Beacon Dispatch

Piles in the Aisles, Stacks in the Racks

If you're looking for a new car, now is a good time to buy. At least, that's what we found when we test drove a 2004 Ford Explorer last week. You could practically see the tumbleweed blowing across the showroom floor. It was so dead, the Sales Manager was actually asleep at his desk. So the sales reps have to fight each other when someone walks in the door around the holiday (too late -- we already met our rep via a referral from Edmunds.com.) They know you're serious -- who the hell would be looking for a car around the holidays if you weren't? So you're in a good bargaining position. In the end, we walked away with a brand new Explorer for less than $26k. My brother bought his new Explorer in 1995 for $23k. Yes, that means I'll be selling my '91 Jeep Cherokee. Either that or customize it so I can climb Mt. Beacon with the Zooks next summer.

Best of Beacon: 2003

Thanks to everyone who sent their recommendations and comments! The "Best of Beacon: 2003" list is now live!

An Honest Mechanic

As I've mentioned before, I'm the proud owner of a 1991 Jeep Cherokee, with 167,000 miles (it actually hit 166,666.6 miles on Halloween -- spooky.) It's the only car we have -- something that didn't bother me so much when we only had one son. But now, with two sons, I'm particularly sensitive to guilt trips and other suggestions that avoiding the purchase of a newer model is a dereliction of fatherly duties.

So the uncontrollable shaking that affected the front wheels when I hit a bump at speed (> 55 mph) meant a trip to the shop. When I took my Cherokee to Healey Brothers, the Jeep dealer with the local monopoly on virtually any make/model of vehicle sold on planet earth, I was told that the problem was the result of faulty ball joints, alignment, and tie rods. Their estimate: $1500-1800. Now, I'm not about to spend that much on the Cherokee, but as the mechanic put it, "You have to take care of safety first." In other words, fix this or you're endangering your family. Nevermind the fact that there wasn't any other indication of wear, no noise that I'm familiar with, and just the year before, the same shop told me the Cherokee was in great shape. So I worry about it for a week or so, thinking my family is in mortal peril every time we get in the car.

So I got some advice from a neighbor that Fishkill Tire were an honest shop that knew a thing or two about steering and suspension. There, the mechanic took one look at the underside of the Cherokee, and told me that he needed to replace the sway bar -- one of the most common repairs on early model Cherokees. His estimate: about $300. Done. And there's no more front-end shaking at speed. One has to ask how Healey could have missed something so elementary, when fixing Jeeps is all they do all day. Whatever their motives, once bitten, twice shy, and I'll no longer be doing business with Healey Brothers. I'm not sure where I'll go if I have engine trouble, but I'll do whatver it takes to find an honest mechanic like the guys at Fishkill Tire.