Fifty150

You could buy a taller ladder. Now that you the rack for it, you can carry an 8' ladder. Or think about carrying one of those multi-position ladders.

This is not your dad's minivan. It is not a "Soccer Mom" van either. While I respect those who think that the Transit Connect looks good. A lot of people don't, and these vans are not sold by looks. Nobody that I know has said to me, "looks good". One of my buddies said, "looks like shit". I don't care. The vehicle does what i bought it for. For me, the need was to seat more than 2 people, better on gas, and easier to park than the pickup truck. I have a Honda, but nobody but an infant in a car seat can really sit in the back of that, since the front seats slide right into the back seats. My Harley has a solo saddle, and nobody rides on it but me. My Explorer's odometer quit working around 650,000 miles, I wasn't sure what the real mileage was, and the body was rusting out with rain leaking from the sunroof channels. I wanted to efficiently transport seniors and children. An SUV was out, because old people even had a hard time with climbing into my Explorer. So despite the lack of bells & whistles, and no luxury, the Transit Connect saved me about $10,000 in comparison to a Honda Odyssey or Toyota Sienna. And if any of my siblings or cousins don't like it, they can drive the grandparents and all of their kids, in whatever car that they pay for themselves. They all have nicer cars, because I'm cheap and they don't mind spending more money. Looks alone, the Transit Connect was unique when it came on the U.S.A. market. I immediately noticed all the work vans, and the technicians using them. For my own purposes, it was just too small to be a work vehicle. Not able to carry a lot of weight, not able to handle 8'X4' plywood, not able to carry 10' pipe, well, no way was I going to forklift load a transformer......you get the picture. But for some people, it was perfect for what they did, because full size 1/2 ton trucks and vans were too big. Right off the bat, I knew that it would be great for telecom techs, service plumbers who don't carry pipe, auto parts runners, and all sorts of other trades. A local police department bought them for the crime scene technicians. My city's Park Rangers got them (Park Rangers do not engage in high speed pursuits). Then with the new body style, my city acquired an entire fleet of LWB wagons for personnel deployment. If you need 100 street sweepers at a special event, you have them all report to the maintenance yard headquarters, transport them in Transit Connects, and then send trucks out with their gear. For certain agencies like Adult Protective Services, Child Protective Services, and Homeless Outreach Team, the LWB has worked out really well.

Some of those older motorcycles can be refurbished and kept running forever. Older Harleys have tons of parts available, a design which hasn't changed much in about 50 years, and are simple. That gravity fed carburetor into the V-Twin is very simple. And even the motors can be rebuilt or replaced easily. And these days, every part on a Harley, from controls, to handlebars, to seats, to fenders, is available in abundance. There are even guys who will order all of the parts, and build a bike, from the frame up. Only drawback is that you have custom built, dinosaur technology, which cost way too much. I always think that I could buy a new bike, which runs faster and better, for less than what I put into the Harley. If I buy a little Ninja, or CBR, I could get better mileage, ride faster, corner better, save money, and not have to wear leather pants. Sport bike guys don't look like The Village People.

Sorry for your loss.

Alas, even the Police Interceptor is a front wheel drive with unibody construction. some old timers still want to carry revolvers with 6" barrels.

My Explorer went through 3 multifunction swithches. Some of these parts are just poor quality. I think a bulk order of bad switches went into the Taurus, Tempo, Mustang, et cetera during the 90's. Then the dealership sells you a MotorCraft switch that also fails. i think Ford, GM, and Chrysler are all using poor quality parts. It saves money. They can replace it free under warranty. Then sell you more after the warranty expires.

You're in the desert. Go get a beer. Update is in November.

I make myself, everyday, believe in technology. I can't mod a touchscreen phone with a rotary dial. But my bike still has a carburetor with an air cooled engine; in today's world of fuel injection and liquid cooling. i understand the physics of two cars of equal sizes. But I don't want an equal size. I want to be in something bigger, heavier, with a full box frame, and old school police push bumpers that will crush the Smart car and Fiat with ease.

Good find. Was that installed with rivet nuts? i suppose someone with a long wheel base could order and install 2 sets, since there are already holes in the roof for that. Then they could drive around with 4 bars. Or just install the bars closer together, since there are already holes in the roof for that.

A lot of good cars are just not sold in The U.S.A. But we get a lot of junk, that shouldn't have been built at all. The Dodge K-Car comes to mind. I suppose passenger wagon vans are a very limited market. Most vans sold are commercial use. Those custom luxury van conversions went out with the price of fuel rising. Although I still know a few people, myself included, who would love to have a 70's Shaggin' Wagon. Exactly what every father wants to see pulling up to take his daughter out.

On the truck, I have one of those cameras that mounts on the license plate screws. No problem with it. Just be careful that if you mount it on the top screws, it could block the license plate state of issue and the registration stickers. I mounted mine on the bottom of the license plate. Most license plates have holes on the top & bottom.

I want to believe in the technology. But old guys love the idea of a full box frame and steel bumpers. Unibody with plastic bumpers just makes me uncomfortable.

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I have the LWB XL wagon, no cruise control. Curious how it works also.

I have an XL also. My first inclination was to replace the AM/FM XL radio with something nice. I figured a double din deck, with a touch screen, bluetooth, WiFi, Android, GPS, and USB ports. I backed off the idea once I started sourcing parts. The dash trim replacement, and adapters needed for the harness & antenna would have added an additional Franklin to the cost. It was just less expensive to install a camera & monitor, and use the Garmin GPS that I already have. Not to mention that there is Google Maps on my phone, and the Waze APP. I couldn't justify the 5 Franklin expense to play movies on my dashboard. I bought an inexpensive camera, along with an inexpensive monitor, from amazon.com. Wired it the old fashion way, by tapping into the reverse lamp for power. Somewhere in this forum, I have some photos. In today's market, you could get everything that you need for about $20, if you are willing to do a little creative wiring.

Sometimes all of these electronic issues require an old fashion, mechanical solution.

Important part is that your family is safe. I worry about that with today's cars.

Sears was done after KMart bought them. Since then, it has been 1 bad decision after another. KMart ran their own stores into the ground, and bought Sears, to run even more stores down. There are options. Management could change. Business strategy could change. They could get rid of everything that's not selling, and focus on what sells. They could change the price point of their offerings, and sell only high end boutique brands. They could partner with Amazon in a number of ways that could result in a merger. They can downsize the stores and pay for less square footage every month. They can franchise the tool section like they did with the auto centers. I think there is money to be made with a Sears tool store franchise. Especially if you also get a tool truck to sell at shops and job sites. You get to perform and charge back all of the warranty work, have exclusive distribution by territory, and corporate could support you with large bids, like supplying government and utilities. Sears outside salesmen could aggressively sell Craftsman, DieHard brands to factories and institutions. Same way almost every police car is a Ford. Every police car could have a DieHard battery. Every municipal shop could have Craftsman tools. Every government employees could wear DieHard boots. There are options.

All the business periodicals have speculated on the survival of Sears. Truth is, nobody really knows what the future will hold. Everyone is just guessing. If Sears is to survive, there will have to be some major retooling. Have you been to a Sears lately? At least half of the store is full of clothes that they can't sell. They are out of the fashion industry by a long shot. No girl that I know would wear Sears clothes, shoes, perfume, jewelry... ..so that is a done deal. Sears will never recapture the fashion industry. There is a sporting goods department stocked with items that don't move at all. I never see anyone at Sears buying a treadmill, weight set, basketball, or golf clubs. When was the last time you, or anyone you know, decided to redecorate their home from Sears? So the living room sets, dining room furniture, housewares.......more of it gets broken by kids running in the store, than actually gets sold. Sears sells leading brand merchandise. Name brands. At competitive prices. So why are you buying your next microwave, blender, wrist watch, fishing pole, or whatever at another store? The Discover Card is a credit card issued primarily in the United States. It was introduced by Sears in 1985. At the time the Discover Card was introduced, Sears was the largest retailer in the United States. It had purchased the Dean Witter Reynolds brokerage organization and Coldwell, Banker & Company (real estate) in 1981. I still have a Discover Card. On November 17, 2004, the management of Kmart Holding Corporation announced its intention to purchase Sears, Roebuck and Co under a new corporation. The new corporation became known as Sears Holdings Corporation, simply known as Sears Holdings. On February 22, 2010, the Sears Automotive business launched a new Independent Sears Auto Center franchise program that offers automobile dealers the opportunity to operate licensed Sears Auto Centers. In 2017, Sears launched a pilot location in San Antonio for a DieHard-branded auto service franchise, DieHard Auto Center driven by Sears Auto. On January 4, 2018, Sears Holdings announced it would shutter 103 unprofitable Kmart and Sears stores, after 24 quarters of sales declines. These stores would be closing by April 2018, leaving Sears Holdings with 555 stores. According to an op-ed in MSN money, at this rate, Sears along with sister company Kmart, has an extremely high chance of disappearing and going defunct in 2018, and that 2017 will have marked its final holiday season as an independent brand. On January 14, 2018 their Canadian unit, Sears Canada, ceased operations with all stores closed. Sears had 3 brands that were bread & butter money makers. Kenmore, DieHard, and Craftsman. DieHard is still owned by Sears. The brand is owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes. Kenmore is controlled by Sears Holdings, and owned by KCD IP, LLC, a special purpose entity created by Sears Holdings for securitization purposes. The name "KCD IP" is an abbreviation for Kenmore Craftsman DieHard intellectual property. Today the brand is sold at Sears, Kmart, and Amazon.com. Craftsman is a line of tools, lawn and garden equipment, and work wear. Originally owned by Sears, In March 2017, Stanley Black & Decker acquired the Craftsman brand from Sears Holdings. Sears maintains the right to manufacture and sell tools using existing supply channels under the Craftsman name for 15 years after the deal closed. Craftsman hand tools are advertised as having an unlimited lifetime warranty. This lifetime warranty program was instituted by Sears when they began selling the Craftsman line in 1927. This warranty program requires no receipt or dated proof of purchase. If the owner takes the item into a local retail store, it may be replaced or repaired free of charge. Amazon.com is now selling Kenmore appliances. Tires bought on Amazon.com can now be shipped to a Sears Auto Center for installation. The future of Sears retail stores? Sears Auto Center franchises will be around a little longer with the amazon.com tire deal. That could only lead to the Sears Auto Center franchises becoming the exclusive installer for all auto parts sold by amazon.com. Order brakes online, ship to Sears, and have them installed. Order an oil change online. There is money to be made there. With amazon.com selling Kenmore, the Sears appliance division and Sears parts division will stay busy with warranty service and installation. That could only lead to Sears appliance and parts servicing all Amazon.com customers for every brand sold online. Maybe Sears could clear out their old inventory by offering "buy one get one" specials, tied to what they actually do sell and make money on. Buy tires from amazon.com, installed at Sears Auto Center, get a free tank top for your girlfriend.

Modern cars are, for the most part, engineered to perform better and last longer. There are always exceptions. Everyone I know who had a Saturn, new or used, suffered catastrophic failure. Cooling system components, all of them....belts, hoses, fans, fan relays, thermostats, water pumps, radiators......kept breaking. This, of course, caused overheating, and eventually the engine fails. But none of that had anything to do with the oil, or the engine seizing by itself. A guy I know had a BMW which had a faulty sensor. The sensor failed to read the engine temperature, so the thermostat never opened. Engine overheated, without the computer even knowing that the engine was overheating.....the sensor was bad. I would bet that almost every car sold today, has an engine that is capable of being maintained properly and lasting 100,000 miles. Even Hyundai/Kia will go 100,000 miles. Too many of us are still reliving those bad car moments of yesteryear.....tapping the starter solenoid with a hammer to start the car, getting rear ended in a Pinto and the whole car blows up......I had a Mustang II that even with the climate control switches off, would heat up, the inside of the car smelled like coolant, and the windshield fogged up with steam.......drove it for years with the windows down, even in the rain. I suspect the light was on because of calendar days. First oil change indicator illuminated at 11 months. Second display was 11 months after that. Dealership service writer said that they recommend everyone come in after 5,000 miles, and that they would never advise anyone to drive 10,000 miles. But then again, they depend on you doing more oil changes to make double the money. Some people believe that once you "crack the seal", oil begins to degrade. Within a year, the lubrication and protection qualities are suppose to have diminished to a point where you do need to change the oil, even though it looks and smells clean. I really don't know what to believe about that. I've had cars that weren't driven daily, parked on the street, and only moved 1 or 2 times a week, no more than 1/4 mile. Longest I went between oil changes was 2 years. Nothing bad happened.

Nice Honda, by the way. All of the people that I know who bought Honda, chose the Honda Pilot over the Odyssey. But that may be an age factor. None of the girls are willing to admit that they're "soccer moms" now. I bought a Transit Connect instead of a Honda Odyssey because of price. The Honda Odyssey & Toyota Sienna are both really nice. If pricing was not a factor......well, money is a factor.

I don't want to be the one to say it. But I'll say it. The Honda Odyssey will not come out of a collision the same way the Econoline did. That E-Series van, with the body on frame construction, is tougher than most other cars on the road. It looks like the van could be refurbished and back on the road for someone willing to spend more $$$ than the Kelley Blue Book says it is worth at low trade-in value. What were the numbers like? $8K in damage, for a $3K vehicle?