Fifty150

I agree. You are absolutely correct. A guy like me who does an oil change every few months, and may change a flat tire if the occasion arises, will never truly "need" to buy a compressor like that. My real concern with buying a cheap compressor, is that it becomes a waste of money when I run out of air in the middle of a job, does not supply enough for what I'm doing, or it simply stops working when I need it. The compressor that I have now is the "cheap" Porter Cable 6 gallon Model no. C2002. $99 @ Lowes & $89 on amazon.com. Pretty good for topping off the tires on my motorcycle, or blowing compressed air when I want to clean something. I have an air ratchet that I used with it a few times, and it's fine for a couple of bolts here & there. But I really don't do anything that I couldn't do by hand with a wrench. I remember once using a cheap compressor a buddy had: we were trying to put together a couple of 2X4s to build a long pallet. Easy job. Build a 2X4 ladder, then attach a couple of regular pallets onto it. In theory, you could load something the size of a coffin on top, then build a crate around it to protect what you are shipping. The compressor kept running out of air (and we had to wait 20 minutes while it refilled). Some of the nails only drove into the wood halfway (which we had to follow and finish with a regular hammer). Even though that compressor did not just quit and stop working, it was not ideal. My buddy offered to give me that one for free, since he was so frustrated that he went out and bought a larger, more expensive brand compressor that day.

I hate to admit it that they just got another $100 out of me today.......even though I had their super coupons. A couple of breaker bars, torque wrenches, and extendable ratchets in different drive sizes.....ninety nine cents for a couple of picks, throw in the free tarp........and now I hate myself for giving them another $100. Amazing that I can buy a breaker bar for less than $20, when a similar breaker bar from Snap On is literally about $200. I sure wish that Harbor Freight has a sliding handle. I couldn't find it on their website. The Snap On version is almost $100, once I pay for the tax plus shipping, or call the local tool truck guy and pay his mark up for coming to my door.

Driving style has everything to do with it. If you are on a freeway most of the time, you will go tens of thousands of miles more. Because your car is just driving, not stopping. I am in stop & go traffic. I step on the brakes, and ride the brakes, at least a dozen times on every block. I'm getting 16 miles to the gallon, while others are actually getting 27. It all makes sense of course. Most cars can idle away 1 gallon every hour. So if you turn on the van, leave it to idle until empty, you literally got zero mpg.

Interesting to hear about how cars are bought and sold in different parts of the world. Where I live, those who do not know, will pay the window sticker. Some people will wait until they see an advertised "sale price". The rest of us will haggle, bargain, and argue with the salesman. None of this is right. Nobody should pay more, just because the salesman wants more of your money. Cars should be priced fairly, and the average person should not feel like they are being cheated.

I don't doubt it. Noise level can drive you crazy. I'm just wondering if the more expensive air compressors will outperform and outlast the Harbor Freight compressor. Because even at half price, it's a waste of money when it doesn't work.

So tempting for $40 Double click on above image to view full picture 3 gal. 1/3 HP 100 PSI Oilless Pancake Air Compressor Central Pneumatic®- Item#61615 386 ReviewsWrite A Review This oilless air compressor is ideal for inflation, stapling, brad nailing and air brushing Only: $54.99 Compare to $98.62, Porter-Cable PCFP02003 Sale $39.99 with coupon 59413379 Add item to cart to redeem coupon

I've hear of California Air Tool. They are also sold on amazon.com. I think that the attraction to Harbor Freight is the pricing. It lets you buy a lot of things that you may not otherwise buy. The Harbor Freight vs California Air Tools may or may not be a fair comparison. Pricing is double. Will you get your money's worth? That depends on who you ask. Some Harbor Freight items are complete junk. Some Harbor Freight items are just as good as the rest of the stuff out there. One of my favorite Harbor Freight items is the $5 socket set. I've done so much with this item, that it is completely worth $5. I can recall breaking 1 socket. The store gave me a new one. Double click on above image to view full picture 40 Pc 3/8 in. Drive SAE & Metric Socket Set Pittsburgh®- Item#62843 225 ReviewsWrite A Review A high quality, low price socket set that fits under your car seat Only: $4.99 Compare to $19.97, Kobalt 89809 The breaker bars and torque wrenches have always been attractive deals. Controversy over whether Harbor Freight torque wrenches are accurate. A lot of people worry about Harbor Freight breaker bars failing. But I'm not using these tools to make a living.

But if you try to give them a black plastic piece of trim, they may not accept that as the core for reflectors. You end up paying the core charge, and not getting a refund for return, since you don't have a reflector to give back. Kind of like buying a battery, without a battery to return. unless you hold onto that receipt, wait 15 years until you no longer own the vehicle, then return the two little reflectors and ask for a return on your core deposit. They will probably laugh at you.

You bought a used van in commercial service for 6 years. Who know what kind of abuse those vans went through. From what I have seen, once those doors are open, they take a lot of abuse. You may not want to think about how the van has been "nudged" with forklifts. Or when guys drive around with the doors open, as they try to back them up against loading docks designed for trucks. Not to mention when people load something a little too big, and they either try to slam that door close, or they drive around with the door held in place with bungee cords, straps, or rope. Ever seen a little van with one door open, the rear passenger side door, and building material such as lumber and pipe hanging out? That hinge is designed so that the door can be opened wider for material handling. In theory, that will prevent a lot of the abuse. But it still happens. You should replace with the OEM hinge. If you don't abuse it, then you will be okay.

Do you pay the sticker price? Or do you haggle and bargain?

I'm not really worried so much about the towing part. You can get the little 4 cylinder motor to move a decent amount of weight. My biggest concern is stopping. The Transit Connect is surely capable of towing more weight, than it can safely stop.

21 gallons is a huge difference. In weight too. 100 lbs isn't as easy to maneuver, even with the wheels.

Core charge? Are you kidding me with that? It's not an alternator that they will rebuild. It's not a transmission.

Has anyone bought one of those low priced air compressors from Harbor Freight? How well does it work? Is it good enough for automotive: inflate tires, air ratchet, air hydraulic bottle jack, impact guns? Double click on above image to view full picture 3 gal. 1/3 HP 100 PSI Oilless Pancake Air Compressor Central Pneumatic®- Item#61615 386 ReviewsWrite A Review This oilless air compressor is ideal for inflation, stapling, brad nailing and air brushing Only: $54.99 Compare to $98.62, Porter-Cable PCFP02003 Sale $44.99 with coupon 17656746 Add item to cart to redeem coupon

Hmmm.....that was the 25% off coupon.

They call and leave messages with the answering service.

I didn't know Amazon had hubcaps for sale. In the old days, hubcaps were simply hung out on fences.

Rent one for a few months. Drive it everywhere. Take a road trip. See if you like the handling, parking characteristics, power, mileage, et cetera. Go somewhere hot where you will know if the air conditioning is to your liking. Make sure that you insure it properly. Then crash it to see if it is safe.

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Next item on the list? Sound system with half dozen subwoofers? Crazy paint job? Rims? Zebra pattern interior? Fuzzy dice?

I hear that Harbor Freight jacks are getting better. I have also heard that Craftsman tools may not be as good as they used to be. The jacks were never a lifetime guarantee item, like a wrench. And they couldn't possibly give you a lifetime guarantee on everything. Can you imagine a hammer or screwdriver with a lifetime guarantee? The whole purpose of a hammer is that I will smash it into things.....and then it breaks!

The Craftsman jack that I bought was new, not refurbished. Good price with coupons, discounts, and promotions. Got the price down to what a refurbished unit would cost. A friend of mine insist that those refurbished tools are just as good as new, since they have been rebuilt with all new seals and have new fluid. A refurbished tool comes with a warranty also. Over the years, I have rebuilt a few things myself. Little bottle jacks can last forever if you change the seals, purge excess air, and refill with new fluid, as needed. I don't see why you can't own a floor jack forever if you change the seals, bleed the jack, change the hydraulic fluid, et cetera. Just a lot of work, though. You bought the jack so that you can work on your car; and now you have to work on the jack too. That Craftsman jack is something that you keep in your garage. No way would that be your mobile unit. I only see floor jacks like that in shops. Never on a tow truck. In a Transit Connect, for emergency purposes, a little trolley jack will do. Bottle jacks can also work. For me, the idea is that if I ever do need to change a tire, I just don't want to have to depend on the OEM scissor jack. And it's not really practical to carry shop equipment. Otherwise, I would have a diesel powered generator, an air compressor, and an assortment of air tools all in the back of the van.