New Job!

[alhope34]

I am officially leaving the Aquarium Services business for good September 21st. I have a new job lined up for the 24th. General labourer for a company that builds new condos all over down town Toronto. Going from $9 an hour garbage customer service job, to a $15 an hour labouring job. I know I will love it much more than customer service, I have done work like that before. I'm just so happy to be leaving the customer service world, I had to put it up somewhere.

More money also means possibly a new Yaris. I will be getting a new car in the late spring/early summer for sure, but I am still staying on the Yaris insurance. When I want to save gas, I'll use the Yaris, when I want to go for a week end drive, use my other car. I'm thinking about 3 different cars right now, all completely different. If people have some opinions on these cars, I'd like to hear them.

1st choice would be 96-97 Ford Probe GT. I had one before, a 94. Had 300,000kms on it and it died. But the 1/8th of the time that the Probe worked, I loved it. 2nd choice would be '70-72 Oldsmobile Cutlas S 2dr. 350ci V8 and 4 speed manual. And my last choice would be 2003 Saturn Ion 4dr coupe. I love the looks of all of these cars, but based on availability I'd say the Probe and Ion would be the likely choices. Both have pros and cons.

Probe..

Pros:
-Very fast for 2.5L
-Easy to tune
-most are found with 5sp manual
-relatively light
-looks amazing (to me)
-POP UP HEADLIGHTS!!!

Cons:
-very unreliable
-engine very unstable at the smallest vacuum leak
-sometimes things go wrong for no reason and no one knows why. The car just seems to hate you.
-uses premium fuel only

Ion..

Pros:
-reliable
-powerful enough
-looks pretty good for a car that doesn't have pop-up headlights
-pretty good on fuel for a 2.2L

Cons:
-no pop-up headlights
-higher price
-more on insurance
-not much after market support, defenetly not as much as the Probe
-could be seen as a "fake" coupe for having two 1/2 doors.

All in all, I really want another Probe GT. Anyway, tell me what you guys think!

-Allan

[uncleyaris]

Get a used Echo/Yaris. Reliable and you already know what you gonna get!!!

[alhope34]

yea, I'm still going to be able to drive around the RS like I normally do. I just want something for mostly a week end/tuning car. The Yaris is an amazing daily driver, but for track and week end cruise use I want something with more "get-up-and-go" to it.

[uncleyaris]

did you not see the supercharged RS!! If thats the case get a mustang, 0% financing!!

[kimona]

Buy Japanese, preferably Toyota, otherwise you won't realize much of that $6/hr increase.

[alhope34]

The Probe basically IS Jap. Shares the same engine/tranny/chassis as the MX-6. And yea, I saw the SC Yaris, but there is no way I can do that to ours. Not for at least 4-5 years. And really, pushing 200whp from a 1.5L I'd be afraid to push it, I'd be afraid of blowing a hole through the block. The weird thing is I love Japanese cars. Except for Honda, I dislike Honda haha. But I don't really want a Corolla or Camry as a week end car. I'd like an older Subaru Impreza 2.5RS, but they are usually too much cash. Hard decisions... What I'd really like to do is go all out and buy my dream car. 2004 Subaru WRX STi. One in Ottawa selling for $28,000.

Insurance companies calculate their rates really oddly. A 2008 Yaris was quoted to me for $850 a month, but a 2004 STi was quoted at $600 a month. And for a 5 year finance, the $7000 more for the STi over the '08 Yaris RS I'd want to get would even out, and then some, just because of the insurance. I find this stupid because the Yaris is 106hp, and the STi comes in at 300hp with a 2.5L turbocharged engine. But then, I can't justify spending $1200 a month on finance + insurance for a car.

ugh... Just wishful thinking right now. I'm really headstrong about getting another Probe, though. I just love that car too much.

[alhope34]

I already have pictures of her on the off topic section, but here's one I never posted. Basically same as all the others, except this was the last picture taken of her before I retired her. 299,548 kms, 2nd engine, blown 3rd gear synchro, blown head gasket, all 4 brake calipers seized, all 4 brake rotors warped, leaking exhaust headers, and many more things wrong with it I'm probably forgetting.

Just for laughs, here's a list of all the new parts and work I put into her in the 4 months I owned her.

-water pump
-timing belt
-TWO catalytic converters
-shifter linkage and bushings
-all four wheel bearings
-new radiator
-new e-brake cables
-replace both CV shafts
-all transmission seals
-front and rear engine oil seals

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c63/alhope34/PICT0036small.jpg

[landrym28]

Congratulations on the new job! :smile:

[eTiMaGo]

I'd say an older Miata or MR2, if not, the Probe seems all right enough