Thinking about years gone by

[6518John]

My dad got me a car as a high school graduation present. It was a '59 Rambler Ambassador wagon and he paid $50 for it. Rough shape would be too kind to describe it but it got me where I wanted to go (sometimes), and that's all I cared about.

I generally tell people around me when filling up that this costs more than my first car! No one believes me, so I am glad to find another that had a $50 car to start too! Now that gas prices have dropped it’s not so bad, but every time I see the pump get close to $50 I think of my first car.

 

[hoosierone]

Still can't figure what my wife saw in me. I was poor, immature, and liked to drink beer. Plus I moved her 200 miles from her family. Things slowly got better and money has long since ceased to be an issue. I recall bringing in the battery at night. Nowadays I replace them preemptively before their fifth birthday.

 

[kraynky]

At age 18 I moved out of the house and rented a trailer with a buddy, we shingled houses and made $5 a sq (10'x10'=100 sq. ft) for labor only. That included installing the underlayment and packing the shingles up the ladder and up the slope to the ridge.

We had one our State's heaviest snowfalls on record that winter, and money got really tight. The fellow behind us was waiting on a check and needed some money to feed his family. He offered me his 1967 Country Squire Woody Wagon for $50 bucks cash. It was a tough call, but my car needed a wheel bearing, brakes and a front hub, and it was on blocks. They guy had just moved down to KY from Michigan, and that poor old wagon was pretty rotted.

That car would start with a very light bump on the key, and ran so smooth you couldn't hear it running. But the floor boards had sheet metal plates, a stop sign and heavy cardboard on the floors. The fenders were wired on and going down the road at night the headlights bounced around and pointed in all directions, depending on the road.

That little 302 never failed to start for me though and I drove it for a while after I got my Gran Torino back up and running. I finally sold it to a fellow who wanted the engine for an old truck he was fixing up. I got $150 for it. I'd sure like to have that Gran Torino ('73) and a better condition Country Squire in my garage now. Memories of years gone by.........

 

[fiasconva]

Remember when batteries going bad used to at least give you a little warning, like weak starting or something? Not any more! One day you get in and NOTHING, no warning or anything and it just won't turn over. I had to replace my battery yesterday and my mechanic said to just use a Walmart brand since they are the same but just have a different label. As usual, they don't stock the group size I needed.

 

[carpriver]

I liked the post about the oil heater in the engine compartment. Here in the great white north some people will do any thing to make the car start quicker in the winter. A guy from work, a auto tech, was asked if he had any idea why his barn burned down. He smiled and said, probably the charcoal coals he put in a bucket under the front end of his truck to keep the battery warm. That there is using your head. sorta.

 

[ACP230]

For a while, years ago, I had a set of cables and an extra battery on
the floor behind the passenger seat in my Ford Pinto wagon.
It was easier to charge the extra battery, and carry it, than to take the
one out of the car and bring it in the house. When starting failed to
happen I'd take the battery out of the back seat and hook it up to the one under the Pinto's hood. This went on till payday arrived and
we made a trip to Gamble's Hardware and got a new battery.

The Pinto had a stick shift and could be jump started in a flat
parking lot if necessary. My wife would drive and I would push the
Pinto till it started. We were in Gainesville, FL for six months then and the warmer temps probably helped get the thing to start that way.

Later, I used to run an extension out the basement window to a charger
perched inside the engine compartment of my Chevy LUV. We were
having a lot of cold mornings in Da U.P. that spring. If I had to go out early I needed the boost to get going. Sometimes I had to find a jump to get home too, but not always. Don't recall where I got the new battery
for the truck that time.

Don't even have cables now. Keep saying I'm going to get some and
forgetting.

 

[Warren Sear]

OK, this is rapidly turning into another "we wuz so pore" thread, so:

We wuz so pore... One day Mama wus awalkin' down the street, wearing one shoe, and had a big smile on her face.

Neighbor lady axe her, "Whah you smilin'? You lost yore shoe!"

"Lost one?", says Mama, "Hail, ah jist found one!"

Yep, thems wuz the good ol' days.

 

[Tom K]

I am puzzled by you guys complaining about the price of car batteries. When the battery in my car died I took it down to Walmart where I had bought it and had it tested. They scanned its bar code and gave me some credit on a new one.

How much was it? I don't remember and it doesn't really matter, because I needed it and sure as heck wasn't going to waste my time shopping around for a cheaper one so that I could save ten dollars. [emoji849]

 

[LoboGunLeather]

I am puzzled by you guys complaining about the price of car batteries. When the battery in my car died I took it down to Walmart where I had bought it and had it tested. They scanned its bar code and gave me some credit on a new one.

How much was it? I don't remember and it doesn't really matter, because I needed it and sure as heck wasn't going to waste my time shopping around for a cheaper one so that I could save ten dollars. [emoji849]

Well, that is another perspective on the situation. I'm sure I commented on the price of car batteries, but I don't think I complained about the price. The central focus of the original post was pre-bar code, so probably not within some folks' range of understanding.

Enjoy your day!

 

[jtcarm]

For a while, years ago, I had a set of cables and an extra battery on
the floor behind the passenger seat in my Ford Pinto wagon.
It was easier to charge the extra battery, and carry it, than to take the
one out of the car and bring it in the house. When starting failed to
happen I'd take the battery out of the back seat and hook it up to the one under the Pinto's hood. This went on till payday arrived and
we made a trip to Gamble's Hardware and got a new battery.

The Pinto had a stick shift and could be jump started in a flat
parking lot if necessary. My wife would drive and I would push the
Pinto till it started. We were in Gainesville, FL for six months then and the warmer temps probably helped get the thing to start that way.

Been a long time since I push-started a vehicle. Ah, the good ol days.

 

[LVSteve]

Had two of those fancy gel tube batteries in my Xterra. They both died prematurely. The original basic plate battery and the similar one in it when I sold it lasted longer.

The weather here in Vegas is hard on batteries and also alternators. I think some of the high output alternators don't see enough cooling air and others that do have the bearings and brushes killed by the dust. If those factors don't get them, trying to charge a dead modern battery will also cause issues.

I agree that modern batteries often die with little warning, just "click" one morning. Some cars start showing issues with the infotainment when the battery is starting to go. Surprise, surprise, both my Jags were that way.

 

[Kurusu]

Been a long time since I push-started a vehicle. Ah, the good ol days.

Ah! Yes. I remember when I had to push start my old 1969 VW beetle everyday for a whole week.

It was not a battery problem. The start engine had to be taken out for repair.

 

[Qmark]

Here in Phoenix, the local saying goes: "You can't buy a car battery here, you can only rent them" ..... Because the summer temps just cook em' so fast. My 2019 Chevy is on battery # 2 already.

When I worked in the auto parts business. Battery sales would soar with any weather change. Don’t know how it is today. In the 70’s about the time car batteries changed to plastic from the hard tar case. The second to the top and sometimes even third in line were all the same battery. Different cosmetics and BS numbers. The only real difference was the warranty period was extended with each upgrade. The Sears Die Hard battery was about $20.00 more than the same battery from the same factory with a different brand name. The Delco and Autolite were the same except cosmetics and packaging but their top of line was really a top of the line high quality battery. I haven’t checked but I assume China is now making car batteries.

 

[schutzen-jager]

Remember when batteries going bad used to at least give you a little warning, like weak starting or something? Not any more! One day you get in and NOTHING, no warning or anything and it just won't turn over. I had to replace my battery yesterday and my mechanic said to just use a Walmart brand since they are the same but just have a different label. As usual, they don't stock the group size I needed.

been retired from dealerships for awhile , but if i remember correctly that back in late 90's battery manufactures changed the chemical make up of lead acid batteries - now they fail more often in hot weather + give little or no warning at all -

 

[Jack Flash]

I remember $20 batteries back about 50 years ago. But money was a lot harder to come by back then. An inflation calculator will tell you what $20 is in today's dollars. My general rule of thumb is to multiply by 10.

If I recall correctly, you were lucky if one of those $20 batteries lasted 2 or 3 years back in the day. I'm currently on year 8 of a $100 Ever Start from WM in my Jeep.

A $200 battery will very likely serve you well for 7 years or more. Sometimes a lot more. Most of us now days have the finances that we just replace them because they are old, not because they fail.

 

[Golddollar]

Been a long time since I push-started a vehicle. Ah, the good ol days.

And probably the longer the better!

 

[yaktamer]

Here in Phoenix, the local saying goes: "You can't buy a car battery here, you can only rent them" ..... Because the summer temps just cook em' so fast. My 2019 Chevy is on battery # 2 already.

I got almost three years out of my last one, but replaced it when I had an new starter put in because it was testing poorly and I knew I was tempting fate.

 

[yaktamer]

I had a Mazda B2000 pickup that was about 9 years old when I totaled it. Still had the original battery that was showing no sign of giving up despite a few very hot summers and a couple of really severe winters. It was a Panasonic. I always thought they only made radios.

 

[chief38]

Heck - I paid $100 bucks for my first car!

I just paid $200 bucks for a motorcycle battery ( installed it myself) and they last only 4 - 5 years if taken care of with a Tender and even less if neglected over the winter.

I have been pretty lucky with car battery's - getting at least 7 years out of most them. My wife's original battery was a 72 month OEM model that lasted 90 months! I was so impressed with the service it gave us I used the same brand and model to replace it.