The early dual-row IMS was more robust but, still, many engines failed (1% failure rate vs 8% for single-row IMS 2000-2005). This mostly happened if the owner didn’t change the oil regularly and/or didn’t drive the car regularly. 10 bucks says the failure occurred after the car was put away for the winter without…

Yeah, I also prefer the droptop version of the narrow-bodied 996. It has a clean look; well-proportioned. And it’s not a rocket ship or track car so I’m not sure you need all the chassis rigidity in the world.

I was unaware that a van is actually much narrower, if at all, than an 88 Ranger bed.

So you’re saying my car is basically a Porsche?

I’m pretty nonplussed by sellers who are careful to point out the price tags of things they bought for the car. I get that you’re trying to justify the price you’re asking, but just remember, sellers: everything that is attached to the car, depreciates with the car. You don’t get your “investment” back because a car,…

Yeah, I don’t get that mentality either. It’s not like it’s sharing parts with a Chevy Aveo (obviously, that car didn’t exist yet), the Boxster is a really nice car. I’d love if my car had Boxster parts. And it’s kind of a stupid mentality to begin with. “This $90,000 Lexus shares a cruise control stalk with the…

I never really understood the complaining about sharing interior bits with the Boxster.  But then again, even a Boxster is way nicer than any car I’ve ever owned, so maybe I’m too much of a pleb to understand.

Not sure where you are looking, but the cheapest 996 Turbo on Autotrader or CarGurus is $38,000 and it’s got the same mileage as the car above. The rest are in the $40- to $50,000 range.

CP <<=====|=P===>> NP

Thanks for posting this! The funny thing is I meant to say I had a budget of $500! Anyway, I just bought a nice 1988 Ranger for only $460. Which meets just about all of my criteria. It needs a slave cylinder but I should be able to fix that in a day or two. Also, I thought a lot about a minivan or cargo van, but you…

Gotta go with DT on this one. Strip out a compact van (first gen Odyssey?, but Aerostar and Astrovan are good choices if the manual is essential) and you have room to carry the tools and parts for lawn mower repair (I never saw him mention tractors), and you can do the work on-site and charge more for instant service.…

Dude a panther body could tow a decent sized boat if the brakes were good. Those are beasts.

The ad for the Taco Erik found says it had the frame replaced under the recall, but I’d take that with a grain of salt. He’d need to have it checked at a Toyota dealership to be safe.

I recently sold a walk behind tractor (weighs about 500 pounds) to a guy who towed it away on a trailer with a Grand Marquis. With a decent utility trailer, an old Panther body car can tow several large mowers. I’d go with that route if Daniel has space for a vehicle and a trailer. When he does eventually get a truck,…

Even a full size is only 48 inches between the wheel wells, lots of riding mowers are wider than that.  A compact truck would be worse.  Unless he’s only dealing with push mowers, a trailer is a much better way to go.

Yes we do...we over salt... .02 inches of snow? ALL THE SALT!!

Even better, an enclosed van for your tools and a trailer to tow the mower.

This. Heck, even a cheap mini van with a trailer works too. Better fuel economy and more room to work with for tools and anything else you need for your job. Or even just a few extra seats when needed

Do they salt the roads in Maryland? If so, don’t first gen Tacos have horrific frame rust issues?

literally any truck you like, and a cargo trailer. Putting a mower in the bed of a pickup truck is a drag.