So I have this mostly expendable SUV, and now it can be yours. It is, in fact, the infamous Pooper of song and story and Boston-area freight-hauling. It is a 1989 Trooper II, brown, 2.4 liter 4-cyl engine and manual transmission, with about 137,000 miles. It has survived 12 New England winters and it shows, with various rust spots around the body and the beginnings of some frame rot underneath. In general it has had very few problems, except for eating its valves due to a head design flaw, but it is now definitely reaching the end of its life. But while it still has some life left, I would like to see someone to put the ol' girl to some good use in noncritical applications. I don't have time to try and fix all the problems, and have moved on to a newer car by now. The Pooper is potentially useful for the following: Teaching drivers stick-shift. The clutch and trans are fairly forgiving and robust, so a few stalls and jerks shouldn't hurt it a bit. Hauling stuff around town. Several local folks' moves have been facilitated by the big, boxy rear volume, and it is a preferred vehicle for trash-picking. It is possible to get 8-foot skinny objects fully inside by laying them up alongside the passenger seat back. Bringing food or other items to/from local charities. Hauling stuff around private property, such as a farm, where some off-road capability is needed but someone else can come bail you out if you get stuck. Long trips or situations requiring absolute vehicle reliability are not recommended at this time. The engine and drivetrain are still fully functional and will probably last quite a while longer. However, "sporty" is not in this thing's vocabulary, so if you're looking for something with a lot of zip, this isn't it. In fact it does best when driven gently, as it has been all its life. It burns a little oil, but not badly. Fuel system is EFI, driven by a non-OBDII brain-box between the seats. It has its *original* tires, which still have a healthy amount of meat on them. This is testimony to how it has been driven. The brakes could probably use some attention. The pads are still okay but the front calipers don't "float" very well anymore and all the disks could probably use machining or replacement. There is no ABS system. The current inspection sticker expires after August 2003. The car is worth about $700 blue-book and won't even return enough as a donation to get me over the standard income tax deduction. Your cost is zero, or perhaps a token dollar to facilitate getting things square with the RMV if needed. You assume all further responsibility for the vehicle, including registration/insurance, safety inspections, taxes, maintenance, and eventual disposal. While I would have no control over your disposition of the car, I would not think highly of you if all you wanted to do was turn around and sell it to some junkyard or auction place. This is offered under a "gentleman's agreement" that as much good use as possible will be made of the vehicle until such is no longer reasonably possible. I am doing this to benefit the local social circle -- if all I wanted was to rid myself of the car, one phone call would have it gone within 24 hours. Interested parties should email hobbit@avian.org, with something loud and indicative in the subject such as "POOPER" to draw attention to the message. The vehicle is located in the Boston-north suburbs. _H* 030707 ## pooper.txt rev 0.4 030709