You've owned 200K cars? Man, that's a LOT of cars!
Why do people replace cars that can be repaired?
- Thread starter ShiningArcanine
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You've owned 200K cars? Man, that's a LOT of cars!
Just throwing randomn thoughts into the fray;
-I bought an 11 year old car with 112k miles on it. Did the basic maintance on it (all the fluids, filters, plugs/wires/cap/rotor), shake down local runs for a week and went on a 1000 mile cross border driving trip with it. =-) Its done that trip numerous times since.
-With regards to the POS car comment, maybe if you take care of the thing you wouldn't have a POS. ;-)
-Older cars cost less in general. Get an insurance quote some time. When I bought my current DD (7 years old) my insurance halved over that of a new vehicle. Do the math. I still own that truck (16 years now). Fixed costs aside (ie insurance and gas) I've yet to put a grand total (includes mods, body work, and other creature comforts) of 40k into it. What does a full size truck retail for 16 years ago? (If I remember right, it was around 38K) Odds are I'd still have to change the oil... repair things that wear out (battery, starters, alternators, radiators at the same frequency I'd have to do it to my old DD. So far, for me, my old DD has taken a lot less money than getting into a new truck back then. 40K over 16 years, or 40K initial outlay + repairs over 16 years.
-New vehicle reliability? Seems there are plenty of disastisfied new car owners always going to the dealership for some sort of warranty work. I take my old vehicle to my mechanic and stand around and watch and get on my way same day. When I book an appointment for 8am, I am in the bay at 8am. If I have to take my work truck in for warranty work, I have to drop it off (they don't do anything when they say they will), get a coworker to pick me up, wait a day or more for a phone call, then get coworker to bring me back to the dealership to pickup the vehicle. I fail to see the negative aspect of downtime for repairs on an old vehicle. My experience shows that a new vehicle has longer down time than any of my old cars when something needs to be done.
-Float money... You can afford 2-400 buck monthly car payment... But you can't save enough money to repair an old vehicle? Hunh? What am I missing? If you are not making payments on a car, you theoretically are saving that 2-400 buck car payment. Which technically means, you can easily build up a slush fund for major repairs. Oh yes, thats right, many people today have some sort of hang-up about actually saving a dollar...
-I always have to chuckle when people ask the year of my DD. As somebody mentioned, the social experiment of a 'beater' mobile is interesting. You certainly learn quick if somebody your talking to about it is someone who has to keep up with the Jones.
-Who cares! If it wasn't for those keeping up with the Jones, us old car enthusiasts wouldn't have a pool of cars to choose from. =-)
Alex.
-I bought an 11 year old car with 112k miles on it. Did the basic maintance on it (all the fluids, filters, plugs/wires/cap/rotor), shake down local runs for a week and went on a 1000 mile cross border driving trip with it. =-) Its done that trip numerous times since.
-With regards to the POS car comment, maybe if you take care of the thing you wouldn't have a POS. ;-)
-Older cars cost less in general. Get an insurance quote some time. When I bought my current DD (7 years old) my insurance halved over that of a new vehicle. Do the math. I still own that truck (16 years now). Fixed costs aside (ie insurance and gas) I've yet to put a grand total (includes mods, body work, and other creature comforts) of 40k into it. What does a full size truck retail for 16 years ago? (If I remember right, it was around 38K) Odds are I'd still have to change the oil... repair things that wear out (battery, starters, alternators, radiators at the same frequency I'd have to do it to my old DD. So far, for me, my old DD has taken a lot less money than getting into a new truck back then. 40K over 16 years, or 40K initial outlay + repairs over 16 years.
-New vehicle reliability? Seems there are plenty of disastisfied new car owners always going to the dealership for some sort of warranty work. I take my old vehicle to my mechanic and stand around and watch and get on my way same day. When I book an appointment for 8am, I am in the bay at 8am. If I have to take my work truck in for warranty work, I have to drop it off (they don't do anything when they say they will), get a coworker to pick me up, wait a day or more for a phone call, then get coworker to bring me back to the dealership to pickup the vehicle. I fail to see the negative aspect of downtime for repairs on an old vehicle. My experience shows that a new vehicle has longer down time than any of my old cars when something needs to be done.
-Float money... You can afford 2-400 buck monthly car payment... But you can't save enough money to repair an old vehicle? Hunh? What am I missing? If you are not making payments on a car, you theoretically are saving that 2-400 buck car payment. Which technically means, you can easily build up a slush fund for major repairs. Oh yes, thats right, many people today have some sort of hang-up about actually saving a dollar...
-I always have to chuckle when people ask the year of my DD. As somebody mentioned, the social experiment of a 'beater' mobile is interesting. You certainly learn quick if somebody your talking to about it is someone who has to keep up with the Jones.
-Who cares! If it wasn't for those keeping up with the Jones, us old car enthusiasts wouldn't have a pool of cars to choose from. =-)
Alex.
Dawg,
I think you know that I intended to impart that of those cars we have owned that have exceeded 200,000 miles, all were built at least twenty years ago.
I think you know that I intended to impart that of those cars we have owned that have exceeded 200,000 miles, all were built at least twenty years ago.
Yes, of course...hence the grinning icon at the end of my post.
One of my co-workers asked me why I don't get an HDTV. You know, one of those $4k plasma flat screen models. I simply stated that my 27" RCA works fine and oh, by the way, I intend the pay off the Saab instead of sinking $4k into a TV set so I can watch high-resolution #@$%!.
I didn't get any of that from his post, but so what if he's not about logic or practicality and doesn't care whether or not you drive a POS?
Everything has to go sometime. The "I'm better than you because I drive an old car" attitude is just as annoying as the "I'm better than you because I drive a new car" attitude.
You didn't get any of that from his post. OK, fine; but it is there for the seeing. At the same time, you have seen things that are NOT there. I didn't say I drove an old car.
The OP was asking for reasons people would replace a repairable car. Focus Win, focus!
In 2009 your current tv will still "work", but it is rapidly going the way of the 8-track tape.
Waiting until the Federally-mandated conversion to HD is not a bad idea, though: that $4K 42" plasma set s/b about $1200 by then...
Cheers!
p.s. Starting a savings account for the Saab might not be a bad idea...
Waiting until the Federally-mandated conversion to HD is not a bad idea, though: that $4K 42" plasma set s/b about $1200 by then...
Cheers!
p.s. Starting a savings account for the Saab might not be a bad idea...
Just returned from a giant scrap-yard for a part and was amazed at many vehicles scraped that appear to have much life left in them. If resources are tight and you have a teen that will be driving soon and wants their own vehicle, a trip to your major auto-recycler could open up an avenue for you. I saw many boys with their fathers and it appeared to be a good "bonding" session. One vehicle was an S-10 pickup with no dents and less than 60,000 on it. I guess its the constant barage of tv adds that make us want a new vehicle just when the "old" one is paid off?
That Federally-mandated conversion to HD only affects over-the-air broadcasts for the few people who still use a TV antenna. Cable and DSS companies are free to do whatever they want. The local cable company appears to already be receiving digital feeds from over-the-air channels and converting them to analog at the headend for those of us who haven't upgraded to digital cable.
The parts for it are not terribly expensive from what I have seen. The engine/underhood wiring harnesses aren't the typical European junk with biodegradable insulation (which is probably the cause of about 95% of the electrical problems they have--Volvo, BMW, Mercedes, Jaguar all had this same issue with the wiring. So did my Ford Contour). I have the service manual. The complexity of it does not faze me.
Because unlike me, they can afford it.
I should have jumped into this earlier...Remember the Mazda GLC? When that car was selling for $5300 the car would cost $27,000 to purchase if you built it from spare parts, and that did not include the main chassis, because they did not sell that as a spare part.Then you still had a car that needed painting and assembly labor...The moral of the story is one that so many people who have restored a car know, you don'thave to replace too many components on a car before you could have bought a new car. It is just not financially feasible to replace the drivetrain on a car. The electronics on modern cars are another sore point because the replacement costs are so high.
Wrecking yards. There is no need to spend $300 for an ECM when you can get a wrecking yard pull for $50 that works fine. I realize that some people have an aversion to used parts, but all of the parts on your car are used, as the saying goes. I've used a number of wrecking yard parts (even an AM/FM/CD player out of a Mazda which cost me $35, put it in my Mustang since it has the same mounting style and green illumination which matches) and I've never, ever had a problem with them. A few were replacements, most were upgrades or add-ons (I have a trip computer out of a 1983 Thunderbird wired into my 1988 Mustang--it still works fine, 24 years later--tells me instant and average MPG, speed, gallons used, etc).
Point is, new parts are sometimes very cost prohibitive (if they are even available) but our throw-away society ensures a ready source of used, low cost parts as near as the closest wrecking yard.
Point is, new parts are sometimes very cost prohibitive (if they are even available) but our throw-away society ensures a ready source of used, low cost parts as near as the closest wrecking yard.
Brian,
How about the TOTAL feeling of satisfaction of paying 500% less for the part! Sure there is a risk on some electrical parts, but it is one worth taking. I like that mod you did with the trip computer and it will give the tinkerers on here (GARY?) ideas!
How about the TOTAL feeling of satisfaction of paying 500% less for the part! Sure there is a risk on some electrical parts, but it is one worth taking. I like that mod you did with the trip computer and it will give the tinkerers on here (GARY?) ideas!
My mechanic and I talk about this often...
He's from the same school of thought as I am: Pay for the minor repairs and keep your car on the road, in order to put off additional car payments. Spend your money elsewhere in your life.
But he takes it to another level. (This has been touched on briefly in this thread, but I think it's so smart, I wish I had his knowledge and opportunity to do this.)
People bring him cars with problems everyday. Some don't want to fix their "old" cars, and opt for a newer one. Sometimes, he'll offer to buy their old car. Often times, people are so happy to get an offer, they take it. He drops some time and a few parts into the car, and then many times, drives it himself. Another similar situation comes up down the road, he sells the car he just fixed, for a profit. He can't help to because he paid so little for it to begin with. Then he does it all over again. It's great use of his skills and as far as I know, it's been years since the man has had a car payment. His cost is the cost of the part/parts and his time of fixing them, plus whatever he paid for it. We're talking very small total investments for what he gets out of it later.
Another example: a lady I work with last summer had radiator problems. (She needed a new one.) She took it to what I consider to be a very crooked garage. She got talked into selling them the car for $500. It was probably a $2000 car at the time. Now, she's paying for a newer car with fewer miles. Congratulations. But that other car would have been just fine with a new radiator. Maybe a $400 repair, even at the crooked garage.
He's from the same school of thought as I am: Pay for the minor repairs and keep your car on the road, in order to put off additional car payments. Spend your money elsewhere in your life.
But he takes it to another level. (This has been touched on briefly in this thread, but I think it's so smart, I wish I had his knowledge and opportunity to do this.)
People bring him cars with problems everyday. Some don't want to fix their "old" cars, and opt for a newer one. Sometimes, he'll offer to buy their old car. Often times, people are so happy to get an offer, they take it. He drops some time and a few parts into the car, and then many times, drives it himself. Another similar situation comes up down the road, he sells the car he just fixed, for a profit. He can't help to because he paid so little for it to begin with. Then he does it all over again. It's great use of his skills and as far as I know, it's been years since the man has had a car payment. His cost is the cost of the part/parts and his time of fixing them, plus whatever he paid for it. We're talking very small total investments for what he gets out of it later.
Another example: a lady I work with last summer had radiator problems. (She needed a new one.) She took it to what I consider to be a very crooked garage. She got talked into selling them the car for $500. It was probably a $2000 car at the time. Now, she's paying for a newer car with fewer miles. Congratulations. But that other car would have been just fine with a new radiator. Maybe a $400 repair, even at the crooked garage.
(I left off some of my previous post...a new final thoughts.)
I don't get it. I know none of you or what kind of socio-economic backgrounds you have, but I'm guessing where you stand on this issue may have a lot to do with what you were raised with. New cars then, perhaps new cars now. Fix the old cars then, fix them now too. My wife's father worked for 30 years with one of the Big 3 companies. Their family always had brand new cars. To this day, my wife and I argue about this exact topic. As for me, I can't help but think watching my parents buy rebuilt cars with salvage titles didn't impact my way of thinking today. Get the best possible transportation for the least amount of money. I think most times, that means making reasonable repairs on the car - ESPECIALLY if it's already paid for - and putting off car payments as long as possible.
But to each their own. That's what is great about the U-S and A. People with other opinions help keep Detroit, Tokyo and Berlin in business. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I don't get it. I know none of you or what kind of socio-economic backgrounds you have, but I'm guessing where you stand on this issue may have a lot to do with what you were raised with. New cars then, perhaps new cars now. Fix the old cars then, fix them now too. My wife's father worked for 30 years with one of the Big 3 companies. Their family always had brand new cars. To this day, my wife and I argue about this exact topic. As for me, I can't help but think watching my parents buy rebuilt cars with salvage titles didn't impact my way of thinking today. Get the best possible transportation for the least amount of money. I think most times, that means making reasonable repairs on the car - ESPECIALLY if it's already paid for - and putting off car payments as long as possible.
But to each their own. That's what is great about the U-S and A. People with other opinions help keep Detroit, Tokyo and Berlin in business. And there's nothing wrong with that.
I bought my BMW 528e with 150kmiles on it. Its now up to 338kmiles and gaining over 500miles a week. With the exception the of the driveshaft, The entire drive train is original. At 330k, I lifted the valve cover and adjusted the valves. Other than timing belts and a few waterpumps, thats as far as Ive been into the engine. I have maintained the car entirely for 7 yrs. I enjoy working on the car. A new car would deprive me of my hobby. Also it would reduce my driving to piloting around an appliance.
I agree. It's a hobby as much as anything else. As for what we grew up with, while this plays a part, it's not the main consideration in my case, at least. My grandmother kept her 71 Plymouth Fury II for 20 years. My parents tend to go about 8 years. Yet me, buying used, have gone through cars from 2-6 years at a time.
A nice old 528e or 525i was what I set out to buy when I ended up in SAABs!
A nice old 528e or 525i was what I set out to buy when I ended up in SAABs!
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