Am i the only one really disliking SUVs?

[OVERKILL]

For some reason it feels like automechanic is a reborn StevieC.
Just can't put my finger on why....

Naw, Stevie liked newer vehicles. Also loves Caravans.

 

[TiGeo]

I like station wagons. That's my contribution to this thread.

 

[AutoMechanic]

My experience hasn't borne out your conjecture. How many vehicles have you actually personally piloted to north of 150,000 miles? How many vehicles do you have direct experience and regular contact with that have made it to north of 150,000 miles?

I've driven four vehicles to that mileage:
1. 1997 Ford Explorer
2. 2002 Ford Expedition
3. 1989 Lincoln Town Car
4. 1987 Mustang GT T-Top

Of the group, the most needy was the Explorer. Two transmissions, two transfer cases and the gas mileage was roughly the same as the Expedition. It also needed an alternator, U-joints, front hubs and probably some other things I'm forgetting. As a university student, putting hubs in it was very expensive, let's not get started on the price of getting the trans and t-case done.

Least expensive would have been the Lincoln. Panther cars are notoriously low TCO, and it was no exception.

As I've noted before, we have a small fleet of RAM 1500's at work, a large number of them well north of 150,000 miles. They are all newer than your age cut-off, being 2011-2012 vintage for the most part and two 2014's (along with two DT's now). They've all needed: brakes, tires and the exhaust manifold studs replaced. I believe most are still on their original batteries. That's it. Lower TCO than any of my older Ford vehicles. They all still have the original water pumps, alternators, U-joints, hubs, rads, the AC still works....etc. Rust Check every year, the bodies on them are great too.

Literally the polar opposite of "needing a lot of repairs".

All of our vehicles except the 2017 Camry and 2001 Jeep and 1994 Ford have more than 150,000 and my truck which has 108,000. The van has a massive vacuum leak that I need to address because it’s making the engine idle very loud and high. It still has original everything minus the radiator, battery and MAF sensor and distributor cap and rotor and wires with 138,000 on the clock. The only thing major we have had to do to the escape and the only major thing on it service records is brake calipers and hoses. It’s a 2008 though we think the internal water pump is failing due to the coolant always turning dirty and according to the Ford mechanics that is a problem with those so I’ll have to pull the engine to do that sometime. We had to put a radiator and serpentine belt on the 2017 Camry that’s something that immediately caused me to lose trust in it because the parts should not have failed like that. The 2004 Camry with 279,000 has only had alternator, serpentine belt, spark plugs, all 4 ignition coils, and rebuilt the entire suspension last month other than that no issues at all. And the beetle well it’s just the beetle.

 

[Job]

I don’t like them because I can’t see around them when backing out of parking spots. In a car it’s like backing out with a wall on each side.

 

[PimTac]

I don’t like them because I can’t see around them when backing out of parking spots. In a car it’s like backing out with a wall on each side.

This situation is where a backup camera really comes in handy plus cross traffic/pedestrian alert.

 

[dishdude]

This situation is where a backup camera really comes in handy plus cross traffic/pedestrian alert.

Someone needs to revoke your BITOG membership immediately!

 

[CKN]

I'm sure there are still some van conversion companies out there, but I doubt they offer the VCR and CRT TV anymore

Please tell me this van is teal

Someone needs to revoke your BITOG membership immediately!

Agreed! Can't have any love of "new-fangled" tech on here!

 

[PimTac]

Agreed! Can't have any love of "new-fangled" tech on here!

This old curmudgeon is spoiled. Heated seats and steering wheel, radar cruise control, emergency braking, heads up display, and a lot more.

 

[CKN]

This old curmudgeon is spoiled. Heated seats and steering wheel, radar cruise control, emergency braking, heads up display, and a lot more.

Yea- but you know the conventional BITOG wisdom-this new stuff will not last 30 years and/or 300,000 miles to classify as an official BITOG "cheap beater".

 

[Wolf359]

Yea- but you know the conventional BITOG wisdom-this new stuff will not last 30 years and/or 300,000 miles to classify as an official BITOG "cheap beater".

I'm just surprised that there aren't more on here who like all the options. If you're into cars, you should be into the options, it's the high end stuff that sells the most magazines, they never have pictures of an old beater on the magazines.

The best value in a used car is one with all the options, they don't really factor in that much in terms of book value and you don't even see them as an option that adds extra value when you use those online calculators that calculate book value. You get the options without really paying for them.

 

[redhat]

I'm just surprised that there aren't more on here who like all the options. If you're into cars, you should be into the options, it's the high end stuff that sells the most magazines, they never have pictures of an old beater on the magazines.

The best value in a used car is one with all the options, they don't really factor in that much in terms of book value and you don't even see them as an option that adds extra value when you use those online calculators that calculate book value. You get the options without really paying for them.

If this isn't me then I don't know what is. I love everything and if it doesn't have a heated seat I probably won't own it.

 

[Wolf359]

If this isn't me then I don't know what is. I love everything and if it doesn't have a heated seat I probably won't own it.

Yeah and one secret is that those options don't necessarily break. Both of my cars are somewhat loaded and the stuff that breaks, well they're the basic stuff, the options haven't really broken aside from a door handle for my keyless go. Thankfully it's on the passenger side side so I haven't bothered to replace it. I guess if/when the driver's side goes, I'll replace it then. Parking sensors, pano roof, bixenons, headlamp washers, power trunk closer, etc. all still work after 13 years.

 

[4WD]

Think there is just some self and joint deprecating humor that goes on here … like the Crown Vic schtick …

 

[CKN]

Think there is just some self and joint deprecating humor that goes on here … like the Crown Vic schtick …

with Michelins tires.................

 

[ernied]

These days i see nothing but SUVs and hatchbacks on the roads, cars like the DS7, Peugeot 3008, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Mercedes GLS etc. Every car maker has one. It began with hatchbacks after around year 2000 and now SUVs. I can't understand what's appealing about those cars, all of the time they're a combination of everything i don't like, like downsized turbo engines, the feeling of being high above the road, it feels to me like i'm seating in the roof of the car and i must thay that even small city cars feel this way nowadays. I like sedans, wagons, sporty cars and trucks but for some reason the only modern rare modern cars i like or care about are always the sedans or trucks. Am i the only one stuck in the 90s? Explain to me what made you like and want to buy this kind of car? I sound like an old fart but i'm only 27.

These days i see nothing but SUVs and hatchbacks on the roads, cars like the DS7, Peugeot 3008, Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, Mercedes GLS etc. Every car maker has one. It began with hatchbacks after around year 2000 and now SUVs. I can't understand what's appealing about those cars, all of the time they're a combination of everything i don't like, like downsized turbo engines, the feeling of being high above the road, it feels to me like i'm seating in the roof of the car and i must thay that even small city cars feel this way nowadays. I like sedans, wagons, sporty cars and trucks but for some reason the only modern rare modern cars i like or care about are always the sedans or trucks. Am i the only one stuck in the 90s? Explain to me what made you like and want to buy this kind of car? I sound like an old fart but i'm only 27.

i love mine i am 75 and short i can see better and i love the awdrive
i would never go back to a car again.this is my third one.
hyundai santafe nice riding

 

[TiGeo]

I'm just surprised that there aren't more on here who like all the options. If you're into cars, you should be into the options, it's the high end stuff that sells the most magazines, they never have pictures of an old beater on the magazines.

The best value in a used car is one with all the options, they don't really factor in that much in terms of book value and you don't even see them as an option that adds extra value when you use those online calculators that calculate book value. You get the options without really paying for them.

Agreed. I have a base model as my daily and while it's a great car when I drive our feature-laden Atlas I love all the options. I have a 17 yo VW Passat W8 wagon that is loaded and everything still works.

 

[Bud]

I love mine, as I do a lot of hauling with it for mulch and the like. Would I rather be driving a Corvette? Sure, but at my age I doubt that I could get in and out of it. I finally let my MGB go after 30 plus years as I had a hard time getting in and out of it and the old back would not take leaning into the engine compartment anymore to work on it. My Pilot is easy for me to get in and out of and is comfortable. My neighbor, a retired Navy guy just got a Dodge Challenger and said he didn't want to drive a Grandpa car. I said just wait about 30 more years.

 

[01rangerxl]

I'm just surprised that there aren't more on here who like all the options. If you're into cars, you should be into the options, it's the high end stuff that sells the most magazines, they never have pictures of an old beater on the magazines.

The best value in a used car is one with all the options, they don't really factor in that much in terms of book value and you don't even see them as an option that adds extra value when you use those online calculators that calculate book value. You get the options without really paying for them.

I don't know, it seems like usually when someone on here is shopping for something bare bones with the minimum amount of features, they are shopping new vehicles.

I drive older vehicles and am not against options. My Explorer is far from loaded, but does have 8 way power seats with power lumbar, keyless entry, speed sensitive auto door locks, 4 wheel disc brakes, etc. A fully loaded (well, maybe no sunroof) 5.0 Eddie Bauer would have been even better, but I got what was available at the time. In either case there are plenty of modules and things in an even half way loaded 20+ year old Explorer.

 

[OVERKILL]

His problem is that he's too close to it. If all you do is repairs, then you think that all new cars have problems. But he doesn't realize that the older car owners are too cheap or poor to go to the dealership so he thinks that the older cars must be better because all he does is fix new cars at the dealership.

But on average, the new cars have less problems than the old cars. And they're only throw aways because people don't want to spend the money fixing them and rather buy something new.

I don't think he's anywhere near as close to it as others on here with significantly more experience like @The Critic @clinebarger @Trav ..etc and none of which appear to be allergic to newer vehicles.

The dealer mechanics I know also have no aversion to newer vehicles and that's what they drive and put their families in.

 

[OVERKILL]

All of our vehicles except the 2017 Camry and 2001 Jeep and 1994 Ford have more than 150,000 and my truck which has 108,000. The van has a massive vacuum leak that I need to address because it’s making the engine idle very loud and high. It still has original everything minus the radiator, battery and MAF sensor and distributor cap and rotor and wires with 138,000 on the clock. The only thing major we have had to do to the escape and the only major thing on it service records is brake calipers and hoses. It’s a 2008 though we think the internal water pump is failing due to the coolant always turning dirty and according to the Ford mechanics that is a problem with those so I’ll have to pull the engine to do that sometime. We had to put a radiator and serpentine belt on the 2017 Camry that’s something that immediately caused me to lose trust in it because the parts should not have failed like that. The 2004 Camry with 279,000 has only had alternator, serpentine belt, spark plugs, all 4 ignition coils, and rebuilt the entire suspension last month other than that no issues at all. And the beetle well it’s just the beetle.

That doesn't really answer my question. How many vehicles have you personally seen the TCO of going from extremely low or zero to north of 150,000 miles? If you bought a vehicle with 100,000 miles on it, you were not involved in the early years of that vehicle's life so you'd have little to no knowledge about what was replaced under warranty for example, it could be the exact same rad and belt that you are knocking the 2017 Camry for. That's why I specifically worded my question the way I did.