Today my daughter met a Mule Deer at 55 mph on the Highway south of
Spokane, WA.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/DoctorBill_SCC/Miscellaneous/DeerDamage-6B-1.jpg

She is banged up and Black & Blue, but ALIVE.

I keep wondering what would happen if I had met that bastard in my little Metro.

She was in her '99 Suzuki Esteem 1.8 L.

It is a total loss.....

Deer hunting season approaches. I may buy a license....

DoctorBill

Shame about that, but it opens up a nice opportunity for you. That J18 drivetrain can be pounded into your Metro. Not easily, but it goes in. I paid $3.11 for gas yesterday, who needs mileage?

I've heard the seats will bolt right in too.

Thank God your daughter is OK. It could have been a lot worse. I has this low mileage Ford Tempo that I got for pretty cheap. I loved that car until...........

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/planetetf/tempo2.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i315/planetetf/tempo1.jpg

I found that the front bumper on a Tempo is really nothing much to withstand any kind of hit. The Metro would probably be as bad if it were to hit a deer.

glad she's ok bill.

i hit a cow in baja ..... posted some poor photos here of the repairs a while back .... but i was almost stopped at contact. she was big ....maybe a 1000lbs .... and went over the car. the roof was compressed but held. hood and window wrinkled. cow walked away. i drove around baja held together with duct tape but safely. pulled most of it straight at home and added new glass and still have some wrinkles and a story.

Very glad to hear that your daughter is OK.

About a month ago, a medium size doe ran into my 94 Metro. I was certain she would end up on my lap. Happily, she only flattened the driver's side fender and cracked the parking light. Don't know what it did to the deer...the b*tch didn't stop, it was midnight and I was on my way to work (she probably didn't have insurance LOL).

Two weeks and $300 later, the Metro is good as new. Sorry, didn't get any good pictures of the damage. Replaced both fenders as the passenger side was previously damaged. BTW, if you buy new replacement parts go with CAPA-certified parts, don't confuse them with Certifit (as a body shop man told me, they "sorta"-fit). It's a very easy fix.

I was going down a back road back in 97 in an old Cutlas late at night. My girlfriend at the time was giving me a bit of road head. I looked down for a second and heard a bang and looked up and a doe was laying on my windshield. I pulled off the road real quick and the guy behind me ran up fast enough to catch me putting the snake back in the cage. He said he would like to take the deer with him after laughing at me. I was going about 45mph and the only damage was a burned out headlight, an un-noticible crack in the grille, and a scratch on the hood from a hoof. They don't build them like that anymore...

doug2060 - all I can say is "Been There - Done That".....

However, you are damned lucky something wasn't bitten off in the collision!

Onward......

So now I am in need of replacing the '99 Suzuki Esteem.

I won't ask for recommendations - that could go on forever!

What I would like to know is - what is a hunk of crap ! ?

What should I avoid ?

My daughter flatly refuses to drive a Geo Metro - coffee can with a motor - can't disagree.

I already know that Ford Aspire's are KIA and that KIA's are WEAK.
My son had one and two automatic transmission's Broke in it before I dumped it.

No Honda's or VW Rabbits, etc - Had both - repairs are Hideous as are parts!

I am not sure I should be looking for small cars - maybe a big Suburban or a
Jeep...Ha! no seriously - I'm considering it....what is more important -
gas savings or safety?

Looking for used
Dodge NEONS & Stratus,
SATURNS,
Chevy , Toyota Rav, Corolla, Cavalier, Land Cruiser (?)
Ford Taurus, Focus,
Mazda - are they any good?

Gozillions of small cars!

I hate having to do this again.....

OK - So what is BAD \ Crap \ shouldn't buy \ Hmmmm?

Actually I'd buy a used Abrams Tank if I could - let the Deer hit THAT !

DoctorBill

Hey Dr. Bill I tried to send you a message but I'm not sure if you got it. I wanted to ask if you had to file down the gap on your rings on your metro when you installed them? Thanks...

No, I did not...the gap was within specs.

Is it "Kosher" to do that?

I remember that I posted what gap I found on one of those threads...don't have
a clue which post.

I bet you Johnny Mullet would know if that is OK to do.

Why - do they touch?

I should think that stock rings wouldn't be too tight - you bought stock rings, yes?

DoctorBill

Thanks, I bought standard size rings. I hope I don't have to send them back. My parts should be here by Monday but I may have to wait a few more days to start working on it until my valves arrive. The rings can touch depending on the size of the cylinder and the rings and also who made the rings. If they come too close together (measured with feeler gauge) you have to file them down. When they expand from the heat you don't want them to touch or you could be in big trouble. When I'm done I'll make a big post with photo's.

Stick with Suzuki Doc, the Aerio is an Esteem with a taller body on it. I have the Aerio SX five door hatch and absolutely love it. SX-4 is the new replacement for the Aerio, it's built on the new Swift platform.

I tried to get my daughter (19) another Suzuki Esteem.

Had found a 2000 Esteem for $3500 that had 4 mounted, studded snow tires
that came with it.....97,000 miles - nope!

Looks like an "Old Man's car!" she said !

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/DoctorBill_SCC/KIA%20RIO/Esteem-Valley.jpg

Being sold by a Russian...We suspect part of the local Russian "Chop Shop" - but it
looked immaculate (?)

So.........she sees this KIA RIO and after two afternoons of looking all over used car row
and at craigslist items, I finally got her what she wanted.

http://i70.photobucket.com/albums/i86/DoctorBill_SCC/KIA%20RIO/2003KIARIO4Dr-1.jpg

$3,500 - a 2003 Kia Rio 4 door 5 speed - 87,000 miles on it.
Very clean looking, no apparent fender benders repaired, etc.

I know absolutely zip about these cars - except that they blow out Timing Belts
at around 80,000 miles and that they have an "Interference Engine" - so...I have
to get the timing belt replaced SOON...probably $300...can I do it myself?

You will find me lurking around on the KIA RIO Forum.....

It seems powerful enough. I would not buy any KIA with an automatic transmission anymore!
Had a '97 FORD ASPIRE (KIA) and it blew two automatic transmissions! VERY WEAK...

DoctorBill

you could buy it back from insurance company and get it fixed, damage doesn't look unrepairable

If I worked on cars a lot and were 35 instead of almost 66 and I could stoop and
bend, I might try that.

However, I am getting to the point that rebuilding my '93 geo's transmission is
becoming rather untenable.

That sort of thing is just not my cup of tea, anyway.

DoctorBill

It seems powerful enough. I would not buy any KIA with an automatic transmission anymore!
Had a '97 FORD ASPIRE (KIA) and it blew two automatic transmissions! VERY WEAK...



I would not buy ANY car with an automatic transmission, but that's just me. Why pay more money for less power, less mileage, less reliability, less control over the car, and more weight.

Hey Doc Sorry to hear about your daughter's accident. Nice Rio. My wife and I bought a 2008 Kia Rio5 and it's a nice ride.

As for hitting deer with a Metro. I drive like an old man in mine. About 50-60 is all I do. I don't like the thought of running over animals in a coors light can on wheels, but I rebuilt the engine in it last year and fixed it up a bit, and I like having it. I drive everywhere I go in it, cautiously. Deer are bad enough, just gotta look out for the nuckleheads too.

Young girls are funny about driving "old man's cars", but ask them about how it feels about walking. LOL Kids are spoiled these days.:grinno:

The Rio will work out nice though.

its good to know your daughter is ok, i hit a deer or should the deer hit me in my 1996 monte carlo i doing about 90 on a local high way thing coming home from work at 3 a.m. i was driving that fast because my wife (fiance at the time) was very sick and i wanted to get home as fast as i could to make sure she was ok and if she needed to go to the hospital the deer was fine the car not so much, me, i faired the worst, its scary to hit a deer especialy when you're life flashes before your eyes ..........sorry if that came off sounding like i was playing "who had it worse" i just got a flash back from it and wanted to tell my story about when one of my favorite foods was almost my death

ironic, huh?

its not hitting a deer with a car, its hitting a car with a deer

btw (irrelevent subject) turtles sound the worst when you run over them its like a really wet crunchy pop and you feel it through the car................ it'll make you puke its that nasty

damn.....hitting a deer at 90? I can not imagine that. At that speed, how did you know it was a deer......and not a blurr. Did your wife kick your fanny for puting your own life in more danger than hers was in? I bet so.:eek7:

I know mine would. I hit a deer a couple years back. Good thing it was only 400 bucks damage.