So my neighbor who is ailing was shooting the breeze last Thursday and the topic of his son came up who is currently overseas studying abroad who was driving the car in question prior to leaving. He then randomly asked me if I wanted to take possession of his 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe, the car has been sitting parked under covered parking for about 6 years and he couldn't figure out what the issue was.
So I went out we got a new battery for it I put my Bluetooth OBD scanner in and quickly found out that it just had a MAF sensor code, even better was it turned out that it just was unplugged regardless we went out Friday and he transferred the title over to me for the low price of $0. Apparently he decided that the kindness I've been showing him was worth a car that he no longer wanted.
The best part is not only is the car free but under the two or three inches of dust the paint is in mint condition minus normal scratches and the car itself only has 65xxx miles AND it's a manual. The plan is to relegate this to daily driving duties so that I don't put miles on my project car nor my new GT for work.
The current battle plan for this is to....
Clean it and give it a thorough polishing
DEEP clean the interior, the windows have been cracked up front near a dusty driveway, this will likely involve a carpet cleaner and pressure washer
Do routine maintenance, fluid changes and a complete changeover of the brakes.
New tires
Adjust the clutch properly
Thorough inspection of the suspension to see if anything else needs replaced.
I've always thought these were quirky looking but solid cars, and the manual and super low miles are the icing on the cake
