As David Tracy’s editor, I saw his story today on his fleet of beaters and all their problems less as a fun feature about wrenching and more as a cry for help. I’m now genuinely concerned for him.
I know he thinks he’s got this, but that list seems like a daunting mountain to climb, and one that should keep him busy well into his mid-30s.
But there is light at the end of every tunnel, and reader Daryl may just have the answer here:
So looking over your list...here’s what you should really be asking yourself. It’s more of a question of prioritizing and management. Think of it more along the lines of a doctor with five patients. You can’t treat all five of them at the same time. You’d have to practice triage. As a doctor, you’d have to make a decision, “Do I help the one who is the worse off now, to prevent them from dying or do I help the others first, know that they probably wouldn’t die if I didn’t, but the fifth patient is terminal anyways?”
In your situation, I’d recommend deciding which vehicle needs to be handled the most. If it’s the Baja Jeep because of a pending event, I’d focus on it, get its issues knocked out, and then go to the next “patient” so to speak. If you keep hopping back and forth between the vehicles, it’ll end up taking you longer to get them sorted out. Pick a vehicle, pick a plan for what you’re going to do on it, and then stick to it. And don’t add any more vehicles until you get at least two where you’re comfortable with it.
Some of the problems can be resolved at the same time, like the transfer case leaking, with the shifter causing a horrible noise when you engage the four wheel drive.
Break the tasks down into simple goals. “Today, I’m going to do this on this car, which will prep me to do this on this car the next day...” or “Tonight, at 11:30 PM, I’m going to push the Honda into Travarish’s driveway, and in the morning, report that Travarish stole money from me and forged my signature on the title of that car.” (You might not want to write that one down. In fact, I’d recommend deleting my post should you act on it. Also, mention that you think Travarish sells guns and/or drugs and had said something to the effec that they’d never take him alive.)
Side Note: Tavarish - Don’t take it personal...I love your articles. Keep them flowing.
Posting Tavarish’s bail will likely be cheaper than the cost of all those repairs anyway.
Contact the author at patrick@jalopnik.com.