Recon’s Black Ops

You might consider finding someone to rebuild or replace the engine, which might be cheaper than a new vehicle. Also, Craigslist and EbayMotors might or might not help you find what you are looking for, but as, essentially, arbitrage services they can give you insight into what “the market” thinks a vehicle of _x_ type and _y_ mileage is ‘worth.”

Wish you hadn’t bracketed 200-2002 as “older”. That covers both of mine and I still think of them as new.

I recommend Toyota. Not a thing wrong with them but you can get a price break due to current media hysteria about them. Plus, no matter how old they are, they still have a lot of life left in them.

Try Carmax if you have them in your area — lots of good, fairly cheap used cars, and no hassle sales approach.

I bought a 1997 Toyota Camry a couple of years ago after my previous car died. So far it’s been pretty reliable and has served me well. Its gas mileage is pretty good. If you can find one from the early 2000′s you should do well.

If you can find a Honda Civic with a good maintenance histroy and lower mileage, they’ll last 4 ages. Picked up my 91 Civic Si hatchback six months ago and have never been happier. Good on gas and lots of zip. Fun on a budget. With a good set snow tires, you’ll conquer most moderate snowfalls. Just make sure to change the fluids frequently and she’ll last for years. Corollas and Accords when taken care of are also great used cars.

I’d like to get a Black Hawk helicopter, with a Vulcan minigun mounted on it. Never hurts to be on the safe side.

Don’t ask me; last week our 96′ Nisan committed sepeku as well, so now we’re down to just one too. And the remaining Gran Prix is an 02′……..

@ReconsDad
The woman is looking for a

solid, USED, car at a good price

Helicopters (AND vulcan mini guns) are out of her price range!!

Sheesh . . .

But, I’m with the others that are advising Hondas and Toyotas. I don’t think I had ever checked out ebaymotors.com, but that seems like a good place to start. Some sellers on there actually accepts bids. It may be a good way to get a good deal.

See, in my jurisdiction there is a “cooling off” period (a waiting period) for miniguns.

This weekend my son takes possession of my classic ’90 miata; but the deal is he has to give it back in a few years (He’s learning about the expen$e of married life) so I can finish restoring it. Alternatively he may just drive it into the ground. This car is twenty years old but keeps on ticking with regular maintenance. I think part of this is that it is so small but has regular sized car systems (engine, braking, transmission) so there is very little wear on them.

Of course I am keeping my new 08 Miata, no matter how hard up he is.

@Ame
Until I can afford a helicopter, I may have to mount my gun to a car or truck. LOL

That should hep with the ol’ Frankfort rush-hour snarls, I would think………

:::rolls eyes at @ReconsDad:::

You think helos are expensive? Wait until you try feeding that minigun.

Try Carmax if you have them in your area — lots of good, fairly cheap used cars, and no hassle sales approach.

HA! Every car dealer has a “no hassle” approach if you pay them what they ask.

@Professor Hale

HA! Every car dealer has a “no hassle” approach if you pay them what they ask.

That’s what always amused me about the “no-hassle” model promoted by Saturn. I always thought, “Every freakin’ dealer in America would be the same, if you’d just buy it from them at their listed price!”

@Professor Hale

You think helos are expensive? Wait until you try feeding that minigun.

LOL…due to budgetary constraints, I can’t run it at full-auto.

I’ve always said that machine guns are a rich-man’s hobby. And that was BEFORE ammo prices climbed into the stratosphere.

@ReconsDad
That reminds me of an old bumper sticker: “Drive Defensively – Buy A Tank.”

Miniguns have only one setting: on. Some come in three speeds : Fast, smokin’, and OMFG. Typical minigun ammuniton is marked “not for firing over head of freindly troops”. It is the cheapest grade of ammunition since the factory figures the accuracy of any single bullet is pointless.

Let’s try an analogy;) Miniguns are to machineguns as bolt action rifles are to muzzleloaders.

Ame,

This will be a long post please bear with me.

I have a good friend who has an Iowa Auto dealers license. He goes to dealer auctions, and buys cars/trucks which have been repossessed, or the new car dealer does not want on their car lot.

I called my friend, told him exactly what I wanted.

I’ll use the family car as an example. We wanted a 2001-2004 Chrysler Town and Country, with power rear hatch, and power side doors. We wanted either red or patriot blue(preferred).

He was able to find one with lots of highway miles(120,000), grandpa and grandma driving to the west coast and Florida to see family. The big chain dealer did not want the high mileage vehicle on his lot, so he took it to the auction.

Blue book value retail price was $9,500. My friend bought it for $6,000, and I had agreed to pay his expenses and $200 in cash. We borrowed $5000 dollars on a van with a wholesale value of $7500. And paid it off in 18 months. We now have 208,000 miles on it and it running strong.

Find a guy with a dealers license whom you trust, and have him find exactly what you want. Pay him $500 dollars for his time and effort. He wins, and you will get a very nice car for thousands less than you would pay on a car dealers lot.

I also bought my Dodge Ram Cummins diesel 4X4 crew cab white from the same friend. Saved over $3,000 on that one, even the banker was impressed with the good deal I got. Paid him $500 dollars on that one though, because the total was a considerably larger sum of money.

I don’t know where you are at, but I could even have my friend help you if you are interested. He’s a born-again Christian, who has done this deal for numerous people I know. (15 or 20)

@Ame
No kidding!

And notice how none of the single female regulars are commenting here.

Gee, I wonder why!?

@farmer Tom
We’re probably going to in the market for a new (to us) vehicle in the next 18 months or so (sooner if I end up pregnant before that). Thanks for that tip!

@Professor Hale
Due to economics, I’m stuck with shooting my Ruger 10/22, and occasionally a mag or two from my WASR-10. And of course, a few rounds from Uncle Springfield.

Until I’m really in the money, a Vulcan minigun is out of the question–I guess that’s good because I won’t be going through the feds to get permission until that happens–and, due to the high cost of ammo, the OMFG speed is also likely to be out of the question.

Since this thread has veered from used cars to firearms, (both excellent discussion topics BTW) I’d like to ask for some tips. I’m thinking of taking up recreational shooting mostly for hunting, and would like to know what a good first rifle might be. I’d like something that would be good for moose/elk/bear, a good bush rifle, that I can just use iron sights with. There are a lot of cheap WW2 Lee Enfield .303 for sale up here and rounds for them are cheaper than other calibres. Someone also recommended a .338 WinMag or .30-06, even an old school 30-30. Any tips?

@tannen
The only downside to the .338 might be the ammo prices. Perhaps a .300 Win Mag–one of my favorite calibers–would be good for that job.

Personally, if I’m going to deal with a bear, I’d probably want a higher caliber than a 30-30 or .30-06. Seems that would be a job for at least a .300 Win Mag.

If the bears are wearing U.N. helmets, I’d recommend a .50BMG.

I personally favor the .308

Same bullet as the 30-06, but easier to find (except for occasional hysteria in the markets caused by electing communist presidents). You can still buy it as mil surplus at gun shows. It is perfectly fine for all North American Animals, including ones wearing helmets, blue or otherwise.

@ReconsDad
Thanks for the tips. Is it worth it reloading the old casings for larger calibres? Would one save any money?

“If the bears are wearing U.N. helmets, I’d recommend a .50BMG”

careful now… many friends of mine did multipe UN tours in Bosnia and Croatia back in the day. Without the UN there, the carnage would have been MUCH worse. OTOH the UN ROE in Rwanda were an absolute disgrace resulting in a bloodbath.

“Personally, if I’m going to deal with a bear, I’d probably want a higher caliber than a 30-30 or .30-06. Seems that would be a job for at least a .300 Win Mag.”

Two anecdotes on bears and calibres: Years ago I read of a 60+ yr old Cree Grandmother picking berries alone in Northern Manitoba. A barrenground grizz was threatening her and she brought it down with 12 shots from an ancient .22 Also Inuit hunters in the High Arctic routinely bring down polar bears with old .303 Lee Enfields ranging out to 300 yds with only iron sights. That is simply godlike. They favour the old No. 4 rifles because they perform really well in the cold.

@Professor Hale
I hear ya on the .308 and 30-06. Great choices. I like the .300 Win Mag because I used to shoot that one at the 1,000-yard matches.

Tannen:

If you plan on using your rifle more than occasionally, it’s definitely worth the investment in reloading equipment (including a reputable reloading manual).

(1) You can buy either fresh, unfired brass or once-fired brass for almost any cartridge you may think of shooting… and you can generally use a cartridge five or six times before you have to discard it.
(2) You can experiment with different powders and different powder charges, within the limits of your cartridge. If you want a load that takes your cartridge near (but NOT beyond!) its limits, or one with a little less recoil, or one that gives you better-than-average accuracy, you can have it if you play around a little.
(3) The legal issues involved with reloading cartridges for carry guns (in short: OK for practice, VERY bad juju for serious social purposes) don’t generally exist for rifles. Once you figure out a load you like, you can reload it as long as you live or as long as they make your chosen powder, whichever comes first.
(4) On a per-round basis, it’s generally cheaper to buy the brass, bullets, powder, and primers for the first loading than it is to buy the same number of factory cartridges… and as I noted earlier, you can reuse the brass several times. The larger the cartridge, the greater the savings.

Hope I was able to help…