Fixing son's Oops.

Hate to say it, because we parents tend to forget it with our kids, but people typically appreciate what they work for, not so much what they are given
Those are some wise parenting words there! We have some friends with a kid that I always said would end up in prison. I think that little shithead is on his fourth vehicle. His parents just keep buying him vehicles even after he trashes them while drunk driving. His parents are the nicest people but their kids are just total lazy shit rats. It's sad.
 
Here we go again 🙄

Our second oldest son was on his way home from work in a snowstorm when someone in front of him slowed to turn but didn't signal until halfway through the turn. Same exact damage plus a fender. As it's a 2003 with higher mileage, we scrapped it. He's been driving the old Pontiac grand am since then and has agreed to buy it on payments as he only recently started working full time.


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That left me with only my truck which now has 200k after 7 years of ownership. We also have another 15 yr old son who will be driving in the fall. So I have been shopping around for a replacement spare vehicle that's more city friendly than a full size truck.

I'm dealing on a 2010 subaru forester right now. Minimal surface rust apparently. 240000km. Engine was just pulled and redone with all new gaskets and bearings. New pads and rotors. New swaybar links.
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Leather interior. Comes with winter and summer tires. I haven't seen it yet but the guy brought it for a pre safety. The price seems reasonable in comparison to everything else out there.

The trick up here with finding something older is finding something not rusted out. I went Saturday to see another one similar age and could put my hand through the rockers under the plastic cover.
 
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Might I suggest getting a vehicle with a push grill, or as Aussies say, a Roo guard. An old Highways truck with the snow plow still on the front?
 
The Subaru had a few minor issues but the guy threw a curve ball at me last night and said he was showing it to someone else this morning. He messaged me to say it sold. Oh well. On to the next one. Looking at a 2010 buick lucerne this evening and a 2007 toyota rav4. Also waiting to hear back on a 2014 vw jetta.
 
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Another vehicle came up yesterday so I quickly messaged and we went to go see it. A 2010 hyundai tucson. Everything was looking promising until we went for a test drive and the transmission got stuck in manual shift mode and wouldn't go back into normal drive. We eventually got it unstuck. So we(she who must be obeyed) decided against it.

We went to look at the buick. Very nice! Not a spot of rust. New lower control arms and front struts. Comes with a valid safety certificate. If it wasn't for also wanting to see the Toyota rav4.

Tough decision. Both have the same mileage. The buick is safetied. Very comfortable to drive for both the missus and I. But the Toyota would make a good city beater with 4x4.
 
First, the 2007 Toyota rav4
 

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The buick is ours. I picked it up this afternoon. Beautiful car. Rides like I'm sitting in my recliner at home. Comfortable.
Yes Buick is a pretty nice car, my wife really wanted to get one a few years back, forget what model, test drove a few but none were in our price range 🤷‍♂️
 
The buick came with a set of all season tires (useless for anything but summertime). I already sourced out a set of used like new winter tires from one person and a set of matching alloy stock rims to mount them onto. I picked them up this morning and dropped off at the shop where I'm bringing it for a safety Monday. I figured they can have them already mounted beforehand and ready to go on the car when they have the tires off for safety.
 
The more I drive that car, the more I love it. And, being a 15 year old car in the Salt belt of Canada, there's not a spot of rust or paint flaking anywhere which leads me to believe that it either sat parked most winters or it was owned by an older couple who spent their winters in Texas. It's basically a luxury Monte Carlo.
 
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Is the underbody rustproofed?

Booked in for tomorrow morning for rust check.

Winter tires are now installed. I got the car in for a safety check on Monday. The mechanic(my neighbor) and his dad were impressed by the overall condition. A good buy. 👍 It should last us many years.
 
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