I've never made a car loan payment in my life, and seldom even look at cars less than 4 years old. This last vehicle, an 05 minivan with 43k on it when I bought it, was the first vehicle I ever paid over 10k for. As little as I drive any more, it BETTER last at least 6-7 years. My road trip car is a 99 Accord with 103k on it- had it for six-plus years now. Based on other Hondas in the extended family, I am expecting it to make it to 200k, assuming I remember to get the rubber band replaced one of these days soon.
Yeah, I'm a cheap SOB, but a fancy ride ain't gonna get me a woman, so why spend money I don't need to? One high MPG car, and one quasi-truck, meets 99% of my vehicle needs. If I ever need a real truck for a day or three, I have friends or the rental place down the road.
While I don't doubt that some cars like this exist, I think they are relatively rare. I've changed the oil myself in the driveway on quite a few makes/models of cars and have yet to find one yet that you need a hoist.
I don't know what you were doing with oil in the past, but unless you were pouring it out on the ground, or down the storm sewer, not all that much has changed. Here in NJ I just take it to the local auto parts/service place in a 5 gallon pail and they take it for free. Filter gets drained, then placed in with the regular trash.
I looked at used but found nothing that seemed to be a big cost advantage for me. I drive too many miles to buy a high mileage and the cars with about 25% of use already used were only 25% less in price. Buying new, I get to choose my options, color, etc and have that initial trouble free portion of driving too. Since I'm keeping it for many years, having what I truly want is a desirable feature. OTOH, if you find that little old lady that drove only to church on Sunday, you can get a great deal.
I used to perform a lot of my own repairs when I had a 1979 Chevy C/K Pickup. Now the only thing I do on my 2002 GMC Yukon is to change the oil.
For me the big reason is because of the increased complexity. For example to change the fuel filter I'd have to de-pressurize the fuel injection system. Whereas with the 79 Chevy I could change the fuel filter as easily as changing a light bulb. I do believe that cars have become a lot more computerized these days making it harder for the driveway DIY mechanic.
I even gave up on oil changes. Last one was my '91 Regal. I bought the oil and filter and drove it up on the ramps for the first change. Crawled under and it took me a few minutes to find the filter, then it took a while to figure out how to reach it. What a PITA. Since I bought two filters, I did one more change a few months later and have gone to a local shop since.
My '01 Le Sabre needed a battery and I even had that done. The battery in under the rear seat. You also have to keep 12V feeding the system of you lose the radio (anti-theft system) and have to enter a code. I have no idea where the code is.
Changing spark plugs used to be simple, but now the back 3 on many transverse engine are best done from under the car. I don't have a lift. Fortunately, they last 100,000 miles or more.
I noticed the used market has been like that for a while with no big steep discounts for relatively new vehicles except if you happen to be looking for a fluffed up truck.
Try the cam belt in a 97 Prelude. If you read the (Mitchell) shop manual it is right behind the instructions for removing the engine. I think that is on purpose. That is the first time I have ever "retreated" on a car repair. It is not like most transverse OHC cars. There is nothing you can remove to get access to the front of the engine and the clearance is about 1 -
1.5". The dealer wants $1000 to do it, only as part of a larger service package. When the belt breaks this sucker is going to be "electric".
On Sat, 9 May 2009 10:08:36 -0700 (PDT), against all advice, something compelled Pat , to say:
I bought an expensive car. Hell, it was four years old and used, and it was still expensive, but it's *exactly* what I wanted and could afford. I expect that with regular maintenance it will run to at least 300,000 miles.
Only 250,000 more to go. I expect to get another sixteen years out of it, which is fourteen years with no car payments.
Buy a nice car and keep it. You'll be ahead in the long run.
On Fri, 08 May 2009 16:43:27 -0400, against all advice, something compelled jeff_wisnia , to say:
And he has a point. They are all the same age, and they have all been thorough the same service cycles.
When one headlight goes out, replace them both. Unless they are from the planet Xenon. The Xenonese are proud of their headlights, and charge accordingly.
Up here in Ontario the filters are considered toxic waste unless they have been squeezed dry. My brother's shop has a converted logsplitter than knocks them down to
Right, but the problem has nothing to do with "not having been stressed", and
*everything* to do with not having been *lubricated* for five years because the car was only driven ten or twenty miles a week and the owner thought it wasn't needed. The idea that ball joints and tie rods need to be "stressed" to keep them from breaking is complete and utter nonsense. You clearly don't understand what you're talking about.
I too usually buy a 7 year old car. I keep it about 7 years, and the two or three weeks are often pretty mournful.
I've only made 5 car payments in my life, and I'm 62 and have had a car since I was 20. One payment for each car. The first car was free from my cousin and the second free from my brother, but 5 cost money.
I used to drive 10,000 a year, now 7,000, not much, but I've spent about 12,000 on cars and maybe 10,000 on repairs in the last 35 years.
I always allow one or two thousand dollars for repairs when I buy a used cars but a couple have needed nothing for a year or two, and the most was 600 (30 years ago) for repairing the transmission.
First car was 650 and latest was 5300. All convertibles, which cost a little more.
Repairs include 3 transmissions by transmission shops, two convertible tops with labor, two tops where I did the labor, and one push rod. No engine work except one time:
The guy way back in 1980 wanted 150 dollars to open the engine and see why it was running rough. I took the valve cover off and saw that one push rod wasn't moving. It was broken. Bouht a narrow round magnet on a stick to go into the hole and bring out the part I couldn't see. Had bought a new push rod at the dealer. Car ran no better. I was tempted to give up then but after a day I recovered. Opened it again and the push rod was scrunched. Had to use pliers to pull it out of the hole. Back to the dealer, Oh they had two different push rods that year. This one worked. Didn't bother replacing valve cover gasket and it didnt' leak.
Replaced myself a distributor, a water pump, an alternator, a tie rod end. brake shoes once or twice, brake disks twice, master cylinder once (had to pay for a bit bleeding after that. I couldn't get it.) and a few other thigns I forget now.
Once fiddled with my carburetor and made it worse, and had to glue the linkage back together with epoxee. Worked fine for years afterwards. Once had a problem choke, and while on a 3=hour trip to New York, didn't have time to fix it right so I put the cap of a pen in the choke so the plate woudln't close completely. Drove that way until I sold the car, for 4 more years with no trouble, except when it was cold, I had to start it two or three times before it stayed running.
Current car started stalling a week after I bought it. It set a code which mentioned the MAP sensor. Wiggled it on its connector and it worked better. Used a plastic tie to hold it on firmly. Worked for five years until last may car stalled a couple times on may way to Texas. Plastic tie losing tension as it got used to bending around corners. Bent tie and wiggled sensor a bit with intention of fixing it right when I got back. A year later, have to remember to do that.
And I didn't even take care of these cars so well.
The two before this one, Chrysler LeBarons, when I sped around a corner and the oil light went on, I would add oil. One car had leak in power steering, and I drove without power steering off and on for a year, but every time I filled it up it worked just fine. Even when I has no fluid for 5000 miles, filling it up made it work fine. Mileage was still good the day before I junked it.
Last year two people told me I couldn't take my 95 Lebaron from Baltimore to Dallas and back but it worked just fine (except for the wiggling sensor).
At 5 years old, if it had 20,000 miles or less it may be a good deal, but most will have over 80,000 miles and a 20% discount is not a good deal. The first owner had the warranty and many trouble free miles that the second owner will not see.
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