CC Neighborhood Wordless Outtake: Knock Kneed GMC Sonoma
– Posted on January 26, 2018
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#stancenation
I assume the front suspension is broken on this GMC. When I first moved to Oregon I was surprised to see vehicles that had lost a wheel but now I am somewhere blase about it.
drifter’s choice of whippin’. Either that, or REALLY BBC on board.
This is why some states have mandatory annual inspections.
Interestingly though AFAIK there is no difference in the accident rate caused by mechanical failure between inspection states and non-inspection states. (This disparity has existed for decades, sufficient time for a lot of data to be collected.)
All too often in states that require inspection this becomes an opportunity for shops to conduct fishing expeditions in which consumers get a soaking. In some countries, mandatory inspection is used as a mechanism to force people into frequent new car purchases since it becomes economically infeasible to drive an older model.
The simple solution would be to have inspection stations like CA’s “Smog Only” stations, which do the smog testing but do not do repairs. This removes the incentive to play games with the customers.
Frankly, I find it appalling that CA insists on smogging 30+ year old hobby cars, but if you want to drive with no working brake lights, tires on cords, and your brake pads nothing but backing plate, be their guests! I love it out here, but I never saw so many cars with blown tires and no brake lights when I lived in PA.
The argument would be more persuasive if there were data to support that inspections actually do improve safety. In the U.S. we have had decades of some states performing safety inspections and some not. Are there any studies that show a higher accident, injury, and/or fatality rate in non-inspection states? For that matter, is insurance higher in non-inspection states than inspection states with otherwise similar driving conditions? (Insurance companies are excellent at calculating and pricing risk.)
Ah the GM upper balljoint issue. This seems to be a common thing for that era S-10/Sonoma/ Blazer/Jimmy.
But speaking of the S-10 and Sonoma, I saw 3 of them today when i have not seen any in a few months. The first was a pre 1998 (has sealed beams) that was owned by a young guy. The truck was original and looked like it had been stored somewhere for 15 years as it looked almost new.
The second was a beat up S-10
The 3rd was a well taken care of GMC Sonoma.
I like the look of the Ford Ranger but I think the S-10/Sonoma was more attractive
My DD is a 2000 S-10. The upper ball joints are delicate little things, but cheap and easily replaced. They also have grease fittings, an inattentive owner can run into trouble here. For the front suspension and steering mine has about a dozen zerks to hit at oil change. Do any new vehicles have grease fittings? I’m talking 3/4 ton and under.
…Looking back these infected my childhood and adolescence.
-’96 : Belonged to my mom. Passed my drivers’ test in it; it was the basest base model available, no trim or options. I got rear ended in it while I was driving without a valid learners permit, at age fifteen (my mom was in the car though.) Officer didn’t ticket us, since the accident wasn’t our fault.
-’01 : Also mom’s. Slightly fancier than the previous one. Since I drove unreliable cars that never worked I often rode this. It was basically an under-aged alcohol smuggling device as a result. Host to every college-aged debauchery imaginable. I “borrowed” it during the first few years of my first job after college; I had a long commute, and spent nearly as much on gas as I got paid. 200 miles per tank, and I watched the odometer in disgust every mile stuck on the 91 . Cash for clunkers victim, as most of them were.
…Oh yeah, one time I took a six hour ride in the back on top of three mattresses, nearly smashed against the camper; there was about six inches for me to squeeze in between, so if I got a boner during that ride I’d be stuck there until now.
A few others I’ll just group – 199X S10 Extreme: My brother’s car before he had kids. 19XX S10 extended cab: friend’s dad’s, he drove it often and de-facto obtained it when his dad bought a BMW. At least it was a stick. 19XX beater: Owned by a girl I liked, I memorized the service manual so I could fix it for her; luckily it really was a piece of shit so I got to do this more than a few times and exercise my ineptitude in talking to her.
I had an early 80 something Mercury version of the Ford Escort in 1992. Such a bad time in my life, accompanied by a really POS $300 car That I can’t, or wont, remember the model name or year. It was the opposite of this truck, in that it was “pigeon toed” fwd, of course and had been wrecked and badly straightened out. Was being treated and recovering from a major illness (Cancer) and had limited resources. It was the best I could do. Driving it was an adventure, to say the least