u/JACerKnot697

So I just bought this… lovely… little Focus. I got it for a pretty steep discount and now I’m realizing why. I did look it over and did a thorough test drive. And everything checked out. Though it was a bit rusty in places, but nothing crazy for the rust belt. But then I noticed a musty smell. And the radio was dead. Nothing big, I just replaced the ACM and it’s great now. But I noticed a bunch of dust behind the dash. Like, dirt dust. But the final straw was this morning as I pulled up the carpet to run some wire to a sub. The carpet under the plastic vapor barrier is sopping wet. Just drenched. I don’t know how worried I should be. I’m definitely pulling the interior out and maybe putting in a carpet from a junkyard car that’s less musty. And I’m already taking preventative care with the rust treating every little bit of rust with ospho, then drenching it in lanolin spray. The car runs and drives perfectly and it’s a 5 speed, so no TCM issues to worry about. But I still fear the long term ramifications of this. Is this car worth putting any money into keeping it on the road or should I do the bare minimum and save up for something better?

Whelp. Just changed the transmission fluid on my 2000 Camry and found this in the pan. The filter wasn’t clogged, so that’s a positive. But for 120k miles? I know the fluid was a quart low when I got it but I did not expect this. It shifts and drives fine for now. What should I do? Fill it and keep driving it? Dump the car ASAP. Any advice is appreciated.

So I just changed the spark plugs on my 2000 Camry. And as is customary with any DIY job I have an extra nut. No idea where I got it from but the car runs like a top. I’m gonna toss it in the grass and pretend it never existed.

So last month I wrecked my Focus ST and needed basic transportation for less than 3 grand, and this is what I got. It’s a 120k mile 2000 V6 Camry with a slush box. It runs and drives fine but it needs some pretty expensive maintenance. It needs a transmission flush. easy. Spark plugs. Less easy, it’s a plenum off job. And a timing belt. Very not easy, and I was quoted upwards of $1500. And the EVAP system isn’t working right, but it doesn’t affect the car running so I don’t care much about it and just crack the gas cap to relieve pressure. All of this would cost well over 3 thousand to fix. Should I drive this thing for a few months and dump it, or should I do the maintenance and have a reliable, albeit boring, car for the next 80k miles or so when it’ll need the next set of plugs and a belt. Keep in mind I drive well over 30k miles per year, and this thing gets 27 mpg.

Well, this is a sad one. I was on an unfamiliar road in Michigan last week and completely blew through a stoplight. The intersection was lined with trees obscuring the view of the intersection and the traffic light until I was less than 100 feet from it and I was looking at my GPS. 1.7 seconds at 40 mph was all it took. I had no idea I was in an intersection until I hit the car. I feel so terrible about it. I was so stupid and ruined the only rust free FoST in Indiana and someone else’s car. I just feel so disappointed with myself. If there’s any positive here, At least there’s one more good engine and transmission out there for you guys.