The Psychology Of Vehicle Ownership

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It's all about what you can enjoy driving and there is a broad band of cars that are reasonably cheap as well as enjoyable to drive.
The Fit is an entertaining little roller skate with solid handling and a willing little engine. It may not be everyone's cup of tea, though, and may not be yours.
A car is ultimately no more than a transportation appliance since transportation is the primary reason for owning one. Finding a car that offers the entertainment value, utility and operating economy most of us seek isn't that hard. You just have to look at what's out there and decide what suits your wants and needs.
You obviously like the Jeep and it does offer an off-road capability that you won't find in any car. The six is a torque monster even if it is a little thirsty. It sounds as though yours is in the terminal stages of rot, though. Shame since it looks so good up top. Maybe find a good one of those and drive it for the next few years while keeping the one you have as a parts car?
 
It's hard to drive something buzzy and low to the ground after something heavier. But one does adjust over time.

It's similar to driving 20 over the speed limit then slowing down. The brain thinks, something's wrong.

Good XJs are commanding a premium. Go for it (selling yours) before the fad ends.
 
I'm thinking about buying a second vehicle. I either want a Buick LeSabre or a Toyota Tacoma. I want the Buick because I want a GM 3800 highway cruiser (Buicks being one of my favorite car companies) and I want a truck because I'm always needing one for something or another and plus they're indestructible.
 
why not keep the jeep rust proofed and clean, and keep driving it?

My brother has a acura TL in Buffalo NY with 200k miles that is rust free. He has an unlimited carwash pass, and gets annual rust proofing.
 
In 2007 I was in the market for a new car. My other car was a 2000 BMW 528i 5MT. The car I was replacing (giving to my daughter who needed a better car) was a 2000 Toyota Solara V6 5MT. Both presentable cars in my opinion.

I was discussing my search with a table of knowledgeable car enthusiasts, and told them I had test driven a car on the week-end that had really surprised me in the fun department. "Oh, a Mazda 3" they all said, pretty much simultaneously.

What I bought instead (in a close decision) was a 2007 Honda Accord EX-L 4 Dr V6 6MT (a car produced for only 1 year - pity).

I bought the Honda because I thought it would be safer on the freeway, which I was spending a lot of time on. It also had the uncommon combination of 4 doors, 6 cylinders and a manual transmission. It's a great car too.

But I wouldn't hesitate to buy a Mazda 3 - and still might. I like a hatchback - they're amazingly useful.
 
Cars (vehicles) have always been a hobby with me, since I was 10 years old. My folks bought an old one for me and my friends to play with in the back yard, tinker on, take apart, etc.

I have worked in auto and boat related fields most of my life. It is not "just a utility" for me, never was, never will be. I have no empathy for folks who see it that way. They might as well be Martians... If you can't have fun with your possessions, why have them?

That said, I have cut WAY BACK on street racing and fast cruising. Have not had a ticket in decades. Have a commercial license too, so I understand using vehicles for work. But even then it's fun to tinker on them and shine them up, add do-dads, etc.

I own a small fleet and they all do things differently. I have 4x4's and dirt bikes, street bikes, boats, and a moderately hot sedan for every day use. And there is a hot rod project parked in the back yard awaiting time away from elder care to get to it ... I'll prolly die with a wrench in my hand
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So I have no beef with wanting a vehicle because it pleases me, or my wife
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Some thinking points...

Do you enjoy driving of the Jeep?

Do you own the Jeep outright?

What would the difference in value be between the Jeep and whichever car? A negative or positive value?

Can you do your own repairs?


This is my thinking- if you like it and own it, it may be better financially to stay with it. If you have to give it up plus a few thousand dollars to get into a newer ride with the same or more expensive insurance cost, that could buy a fair bit of fuel and repairs on the current ride. Added to that, if you're familiar with working on it vs. being lost on a Fit/3 (or it's too hard for you to work on- due to layout or equipment or whatever) then the Jeep may be the sound decision. No doubt parts are plenty and may well be cheaper to boot.


A little off topic but- I often times see or hear people proclaiming that they need to get rid of a vehicle or refusing to repair a vehicle because of it's worth, which really frustrates me. It's value or worth is fairly subjective to begin with and shouldn't weigh all that heavily in the decision to keep or repair. People balk about spending a grand for a repair on a vehicle that is supposedly worth 2-3 ("because it's not worth it") but will gladly spend an additional 10 grand for the privilege of owning one that is! So I see it as you won't spend 1 grand but you'll spend 10 grand? If the vehicle is in decent shape, you like it and it meets your needs then I see it as the more sound decision. You can keep the 9 thousand dollars worth of difference and spread it's expenditure out over a much longer period of time.
 
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Does Honda or Mazda make a man's car?

Yes. The Ridgeline is what the tough male yuppies drive.
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They need AWD, heated leather seats, navigation, sunroof, $5000 optional glitter and glam package for when their wife sends them to Home Depot for 2 bags of mulch and fertilizer for her garden project.
 
Think about the FUN factor. 6sp, 38mpg, lots of room, & drives like a go-cart. Mine is a 2008 Mini Clubman, currently at 124k and going strong.
 
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Does Honda or Mazda make a man's car?


I guess that would depend upon the personal security level of the man in question.
One secure in his manhood might drive a Fit while someone at the other extreme might find an overfueled coal rolling diesel more appropriate.
It's all about the level of compensation each individual feels they need.
 
Originally Posted By: Mr Nice
Originally Posted By: mrgrim
Makes me think of the Chevrolet "focus group" commercial....

I guess lots of idiot bozo men needing that manly truck they can't afford will finance it for 84 months just to project an image.

I really hate these Chevy 'focus group' commercial where they think the new Impala is a Lexus. The commercial is so scripted and silly.


What about us bozo men who paid cash for a 1970's Chevy BBC 3/4 ton truck and run it hard and full when it needs to work... It's got image - like stay the hades away from this thing - it bites
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None of the seventies pickups look all that menacing and a BBC 2500 would clearly have been a work truck.
The age of intimidating looks began when Chrysler redid their fleet oriented pickup with big rig look front end sheetmetal and took the line from something almost nobody would buy for personal use to an actual player in a market Chevy and Ford had owned for decades.
Everyone else followed and so you have the visual of ridiculously tough looking pickups driven as commuters by men who may be lacking in other ways.
This is what inspires some to finance thirsty vehicles that'll never get worked hard nor tow anything.
 
We did not have PSD et al ... so the 454's pulled our bigger Mako's, park trailers, etc ...
Then I got an early version GMC diesel 2500 - well it would be spanked by today's V6 GDI's
 
Originally Posted By: Ethan1
You say that you're worried about rust, but have you looked at a Mazda3 lately? The quarter panels on a garage-kept Mazda3 will disappear just about as fast as the rockers on a mudbogged XJ
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An an XJ has full-length unibody rails, so it doesn't fold like a pretzel when the rockers are gone.


Yeah, 3s are bad about rusting. My sister bought an '06 new in VT. It made it 9 years with rust repair along the way. Once repairs had to be repeated (mainly exhaust, something like $3K), it was replaced. She did not do any rustproofing initially which certainly didn't help, but I would definitely say the rust was still excessive and rapid for such a new car. It had rust issues half of its life.

Honestly, if someone put those three cars in front of me and said, "you have to pick one to drive for the next 5 years, you cannot sell it," I'd go straight for the Cherokee. That's not to say it's the right choice for everyone, but that's what I'd pick. Only you really know if holding on to it or selling it is the right choice for you, but I wouldn't dump it unless you love Fits or 3s.
 
) From Alex V's post: if someone asked me what solid, affordable, no-frills older car I'd recommend them buy the late 90's Buicks w/3800 would be at the top of the list. My BIL, no matter how many times I tell him, will not slow down and check the oil on anywhere near a regular basis, but that car won't give up and really drives pretty well. He's 23 and his parents bought the car as his first from a little old lady for a grand, and I told him one time (before he drove it through Toronto to Maine last fall for school),

Thank you Alex V Back a few yrs ago, my BIL's new job was servicing electronic stuff. He picked up about that yr Olds for short money. because it was beyond homely with a bad clear coat over peeling light brown. He might have done a little brake and front end work and the car made him mileage money. That BIL is good with cars.
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