alkalinetaupehat
Senior member
...and didn't even steal it, haha.
The story is that someone on base received orders to move to a new base out of the blue and never had the chance to make arrangements for his car. Shortly after that, he was deployed, and now the car has sat for just over a year and has a towing notice on it.
The doors were unlocked and everything but the keys was inside, and upon calling the owner my friend was given the car. The keys will be in the mail tomorrow!
Car is a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT V6 with an automatic transmission and ~130k on the clock. 300 miles before it was parked a dealership inspection was performed and came back with the following:
- CEL for the MAP sensor
- "Main Switch" replacement to remedy non-functional passenger-side windows. ($270 dealer part price 0.o)
- Rear brakes due for replacement
- All four tires due for replacement
Now the car has sat for a year and it was apparent that the top leaks, ~2 inches of standing water were in the car. One of the tires is flat and the other has a slow leak, and the brakes have significant visible corrosion. The plan is to get the keys, start+lot drive the car, then tires/brakes and then CEL.
As for the (leather) interior, the water didn't touch the seats and was mostly scooped out. Of course the carpet is leaving as soon as the keys arrive. The weather is getting good so the idea was to leave the top down for a couple days to dry out the car, and then sanitize the hell out of it. Carpet replacement will be later.
Cost breakdown:
$300 - Tags/smog/tax
$450 - Four tires
$200 - Brakes all around
$135 - MAP sensor (if that's the problem)
$270 - "Main Switch" (probably can find the part elsewhere for less)
$170 - New carpeting
$100? - Floor insulation
$200? - Top seals
Total (minus main switch + top seals): $1355
Not bad for a drop-top V6 coupe in California...
The towing notice was for this week, so we HAD to move the car. This is with a steering wheel lock and no keys. We think there's some immobilizer since the engine wouldn't start, so we just disassembled the steering rack and towed it. +manpoints
What think ye, ATG?
The story is that someone on base received orders to move to a new base out of the blue and never had the chance to make arrangements for his car. Shortly after that, he was deployed, and now the car has sat for just over a year and has a towing notice on it.
The doors were unlocked and everything but the keys was inside, and upon calling the owner my friend was given the car. The keys will be in the mail tomorrow!
Car is a 2001 Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder GT V6 with an automatic transmission and ~130k on the clock. 300 miles before it was parked a dealership inspection was performed and came back with the following:
- CEL for the MAP sensor
- "Main Switch" replacement to remedy non-functional passenger-side windows. ($270 dealer part price 0.o)
- Rear brakes due for replacement
- All four tires due for replacement
Now the car has sat for a year and it was apparent that the top leaks, ~2 inches of standing water were in the car. One of the tires is flat and the other has a slow leak, and the brakes have significant visible corrosion. The plan is to get the keys, start+lot drive the car, then tires/brakes and then CEL.
As for the (leather) interior, the water didn't touch the seats and was mostly scooped out. Of course the carpet is leaving as soon as the keys arrive. The weather is getting good so the idea was to leave the top down for a couple days to dry out the car, and then sanitize the hell out of it. Carpet replacement will be later.
Cost breakdown:
$300 - Tags/smog/tax
$450 - Four tires
$200 - Brakes all around
$135 - MAP sensor (if that's the problem)
$270 - "Main Switch" (probably can find the part elsewhere for less)
$170 - New carpeting
$100? - Floor insulation
$200? - Top seals
Total (minus main switch + top seals): $1355
Not bad for a drop-top V6 coupe in California...
The towing notice was for this week, so we HAD to move the car. This is with a steering wheel lock and no keys. We think there's some immobilizer since the engine wouldn't start, so we just disassembled the steering rack and towed it. +manpoints
What think ye, ATG?
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