[Silly Little Cars] Cost & quality

Sun Aug 14 06:47:49 PDT 2016

I suppose if I had to pay someone to repair it I would think like Charles.
But I can fix it myself. I have a '99 GO-4 that I bought a few yrs after
someone put it on its side. After uprighting it, it started right up, drove
it back and bought it on the spot. $100 later with a new piece of side
glass (local glass supplier), new mirrors (Amazon or something) I was back
in business. A few weeks later a new fender piece arrived ($86 from MMS)
and I got carried away and painted the whole thing. It's built like a
truck, roll bar frame with aluminum body parts, it'll go a long time.
Although we don't live on an island any longer, which allowed me to get on
the ferries with the motorcycles (every boat :-), bypassing the long lines
of cars ), I hesitate to sell it. We take it down to a beach spot where
parking is impossible...except for a "silly little car." Great for quick
trips. It goes 70 for an occasional I-5 trip. (don't dodge squirrels @ 70!)
People start to Giggle when they see it and I'm glad it brings them a
smile. Although it still has the take down lights the "branding shows its
not a parking enforcment vehicle" which adds to the smile as opposed to
scorn for authority.
Silly little car supporter...
I do need to add oil to the front forks, riding a little hard.
Mike

On Aug 11, 2016 3:16 PM, "via Silly_little_cars" <
silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:

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Today's Topics:

   1. Re: 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and the     true cost of
      ownership. (Simon Barber via Silly_little_cars)
   2. (no subject) (John Noble via Silly_little_cars)
   3. Re: 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and the     true cost of
      ownership. (Alec Bennett via Silly_little_cars)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Message: 1
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2016 22:58:52 +0100
From: Simon Barber via Silly_little_cars
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
To: Silly Little Email List
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and
        the     true cost of ownership.
Message-ID: <65528B11-53BF-4344-96B3-1760B7D6E05F at superduper.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

If anyone wants a 2002 GO-4 , approx 25k miles, ex city of Napa parking
enforcement, needs an ECU, I?m selling mine for $1,250. It?s in San
Francisco.

Simon

> On Aug 11, 2016, at 9:44 PM, mhlop via Silly_little_cars <
silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>
> Charles, I watch these forums and I have 2 go-4s and 5 cushmans.  I find
it incredible that anyone wants to know how you justify your selling
price.  Anyone who has owned one would be glad to find a nice running
machine for $3500.00.  I paid over 4k for one of mine and was glad to get
it for that. Its worth it in parts alone.  I appreciated your detailed
break out of the costs.  It certainly doesnt account for your blood sweat
and tears.  If we could sell these with that cost in mind you couldnt find
one under 10k.  Just my 2 cents.  I always think its funny when you have to
justify a selling price to anyone.  If you dont like the price find another
one!!!!  After all it just a silly little car!   Marc
>
>
>
> Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note5, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
>
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Charles Marshall via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.
sillylittlecars.com>
> Date: 8/11/16 3:12 PM (GMT-05:00)
> To: sillylittlecars at sillylittlecars.com
> Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and
the    true cost of ownership.
>
> All,
> I?ve received a few emails from folks asking me to justify the price I?m
asking.  I wrote this up for one of them, however after spending a bit of
time digging up all the info I think it?s valuable for folks to understand
the cost of ownership of these vehicles.
>
> As I understand the life of my vehicle, was as a fleet car for a
municipality, as such it has had a long life 44000+ miles.  I was hesitant
to start driving the car, and thereby trusting my life to it, without
having it be completely gone over and repaired such that I could trust it
as my daily driver commuter.
>
> I post this partially as a cautionary tale, but also as someone who has
throughly enjoyed repairing and driving the vehicle.  As I say below, I
love the vehicle, but I can?t justify keeping it after switching jobs and
having a *much* easier commute ?.
>
> <<<BEGIN EMAIL>>>
>
> I?ll break down the cost for below, but I spent nearly $4700 on the
vehicle, and make it reliable and in my opinion reliable for a daily driver
car.
>
> Vehicle (not running)                 $1250.00
> ECU                                           $1162.70
> Left Drive Shaft                              $653.56
> Parts for Fuel/SP/Gasket              $248.71
> Labor and Source-able Parts           $1372.00
> Total                                         $4686.97
>
> I bought the car for $1250.00, not driving due to a broken computer
>
> The ECU was $1162, the go-4 uses a generic Hyundai ECU (think the cars
computer brain), but a special part number as it?s flashed with special
firmware just for the GO-4.  I spent several hours using google translate
on Korean parts sites to determine this, and went so far as ordering 2
different items from Korean suppliers, however the parts were cancelled
later due to a lack of availability, as they had the same ECU, but not the
same flashed version of software.
>
> Finally I found a westward reseller who would sell parts to an individual
(several refuse to sell to non-municipalities).
>
> <<EMAIL>>
>
> <<EMAIL>>
>
> Then on further inspection we found that a wheel bearing was worn, and
was in danger of seizing, in this version of the go-4 the wheel bearing is
part of the whole left rear assembly, so it was 653.56.  Yes, I could have
tried to replace the bearings individually, but that could be more
dangerous than just driving on them about to seize.
>
> <<Wheel BEARING assembly>>
>
> <<Wheel BEARING assembly>>
>
> Also:
> the fuel gauge wasn?t working properly
> the engine wasn?t running cleanly, due to worn spark plug cables
> the main engine gasket was leaking
>
> That was another two rounds of parts, (63.38 + 185.33) = 248.71
>
>
> I?m up to 3264.97, that?s with no labor, the car was at the shop for
several weeks, had itself disassembled completely, with all evaluated.
>
> With labor, and parts that they could source on their own, the repair
bill was *another* $1300.00.
>
>
>
> So in total we?re up to $4686.97 by my math.  I?m not counting things
like having it towed, nor my time and labor (I spent several hours
consulting repair and maintenance manuals and searching online etc)
>
> I used the car for a year, so I took that to be a 25% depreciation rate
(a little over zealous IMHO, but I want to be fair).  I regularly have seen
go-4s on the list and on craigslist, and based on the age and the fact that
it?s been picked over pretty, I consider it a fair price.
>
> I?d love to keep it, but after switching jobs where I can easily commute
to work on public transit and shuttles, I can?t justify it based on the
infrequency of how often I drive it.
>
> CS
>
>
>> On Aug 9, 2016, at 22:20, Charles Marshall <charles at wozi.com <mailto:
charles at wozi.com>> wrote:
>>
>> Much loved 2002 go-4 which I bought off another person on the list in
the Seattle area and nursed back to health.  New ECU, wheel bearings, fuel
pump, and full rundown of all systems less than 2 years ago.  Was my daily
driver until I switched jobs and stopped using it everyday.  It's been well
taken care of.
>>
>> https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/permalink/3496338240638700/ <
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/permalink/3496338240638700/>
>>
>> <image1.JPG>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Silly Little Cars Email List
> sillylittlecars at sillylittlecars.com
> http://lists.sillylittlecars.com/listinfo.cgi/silly_little_
cars-sillylittlecars.com
> To unsubscribe, click that link above.
>
>

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Message: 2
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2016 18:14:29 -0400
From: John Noble via Silly_little_cars
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
To: "silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com"
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
Subject: [Silly Little Cars] (no subject)
Message-ID:
        <CAMrJEaPb=vmdSO+YO2Nq4LkxjNvG1JXjbd3oktTEUW3Ss=hTyQ at mail.gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

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Message: 3
Date: Thu, 11 Aug 2016 15:16:11 -0700
From: Alec Bennett via Silly_little_cars
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
To: Simon Barber <simon at superduper.net>,        Silly Little Email List
        <silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com>
Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and
        the     true cost of ownership.
Message-ID: <5D5588B1-3D74-429B-8845-C74CC5B1F457 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"

My two cents is that these aren't the sort of vehicles that you get the
money you put into them back. It's like a boat or an rv, or hell most used
cars, when you sell them you're basically bound to take a loss. When I
bought mine for $3400 in super cherry condition I had watched it go down in
price from $6k over about 6 months. And even at $6k the guy was still
losing money even excluding his labor.

But like anything, it's ultimately worth only what a buyer is willing to
pay.

> On Aug 11, 2016, at 2:58 PM, Simon Barber via Silly_little_cars <
silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>
> If anyone wants a 2002 GO-4 , approx 25k miles, ex city of Napa parking
enforcement, needs an ECU, I?m selling mine for $1,250. It?s in San
Francisco.
>
> Simon
>
>
>> On Aug 11, 2016, at 9:44 PM, mhlop via Silly_little_cars <
silly_little_cars at lists.sillylittlecars.com> wrote:
>>
>> Charles, I watch these forums and I have 2 go-4s and 5 cushmans.  I find
it incredible that anyone wants to know how you justify your selling
price.  Anyone who has owned one would be glad to find a nice running
machine for $3500.00.  I paid over 4k for one of mine and was glad to get
it for that. Its worth it in parts alone.  I appreciated your detailed
break out of the costs.  It certainly doesnt account for your blood sweat
and tears.  If we could sell these with that cost in mind you couldnt find
one under 10k.  Just my 2 cents.  I always think its funny when you have to
justify a selling price to anyone.  If you dont like the price find another
one!!!!  After all it just a silly little car!   Marc
>>
>>
>>
>> Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note5, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone
>>
>> -------- Original message --------
>> From: Charles Marshall via Silly_little_cars <silly_little_cars at lists.
sillylittlecars.com>
>> Date: 8/11/16 3:12 PM (GMT-05:00)
>> To: sillylittlecars at sillylittlecars.com
>> Subject: Re: [Silly Little Cars] 2002 GO-4 Interceptor 2 - $3500 - and
the   true cost of ownership.
>>
>> All,
>> I?ve received a few emails from folks asking me to justify the price I?m
asking.  I wrote this up for one of them, however after spending a bit of
time digging up all the info I think it?s valuable for folks to understand
the cost of ownership of these vehicles.
>>
>> As I understand the life of my vehicle, was as a fleet car for a
municipality, as such it has had a long life 44000+ miles.  I was hesitant
to start driving the car, and thereby trusting my life to it, without
having it be completely gone over and repaired such that I could trust it
as my daily driver commuter.
>>
>> I post this partially as a cautionary tale, but also as someone who has
throughly enjoyed repairing and driving the vehicle.  As I say below, I
love the vehicle, but I can?t justify keeping it after switching jobs and
having a *much* easier commute ?.
>>
>> <<<BEGIN EMAIL>>>
>>
>> I?ll break down the cost for below, but I spent nearly $4700 on the
vehicle, and make it reliable and in my opinion reliable for a daily driver
car.
>>
>> Vehicle (not running)                        $1250.00
>> ECU                                          $1162.70
>> Left Drive Shaft                             $653.56
>> Parts for Fuel/SP/Gasket             $248.71
>> Labor and Source-able Parts          $1372.00
>> Total                                                $4686.97
>>
>> I bought the car for $1250.00, not driving due to a broken computer
>>
>> The ECU was $1162, the go-4 uses a generic Hyundai ECU (think the cars
computer brain), but a special part number as it?s flashed with special
firmware just for the GO-4.  I spent several hours using google translate
on Korean parts sites to determine this, and went so far as ordering 2
different items from Korean suppliers, however the parts were cancelled
later due to a lack of availability, as they had the same ECU, but not the
same flashed version of software.
>>
>> Finally I found a westward reseller who would sell parts to an
individual (several refuse to sell to non-municipalities).
>>
>> <<EMAIL>>
>>
>> <<EMAIL>>
>>
>> Then on further inspection we found that a wheel bearing was worn, and
was in danger of seizing, in this version of the go-4 the wheel bearing is
part of the whole left rear assembly, so it was 653.56.  Yes, I could have
tried to replace the bearings individually, but that could be more
dangerous than just driving on them about to seize.
>>
>> <<Wheel BEARING assembly>>
>>
>> <<Wheel BEARING assembly>>
>>
>> Also:
>> the fuel gauge wasn?t working properly
>> the engine wasn?t running cleanly, due to worn spark plug cables
>> the main engine gasket was leaking
>>
>> That was another two rounds of parts, (63.38 + 185.33) = 248.71
>>
>>
>> I?m up to 3264.97, that?s with no labor, the car was at the shop for
several weeks, had itself disassembled completely, with all evaluated.
>>
>> With labor, and parts that they could source on their own, the repair
bill was *another* $1300.00.
>>
>>
>>
>> So in total we?re up to $4686.97 by my math.  I?m not counting things
like having it towed, nor my time and labor (I spent several hours
consulting repair and maintenance manuals and searching online etc)
>>
>> I used the car for a year, so I took that to be a 25% depreciation rate
(a little over zealous IMHO, but I want to be fair).  I regularly have seen
go-4s on the list and on craigslist, and based on the age and the fact that
it?s been picked over pretty, I consider it a fair price.
>>
>> I?d love to keep it, but after switching jobs where I can easily commute
to work on public transit and shuttles, I can?t justify it based on the
infrequency of how often I drive it.
>>
>> CS
>>
>>
>>> On Aug 9, 2016, at 22:20, Charles Marshall <charles at wozi.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Much loved 2002 go-4 which I bought off another person on the list in
the Seattle area and nursed back to health.  New ECU, wheel bearings, fuel
pump, and full rundown of all systems less than 2 years ago.  Was my daily
driver until I switched jobs and stopped using it everyday.  It's been well
taken care of.
>>>
>>> https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/permalink/3496338240638700/
>>>
>>> <image1.JPG>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> Silly Little Cars Email List
>> sillylittlecars at sillylittlecars.com
>> http://lists.sillylittlecars.com/listinfo.cgi/silly_little_
cars-sillylittlecars.com
>> To unsubscribe, click that link above.
>
> _______________________________________________
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> sillylittlecars at sillylittlecars.com
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> To unsubscribe, click that link above.
>
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