the road on Highway 88 or Mt Rose Highway because their “all season” tires had no lateral grip so their fancy AWD system was useless.TL;DR - buy them, test putting them on in your driveway, and carry them along with a winter emergency kit in case you accidentally become the next Donner PartyThese are the chains I carry in my AWD Volvo with winter tires. They take about 2 minutes per side to put on and 30 seconds to take off and are worth every penny.Amazon.com: Thule 2004205090 9mm CG9 Premium Passenger Car Snow Chain, Size 090 (Sold in pairs): Automotive
Which is the best car repair garage in Dubai?
There are many good car repair garages around Dubai, Who provide service & repair’s in different makes/models, among st them one is our car repair workshop Motrox - Auto RepairingWe deal with Germans, British, American, Japanese, Korean, French and many other brands.We are located in Al quoz 4 Dubai here’s the location - Motrox Auto Repairing We also offer vehicle pick up and drop servicecall or email to book your service 0588225563/ contact@motroxautorepair.comBelow are some glimpse of our workBentley mulsanne shock balloon replacement, Audi Q7 engine overhaulingBmw x-5 twin turbo minor serviceVolwswagen Touareg drive shaft replacementLand Rover LR 3 water pump replacementAudi Q7 and BMW X5 minor serviceAudi R8 Ac workRolls Royce phantom interior workJeep Wrangler Ac workMercedes Slk 550 Converitble repairRange Rover suspension workBMW 530i electric power steering assembly replacementJaguar F-Type brake workMercedes G wagon Minor serviceRange Rover engine cooling fan replacementEngine Repair, Overhaul and RebuildOver Heating Diagnosis & RepairTransmission Repair & ReplacementBrake Repair & ReplacementSuspension System RepairShock and Struts ReplacementSteering System RepairElectrical DiagnosticsComputer Diagnostic TestingAir Conditioning A/C RepairBattery ReplacementAlternator & Charging System RepairBulbs and Fuses ReplacementEngine Cooling System RepairFuel System RepairVehicle Preventative MaintenanceVehicle Condition ReportPre-Purchase Inspection“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that. Word of mouth is very powerful” and we believe in that .ThanksFaiz K..!
What's the penalty for driving a right-handed car in the U.S.?
The position of the steering wheel is no (legal) problem, but you do need to make sure that the headlight beam pattern is correct for driving on the right side of the road. Headlight beams are designed to cut off at the center of the road to avoid blinding oncoming drivers, but provide more illumination to the shoulder of the road in case there are obstacles (or animals) there that you need to avoid. Swapping sides, your headlights now illuminate the wrong area.Various solutions to the headlight beam problem exist, from things as simple as carefully-placed stickers on the headlight lens, to fully replacing the bulb and lens assembly. Failing to do something about it isn't guaranteed to get you in legal trouble, but if your lights shine in a police officer's eyes at night you may get a citation. There may also be problems if there is an inspection when you try to register the imported vehicle.