Turn the hatch into a night club! Partayy!
Opinion on money pit
- Thread starter ThirdeYe
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JHZR2
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Good post, tells it like it is.
JMH
Drive her into the ground! My Celica has 240,000 and counting... all conventional oil & cheap paper oil filters BTW. Know where to be cheap, and where to spend money. Spending money on regular services / fluid changes will save you in the long run. Other than that - just replace / rebuild bits as needed.
Side note:
FYI: You know those JDM engines that "only have 30,000 miles" on them? It's a lie that it's because of "strict smog regulations".
In Japan - over 90% of the population is in big coastal cities (osaka and tokyo). There's no real reason to drive far there (they're on a tiny island after all). The cars fall apart from rust before the engine / transmission give out.
It's true that a TYPICAL car is sent off to a dismantler around 30,000 - 60,000 miles on the OD... but it has everything to do with rust, and nothing to do with smog.
I know this is a little off topic.. but it's related, and anyone that's looking to get a JDM engine should know this.
Side note:
FYI: You know those JDM engines that "only have 30,000 miles" on them? It's a lie that it's because of "strict smog regulations".
In Japan - over 90% of the population is in big coastal cities (osaka and tokyo). There's no real reason to drive far there (they're on a tiny island after all). The cars fall apart from rust before the engine / transmission give out.
It's true that a TYPICAL car is sent off to a dismantler around 30,000 - 60,000 miles on the OD... but it has everything to do with rust, and nothing to do with smog.
I know this is a little off topic.. but it's related, and anyone that's looking to get a JDM engine should know this.
This is SO true......I thought I was the only one out there who realized this.
why does it matter why the engine only has 30k on it???
who cares, if it only has 30k, that's a good thing.
Also keep in mind how their economy works. It's not socially "cool" to drive a used car, and most people trade in cars there VERY quickly, and you can buy used cars for next to nothing. A lot of them are shipped to Australia and other countries just so they can make a little more money.
You don't have to go to CA to get a rust-free used car. We have plenty of them here in Southern VA and NC. I got a 1992 Cavalier 2 years ago to resell with 68K miles, no rust whatsoever for $1,800 at the auction. Interior was like new and a one owner. A Cavalier will last as long as any Honda on the road for a fraction of the cost. Pasts for all imports are 2-5X higher than GM parts and in addition every auto parts store sells most anything you need for a GM car. Something to keep in mind next time you buy a used car. But for the one you have now, I would try to sell and get a cheaper, more reliable used domestic in better shape. If you can't sell, then keep it until your first major problem. If it was maintained, it should last you through school.
I had a Domestic once, a '96 Cavalier that was owned by an older man (70+?), and it broke down once a week with less than 100k on the clock. I'll pass on those
My mom's 2003 Malibu is in the shop all the time, had premature brake failure before 20k miles, and again at 50k, and we eventually switched it to an aftermarket design because the OEM design was horrible. One of the fan settings went out, the paint on the fender is peeling off, the engine makes a loud whistling noise that no mechanic can seem to figure out, it struggles to accelerate randomly on the highway, door hinges were rusting, one of the doors wouldn't close properly and had to be adjusted twice, headlights weren't adjusted properly and had to be adjusted 3 times, etc. My mom's worked for GM for over 20 years, and she won't even buy GM anymore. I know it's probably just bad luck, as my dad's had great luck with most of his GM products, but i'll steer clear. I'm sure that the Japanese cars that i'm more attracted to can have just as many problems. Just a personal preference I suppose, from my own personal experiences. You're probably right about the repairs being cheaper, though.
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You don't have to go to CA to get a rust-free used car. We have plenty of them here in Southern VA and NC. I got a 1992 Cavalier 2 years ago to resell with 68K miles, no rust whatsoever for $1,800 at the auction. Interior was like new and a one owner. A Cavalier will last as long as any Honda on the road for a fraction of the cost. Pasts for all imports are 2-5X higher than GM parts and in addition every auto parts store sells most anything you need for a GM car. Something to keep in mind next time you buy a used car. But for the one you have now, I would try to sell and get a cheaper, more reliable used domestic in better shape. If you can't sell, then keep it until your first major problem. If it was maintained, it should last you through school.
#@$%!, he should've bought a 96+ Saturn SL2. New mounts, new transmission valve body, new valve cover gasket, PCV, coolant temp sensor, thermostat, and alternator...all for < $800 parts and he'd have a car ($3K to begin with) that'll last virtually forever. Just make sure you keep the oil topped up. I have 100k on mine now and it runs fine.
Even with serious rust, Honda's and Acura's usually keep running flawlessly, well beyond when you think they should quit. Believe me, I work at a Wal-Mart in a not-so-affluent part of town, and we get them in our shop all the time looking like they should have been taken off the road five years before, but they run perfectly, so I don't blame the owners for still driving them.
I've seen the picture you've posted of your car, and even if you never touch the body again, its going to be years before the rust gets bad enough on that car to have to stop driving it. Your car is in really good shape for an older Acura, so just drive it and enjoy it, and you can get another 5+ years out of it easily......
I've seen the picture you've posted of your car, and even if you never touch the body again, its going to be years before the rust gets bad enough on that car to have to stop driving it. Your car is in really good shape for an older Acura, so just drive it and enjoy it, and you can get another 5+ years out of it easily......
Thanks Addy
Appreciate the feedback. I'm sure if I keep taking care of it mechanically it'll run great for a long time. It was actually really well maintained by a really old lady, all done at the Acura dealership where she lived. I looked under the valve cover and it's so spotless you could eat off of it. The transmission shifts great too, but I still have to get around to draining and filling it again when I get a chance
Im in the same boat as you, but looks like you fell overboard. Im also in college, I drive a 1994 corolla I bought off an older woman (early 50's)who owned it all her life, got all the expencive (and sometimes excessive) maintanence done. Car was in great shape mechanically when I got it, and didnt look half bad.
A wax gives the paint a deep shine, but it definetly has its flaws. It has a good sized and noticable key scratch in the hood. The driver side door looks like she side swiped a thorn bush, nothing bad just a lot of tiny scratches. The entire body has noticable swirl marks. The roof has a bullethole-sized rust spot. The area below the door's paint is bubbling, and has some rust. And the back fender has a good sized rust mark across it.
But unlike you, all the money ive invested into the car has been mechanical. I could care less what some guy in a parkinglot thinks of my car. On the highway or around town all anybody will notice is the shine. And most of my friends cars look like #@$%! anyway. So I have no reason to invest in anything other than a gallon of wash and a can of wax.
Plus even a car such as a corolla, that is considered one of the most reliable, if not the most reliable, cars of all time, costs money. I paid $2000 for the car, then so far another $1500 or so in repairs. Soon I need a new timing belt and water pump, mine has about 58k miles on them. I need new tires sometime this year, and the struts I just replaced are dead (not leaking, but perform like #@$%!). I've got enough to worry about than to think about a rust spot that isnt hurting anything.
But you're still ahead of plenty of people I know. Once I got to college it amazed me the practices people had when it came to cars. One friend bought a car that was in bad shape (needed a new engine, needed some body work done) knowing the condition it was in, paid a shop a lot of money to fix it up, now he's had it for a year and he's looking to sell it, because he's "bored of it".
Different friend has an older jeep, not known for their reliability. He's told me he's put over $10,000 worth of work into it! Bodys falling apart, but he keeps putting money into it.
Theres plenty of people I know who do stuff like this, some worse, but you get the picture.
I think it is a law like said above, that you're not allowed to have a nice car when you're in college. The people I know who drive reliable cars and dont put money into them except for repairs, are the people who are usually getting the good grades.
My advice to you is keep that car until the repairs start stacking up. Im sure you know how stupid it was to sell your altima that had no problems, you only did it for a change of pace. Just keep putting repairs into it. And if you did end up making it look nice and new, it would just get a dent and you'd be back where you started. Just be glad you have something reliable that looks good.
A wax gives the paint a deep shine, but it definetly has its flaws. It has a good sized and noticable key scratch in the hood. The driver side door looks like she side swiped a thorn bush, nothing bad just a lot of tiny scratches. The entire body has noticable swirl marks. The roof has a bullethole-sized rust spot. The area below the door's paint is bubbling, and has some rust. And the back fender has a good sized rust mark across it.
But unlike you, all the money ive invested into the car has been mechanical. I could care less what some guy in a parkinglot thinks of my car. On the highway or around town all anybody will notice is the shine. And most of my friends cars look like #@$%! anyway. So I have no reason to invest in anything other than a gallon of wash and a can of wax.
Plus even a car such as a corolla, that is considered one of the most reliable, if not the most reliable, cars of all time, costs money. I paid $2000 for the car, then so far another $1500 or so in repairs. Soon I need a new timing belt and water pump, mine has about 58k miles on them. I need new tires sometime this year, and the struts I just replaced are dead (not leaking, but perform like #@$%!). I've got enough to worry about than to think about a rust spot that isnt hurting anything.
But you're still ahead of plenty of people I know. Once I got to college it amazed me the practices people had when it came to cars. One friend bought a car that was in bad shape (needed a new engine, needed some body work done) knowing the condition it was in, paid a shop a lot of money to fix it up, now he's had it for a year and he's looking to sell it, because he's "bored of it".
Different friend has an older jeep, not known for their reliability. He's told me he's put over $10,000 worth of work into it! Bodys falling apart, but he keeps putting money into it.
Theres plenty of people I know who do stuff like this, some worse, but you get the picture.
I think it is a law like said above, that you're not allowed to have a nice car when you're in college. The people I know who drive reliable cars and dont put money into them except for repairs, are the people who are usually getting the good grades.
My advice to you is keep that car until the repairs start stacking up. Im sure you know how stupid it was to sell your altima that had no problems, you only did it for a change of pace. Just keep putting repairs into it. And if you did end up making it look nice and new, it would just get a dent and you'd be back where you started. Just be glad you have something reliable that looks good.
That Jeep story makes me feel a little better
That last paragraph is definitely a good point, about getting a dent and being back where I started. Instead of getting the usual PureOnes and Napa Golds, I went to Wal-Mart and decided to go the cheaper route and get some SuperTech filters. Probably once I run out of the Amsoil I already purchased, i'll be using my PP and Havoline Synthetic that I got on sale, and after that, i'll probably switch back down to Dino or continue getting synthetic on sale and try to be a big more thrifty with things.
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About the JDM comments: another reason the cars in Japan get scrapped with perfectly usable drivetrains is the mandatory sha-ken (IIRC) inspection every few years. This is costly and difficult to pass. A rust bucket ain't gonna make it. So instead of fixing the car to pass sha-ken, it goes to the knackers. The drivetrain is saved for us to buy.
Truth be told, because of these inspections encouraging disposal of cars, more older Japanese vehicles are probably still in use in the US than in Japan.
On southern Virginia-North Carolina cars: inland, you're okay. Near the coast, and I don't mean necessarily right on the beach, rust is an issue. A vehicle that has spent its life in the greater Norfolk/Hampton area as far inland as Suffolk or Williamsburg is likely to have corrosion problems from the salt air and humidity. I'm originally from the area (Portsmouth); I know this issue well.
And forget vehicles from near the beach. Even vehicles known to be resistant to rust anywhere else in the country will crumble in Virginia Beach if the owners live within a couple of miles of the oceanfront or the bay.
On Hondas and Acuras as used vehicles: Mstrjon32 is dead on the money and says exactly what I've been thinking. Hondas have this great, and somewhat undeserved, engineering and reliability reputation tinged with being environmentally "green", and as used cars they get ridiculous premiums here too.
Everyone forgets about the 1970s and 1980s Civics and Accords that rusted away to powder, even in areas where rust wasn't a problem with most other vehicles. When was the last time you saw a first-generation Civic? Or even a second-generation? Everyone also forgets about notorious Honda problems such as the recent automatic transaxle failures and the self-removing oil seal on certain engines that led to sudden major leaks.
ThirdeYe, you have received excellent advice from the others here. I can only say to drive it till you have mechanical problems, then—
On southern Virginia-North Carolina cars: inland, you're okay. Near the coast, and I don't mean necessarily right on the beach, rust is an issue. A vehicle that has spent its life in the greater Norfolk/Hampton area as far inland as Suffolk or Williamsburg is likely to have corrosion problems from the salt air and humidity. I'm originally from the area (Portsmouth); I know this issue well.
And forget vehicles from near the beach. Even vehicles known to be resistant to rust anywhere else in the country will crumble in Virginia Beach if the owners live within a couple of miles of the oceanfront or the bay.
On Hondas and Acuras as used vehicles: Mstrjon32 is dead on the money and says exactly what I've been thinking. Hondas have this great, and somewhat undeserved, engineering and reliability reputation tinged with being environmentally "green", and as used cars they get ridiculous premiums here too.
Everyone forgets about the 1970s and 1980s Civics and Accords that rusted away to powder, even in areas where rust wasn't a problem with most other vehicles. When was the last time you saw a first-generation Civic? Or even a second-generation? Everyone also forgets about notorious Honda problems such as the recent automatic transaxle failures and the self-removing oil seal on certain engines that led to sudden major leaks.
ThirdeYe, you have received excellent advice from the others here. I can only say to drive it till you have mechanical problems, then—
Yep, boat loads of Japanese engines wend their way across the mighty Pacific Ocean.
At the wrecking yard we had a wholesale source for these.
Being California, during that period, their were often "49 state" engines and "California" engines with frequent differences in intake manifolds and other components.
Often, the bad engine was stripped of the components needed to keep the car/truck smog legal and placed upon the engine from Japan.
I recall how the American-sold Toyota 20-R engine had a 20-R sticker upon the valve cover while the Japanese engines had a 21-R applique. Hey.... how do you like that fancy "applique" word vice using "sticker" twice? You ain't gonna' find that at your work-a-day run-of-the-mill message board!!!!!
Revel!!!!!!!!!!
We didn't sell too many of those Japanese-sourced engines, though. Usually we had enough local engines OR... the shop didn't want to bother with transferring the components.
A few folks did buy those engines from us, folks who did their own repairing or fixed up cars on the side for profit.. buying the broken-down vehicle for cheap, repairing, then re-selling for profit.
One thing I heard through the grapevine was that some of those imported engines developed some rust, especially those exposed to salt air for lengthy periods. I suppose a container full of engines without a good seal around the door could be exposed to salt air leading to problems. However, I had no personal experience with this.
As technology advanced, especially concerning anti-smog features, I saw fewer specialized "California" engines. That must have been a BIG money saver for manufacturers and increased the number of available used engines for Californians.
I am unsure of the applicability of today's Japanese-sourced used engines for use in the USA. I would expect the blocks to be the same, perhaps the head(s) also.
I would investigate the similarities and differences along with pricing.
Caveat Emptor, esse. Comprende?
Gosh... Latin AND Spanish!!!!!!
Can't wait to learn Greek.
At the wrecking yard we had a wholesale source for these.
Being California, during that period, their were often "49 state" engines and "California" engines with frequent differences in intake manifolds and other components.
Often, the bad engine was stripped of the components needed to keep the car/truck smog legal and placed upon the engine from Japan.
I recall how the American-sold Toyota 20-R engine had a 20-R sticker upon the valve cover while the Japanese engines had a 21-R applique. Hey.... how do you like that fancy "applique" word vice using "sticker" twice? You ain't gonna' find that at your work-a-day run-of-the-mill message board!!!!!
Revel!!!!!!!!!!
We didn't sell too many of those Japanese-sourced engines, though. Usually we had enough local engines OR... the shop didn't want to bother with transferring the components.
A few folks did buy those engines from us, folks who did their own repairing or fixed up cars on the side for profit.. buying the broken-down vehicle for cheap, repairing, then re-selling for profit.
One thing I heard through the grapevine was that some of those imported engines developed some rust, especially those exposed to salt air for lengthy periods. I suppose a container full of engines without a good seal around the door could be exposed to salt air leading to problems. However, I had no personal experience with this.
As technology advanced, especially concerning anti-smog features, I saw fewer specialized "California" engines. That must have been a BIG money saver for manufacturers and increased the number of available used engines for Californians.
I am unsure of the applicability of today's Japanese-sourced used engines for use in the USA. I would expect the blocks to be the same, perhaps the head(s) also.
I would investigate the similarities and differences along with pricing.
Caveat Emptor, esse. Comprende?
Gosh... Latin AND Spanish!!!!!!
Can't wait to learn Greek.
obbop: you have been told you have issues, right?
Quote:
That Jeep story makes me feel a little betterThat last paragraph is definitely a good point, about getting a dent and being back where I started. Instead of getting the usual PureOnes and Napa Golds, I went to Wal-Mart and decided to go the cheaper route and get some SuperTech filters. Probably once I run out of the Amsoil I already purchased, i'll be using my PP and Havoline Synthetic that I got on sale, and after that, i'll probably switch back down to Dino or continue getting synthetic on sale and try to be a big more thrifty with things.
Thats a good start, no need to get a pure one when a supertech will do the job. Also make sure you don't waste your oil stash, a lot of people (including myself) find that when you have a lot of something thats already paid for, you lose the urge to be thrifty. It's hard to avoid changing my oil when its dark, its a nice day, and I have all the supplies, even if it only has 2000 miles on it.
Yea im amazed at my friend with the jeep too. It's a rattle box, and he drives over 2000 miles a month and it only gets 20mpg. I think he had both the engine and transmission rebuilt, on a car that has a beat up body and torn up interior.
And I almost ended up like you, I was thinking of painting my car, maybe putting some wheels on it, and doing various other things to make it look nice, nothing ricey or flashy, just nice. I know your rational, you spend so little on a used car compared to a new car, so you can afford to put some money into making it look nice. The thing that ended up putting a stop to that was getting hit with some bills. When I needed to buy a laptop, fill up my tank every week, started having to pay for food, and car maintanence, im suddenly OK with the way my car looks and rides.
Many lessons learned at college aren't in the classroom,,,,,or the bedroom.
Bob
Bob
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You don't have to go to CA to get a rust-free used car. We have plenty of them here in Southern VA and NC. I got a 1992 Cavalier 2 years ago to resell with 68K miles, no rust whatsoever for $1,800 at the auction. Interior was like new and a one owner. A Cavalier will last as long as any Honda on the road for a fraction of the cost. Pasts for all imports are 2-5X higher than GM parts and in addition every auto parts store sells most anything you need for a GM car. Something to keep in mind next time you buy a used car. But for the one you have now, I would try to sell and get a cheaper, more reliable used domestic in better shape. If you can't sell, then keep it until your first major problem. If it was maintained, it should last you through school.
Just another fun issue, we were driving home today in my mom's '03 Malibu with 51k miles on it, died going up the exit ramp onto one of the busiest roads in grand rapids, nearly getting slammed into by everyone merging on from the exit ramp, chugged up the hill barely then something sounded like it snapped/popped under the hood, and died right there on the road. Good job Lansing assembly plant!
I'm sorry you are having problems with the Malibu, but a friend of mine has a Grand Am that has performed flawlessly. I'll also go ahead and throw out there that for the first 120K miles, my 1997 Monte Carlo needed only routine maintenance and a faulty half-shaft replacement. On the other hand, a friend of mine who has a 2001 Civic EX has had it break down constantly. It routinely suffered from faulty struts and other suspension components, ECM issues, etc. Not to mention that on trips to the dealer (I'd often give him a ride back), I'd have no problem blowing him away off the line.
For every crummy domestic there are just as many crummy imports.
For every crummy domestic there are just as many crummy imports.
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