How to get rid of (almost) dead vehicle? $

[nthach]

rides as good as Southwest Airlines...

But does it come with cougars?

 

[nthach]

If your state has a “clean air retirement” program for pre-1996 cars, that’s a easy $500-1000 in your pocket. Otherwise, my advice to a friend in a similar spot with a 1998 Explorer(he just bought a new truck), drive it until the wheels fall off and do the minimum of maintenance until it blows. Then scrap it.

 

[brages]

Clean it up, take some good photos, list it "as-is" on Facebook Marketplace with an honest description of the issues and a few hundred $$ asking price.

 

[supton]

Interesting, have a 2004 Trailblazer with 190,500 miles and a bad transmission and a dash that lights up like Christmas. It`s been in the family since new and looks good. It drives tight and everything but what was mentioned works. Problem is the trans is 04 only and rebuilt is $2,000 to 3,000 and who knows what the electrical cluster will be. Anyone have advice? Thanks

I'd start a new thread for this.

But to cut to the chase, if it was me and I could afford to move on, I would. 16 years of NH road salt plus bad trans plus bad dash? If it was rust-free and I liked it, then fine, drop the coin, cheaper than replacing I'm guessing.

 

[eljefino]

The deduction is basically worthless. You have to itemize and you only deduct what the charity gets. So if they're lucky and get $300, you get to deduct $300 and if you're in the 25% tax bracket, that's worth $75 and that's assuming you were going to itemize anyway. Meanwhile if the junkyard gives you $300 for scrap value, then you keep $300 in your pocket. Usually the junkyard will give you more if they don't have to tow it, you just have to get it to their junkyard. There's always craigslists and listing it as parts car.

In my 2020 taxes I can write off a few hundred bucks in charitable giving while still taking the standard deduction.

 

[PimTac]

It’s true though. You will never convince me anything new is better than anything old or used. Trust me when you are the customer and have to pay to fix that junk you will thank me.

It’s still ridiculous. You would rather drive a early 80’s Fairmont or Citation before something that is new?

Of course, those cars were built before you were born.

 

[AutoMechanic]

It’s still ridiculous. You would rather drive a early 80’s Fairmont or Citation before something that is new?

Of course, those cars were built before you were born.

Absolutely I would. I’ve talked to mechanics that have been doing this for years they said those cars were easier to fix and much more reliable.

 

[Wolf359]

In my 2020 taxes I can write off a few hundred bucks in charitable giving while still taking the standard deduction.

You can write off about $300 in cash donations....

 

[RooflessVW]

Absolutely I would. I’ve talked to mechanics that have been doing this for years they said those cars were easier to fix and much more reliable.

Yeah I'm a mechanic too.

Old **** sucks. I'm happy that you like what you like, but saying old cars are better than new universally is not even remotely true.

Even the few old cars that I'd actually want to own are in no way better than their modern equivalents. Perhaps in appearance, but that is subjective.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Yeah I'm a mechanic too.

Old **** sucks. I'm happy that you like what you like, but saying old cars are better than new universally is not even remotely true.

Even the few old cars that I'd actually want to own are in no way better than their modern equivalents. Perhaps in appearance, but that is subjective.

Old stuff can suck because you can’t hook up a modern scanner to get codes so you have to manually do everything. As for reliability and appearance better in every way in my opinion and they are real cars and not made of plastic and loaded with garbage and most importantly have real keys.

 

[eljefino]

Old stuff can suck because you can’t hook up a modern scanner to get codes so you have to manually do everything. As for reliability and appearance better in every way in my opinion and they are real cars and not made of plastic and loaded with garbage and most importantly have real keys.

Hahahaha you think a 94 Grand Am isn't made of plastic? It's covered in it! All the body cladding, the interior, gah!!!!!

 

[RooflessVW]

Hahahaha you think a 94 Grand Am isn't made of plastic? It's covered in it! All the body cladding, the interior, gah!!!!!

The epitome of quality.

That's why my next new car is going to be a Pontiac!

Oh wait, that's right...

 

[01rangerxl]

Absolutely I would. I’ve talked to mechanics that have been doing this for years they said those cars were easier to fix and much more reliable.

My parents bought a '78 Mercury Zephyr wagon new, and it almost burned them on Fords. The car had carburetor problems that the dealer was never able to figure out, and it would stall. Rangers are why they aren't anti-Ford.

 

[AutoMechanic]

My parents bought a '78 Mercury Zephyr wagon new, and it almost burned them on Fords. The car had carburetor problems that the dealer was never able to figure out, and it would stall. Rangers are why they aren't anti-Ford.

That really sucks. The Ranger was by far one of the best Fords.

 

[01rangerxl]

That really sucks. The Ranger was by far one of the best Fords.

The Zephyr (Fairmont) was supposed to be their first kind of nice car too, purchased the year my older sister was born. My dad traded in a '72 Fiat coupe with no AC or anything. Their other vehicle was a very basic '77 Datsun King Cab pickup and they wanted a good family car. The Zephyr had AC, automatic, was on a "new, compact for the 80s" chassis, and was just a terrible piece of junk. It got traded in on a 1984 Cherokee that also had its own set of issues, but was generally far more trustworthy than the Zephyr.

 

[AutoMechanic]

The Zephyr (Fairmont) was supposed to be their first kind of nice car too, purchased the year my older sister was born. My dad traded in a '72 Fiat coupe with no AC or anything. Their other vehicle was a very basic '77 Datsun King Cab pickup and they wanted a good family car. The Zephyr had AC, automatic, was on a "new, compact for the 80s" chassis, and was just a terrible piece of junk. It got traded in on a 1984 Cherokee that also had its own set of issues, but was generally far more trustworthy than the Zephyr.

That sucks man. I hope they revised the carburetor to be better on other models back then. I know Fords have a ton of transmission problems.

 

[nthach]

That sucks man. I hope they revised the carburetor to be better on other models back then. I know Fords have a ton of transmission problems.

Ford was trying to be a trailblazer during the Malaise Era. First with EFI, electronic ignition, independent 4-wheel suspension, and they tried to bring over tech from Europe. a lot of Ford’s transmission tech was heavily based off Borg-Warner’s designs(same thing with Toyota - Aisin AW was known as Aisin-Warner). Chrysler was being more daring with the minivan and the first American-made electronically-controlled automatic. The Cressida I mention later on was the first car with a electronically-controlled transmission. GM didn’t even start using EFI of any sort until the late 1980s and it wasn’t until the 1990s where the 4L60-E/4L80E and the 4T60-E made its way into their lineup.

I remember growing up as a kid seeing a ton of Tauruses, Tempos and Crown Vics along side K-Cars and Citations/Celebrities and my family was the odd one out with a Toyota Cressida.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Ford was trying to be a trailblazer during the Malaise Era. First with EFI, electronic ignition, independent 4-wheel suspension, and they tried to bring over tech from Europe. a lot of Ford’s transmission tech was heavily based off Borg-Warner’s designs(same thing with Toyota - Aisin AW was known as Aisin-Warner). Chrysler was being more daring with the minivan and the first American-made electronically-controlled automatic. The Cressida I mention later on was the first car with a electronically-controlled transmission. GM didn’t even start using EFI of any sort until the late 1980s and it wasn’t until the 1990s where the 4L60-E/4L80E and the 4T60-E made its way into their lineup.

I remember growing up as a kid seeing a ton of Tauruses, Tempos and Crown Vics along side K-Cars and Citations/Celebrities and my family was the odd one out with a Toyota Cressida.

Yeah our 1994 Econoline has EFI so far it’s doing good but I’m sure by then it was around long enough to where they worked the bugs out of it. The Cressida weren’t bad but you rarely see them nowadays so that might be telling us something. I love those old Taurus I found a 1995 for sale the other day and wanted it so badly.

 

[spasm3]

Go into a convenience store, on the wrong side of town. Leave the window down, the keys in the switch with the engine running. Go in store, use bathroom, browse drinks and snacks. Report the car when you come back out and its gone.

 

[nthach]

Yeah our 1994 Econoline has EFI so far it’s doing good but I’m sure by then it was around long enough to where they worked the bugs out of it. The Cressida weren’t bad but you rarely see them nowadays so that might be telling us something. I love those old Taurus I found a 1995 for sale the other day and wanted it so badly.

Toyota and rust protection are three words never to used in the same sentence. Though, the American-made models using PPG pre-treatment and paint are better than their Japanese counterparts that use Kansai Paint’s versions of such. Honda still holds the crown for bad paint.

Japanese cars were also death traps until recently.