Did you recently take on (or consider) a loan of 84 months or longer on a car purchase?
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I like how the old lady has taken advantage of lifetime warranties on parts such as batteries and mufflers. What a character.
And I love the Commodore 64 database/server system we are posting to... :shades:
I have seen early aftermarket setups where some kind of actuator was hooked up to the throttle assembly, and if the pressure was let up after the cruise was selected, it would then accelerate at full throttle to the desired speed - dangerous.
When our 1990 Sable lost overdrive in its tranny in '95 at 93K miles, we were advised not to drive it long distances until it could be fixed. We had 4 tickets to a Baltimore Orioles game and decided to use the Rent-A-Wreck near us. However, the one sedan available had a nasty smell inside, so we took "old trusty," our 1980 Volvo 240 with about 180k miles or so at the time. This was our primary family car from 1982-90. No problems making the trip from central VA and back.
"She worked and saved until she could pay cash. If we were all to do that our country would be in better financial and environmental condition. "
I agree paying cash is the best way to go when buying a car, but not everyone is in the position to do that. Some people would rather buy new (myself) instead of used and drive the snot out of the car (myself) for as long as possible than buy an unknown quantity like a used car. I bought one used car in my life, that was supposedly very well cared for by the female owner. It only had 21,000 miles on it in the five years she owned it, and I thought I was getting the deal of the century by only paying $3,000 for it. The interior was in perfect condition, as was the paint. That car however proved to be the most problematic car I have ever owned, and I easily dumped another $3,000 in repairs into that thing to make it last five years. When it finally broke down and left me stranded on the side of the highway, I said to myself "no more used cars ever. I don't care if I have to buy the cheapest car made, it will be new" and that is what I have done with great success ever since. I currently own a 2009 Honda Fit sport and I have a feeling this car will easily last me 10 + years with proper upkeep.
Anyway, the real issue is not people buying cars on credit, it's people who have bought way more car than they can afford on credit. Instead of buying the car with the $300 payment they had to buy the car with the $800 payment. That's well and good when times are going well, but when they're not people quickly realize they can't afford that high payment. Usually expensive cars also are expensive to maintain (such as German cars), and the insurance and poor gas mileage on premium fuel need to be factored in too. It's just like buying more house than they could afford. People just went crazy with credit, not realizing they actually had to pay for that $50,000 car or for that $1,000,000 mcmansion. Greed and stupidity got us where we are now.
I'm financing my Fit for four years and I can't wait until it's paid off and I don't have a car payment any more. I will drive it until the engine dies, and being it's a Honda I'm sure will take a long time.
That's why I'm planning on paying off my TCH by Nov 2011 and recycling a lot more cash into my savings account....:)
1985 Camry Le- died at 480,000km courtesy of me trying to push a semi off the road
1995 Camry Le-died at 550,000km engine finally went
2002 Camry Xle- 280,000km they still drive this to this day
These Vehicles never have needed any major repairs, just small wear and tear stuff like brake pads, timing belts ect. They definatly got their moneys worth, you would think this would rub off on me but i cant keep a vehicle over 3 years and only drive chevy's lol
Sorry for asking something that's probably very obvious, but what's "TCH?"
I think it's the stuff in cannabis that gets you high. And if you're taking out a loan to finance your habit, you need to cut back! :P
On a serious note though...Toyota Camry Hybrid. Don't worry, took me awhile to figure it out, too. Personally I kinda like the NAH, but it has limited availability, and not in Maryland.
By the way - and way off subject - but are you planning to display any of your cars at the Rockville show next month? My oldest car is only 22 years young, so it doesn't qualify yet.
So, I'll be there...unless its wheels fall off! :P
I missed last year's show, because of the rain, and then I was busy on the day it got postponed to. In 2008, I had my LeMans registered, but had to back out at the last minute. Can't remember why...I think the car was acting up? Anyway, I went, but just as a spectator.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
Same with cars--statistically you're going to get demolished sooner or later, no matter how well you take care of it.
In Maryland, the law works like this: I can buy the car back (they assigned a $300 salvage value to mine), but would have 90 days to get it fixed, would have to get it MD inspected, and then would only be issued a salvage title. So, liability-only on the insurance, and if the car ever got hit again, I'm sure the salvage title would've been held against me. So, in my case, I just took the $2000 they offered and cut my losses.
And, it was probably for the best. Heck, I could've put a few hundred into fixing it myself, maybe another few hundred $ to get it through inspection (God only knows what else they might find), only to have the transmissoin or engine go out, and then have a car worth essentially nothing.
A salvage title on an Intrepid really has little effect on its resale value anyway, so aside from the inspection hassle, and presuming the insurance company will insure it again for basic liability, that might not have been a bad move.
That was a good life for an Intrepid. Can't think of the last time I saw one of that vintage - though I did see a Concorde that age just last week.
I still have that 00 Accord with 215K or so on it. My daughter is driving it and pretty much hates it I think - it's a stick! I wonder what I could get for that. I'd give her whatever it would fetch and let her finance a car on her own. The only problem is I'm pretty attached to it. I've had it since it was a pup.
Nah, sell it and get something else .. isn't that what you're always advising me? Let the daughter have some skin in the game by financing her own car. Plus, you get to do some shopping.
Check back with us in a year, and let us know whether you had to do any repairs on your Prius .
Lost the blower resistor about half way through the trip; no other problems.
Maybe I'll tune it up and try for 200k. :shades:
The '02 had made countless trips of that length between the kids going off to school and getting them back home, not mention vacations and visits to relatives.
It had gotten to the point that I didn't want to load up the old beast for any more of these long trips.
In early May, we did the trip to Ohio and back from CT, but by the end of the month I had a new explorer in the garage.
I kept the '02 for one of the kids to drive over the summer, with the intention of selling it this fall.
Put so many miles on the new explorer, 5200 in 2 1/2 months, that I decided to keep the '02.
This year has cost about $700 in repairs and $50 in maintenance.
The repairs were the one wheel bearing which had not been replaced yet, plus front and rear pinion seals.
The CD changer stopped working a few months ago, but other than that, it's running pretty well.
Just realized my replacement transmission is under warranty for about another 6 months. That's good news. it's just a peace of mind thing.
I only drive it about 4000 miles a year mainly to haul farm products to market so I doubt it will last until 200K. I'm less worried about the enginge and tranny as I am about the body. 23 years of NY road salt has eaten it up pretty good. It is starting to shed chunks.
I figure another 2 years and 8-10K miles and I will have gotten my money's worth. The nice thing about owing a wobbly-wheel-wonder is that it doesn't owe you anything. You can just shrug off the little things that break.
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
That sounds alot like my '85 Silverado. It only has around 137,000 miles on it, but spent a lot of time sitting around, and often on grass. My Granddad bought it new in the summer of 1985, it got passed down over the years. Grandmom kept it for a few years after Granddad died, then gave it to my Mom. Then in 2002, Mom bought a new F150, and sold it to me. The 305-4bbl engine and THM350C tranny still seem like they have plenty of life left, although it smokes a bit on start-up, and has an exhaust leak. But, the body's starting to look pretty bad.
Oh, and speaking of wheels falling off, it is missing one lug nut. Guess I should do something about that, but hey, it has 19 more! :shades:
I'm sorry but that brought back the old line from Love and Death - "My grandfather, on his deathbed, sold me this watch."......
Actually, Grandmom was pretty miffed that Mom sold the truck to me, considering she had given it to her for nothing. However, Mom did put around $700 into it just before that, and only sold it to me for $1200.
At first, I was giving Mom $100 per month for the truck, but after I paid her $200, she had a problem where the neighbor started trapping her outdoor cats on the sly and sending them to animal control. She tried to start keeping them indoors, but they were used to being outdoor cats, and being in the country, Mom wasn't accustomed to having the cats indoors anyway. She tried to find homes for them, and begged me to take one. I did, and as a thanks, she said don't worry about the remaining $1000.
Well, that cat turned out to be a pain. Took weeks to get him used to living in a condo, and at one point he actually managed to disappear for a week. Then, when I moved from the condo to the house, I remember putting him in the carrier, and sitting it on the front seat of the Intrepid, and he managed to reach his paw out and dig into the armrest and leave a couple holes. :mad:
At the house, he didn't do TOO bad, until I got a new kitten. Then he started peeing down one of the furnace vents in the living room. When we got the dog, he refused to come downstairs. He peed on my bed, and that was the last straw. I paid my Mom the remaining $1000 so there would be no guilt, and then on Mother's Day, 2005, put that cat in a carrier, and gave it back to her!
She still has it, but made peace with the neighbors, and lets it, and her other cats, run loose outside. I wish she wouldn't do that, but at least they're all fixed. And, I guess they keep the rodent population down.
My philosophy of vehicle ownership is as follows:
1.) I purchase a vehicle usually on a three (3) year 36 month note.
2.) I always put a Maximum Manufacturer's Warranty, for the maximum number of years, and maximum mileage with zero deductible.
3.) I also purchase a "pre-paid service plan," (oil & filter service), from the dealer at the specified service intervals for the first 60,000 miles, (example every 5,000 miles!) ---- This provides documentation of my oil and filter service with the dealer!
4.) If the recommended service interval is 5,000 miles for oil and filter changes, I have this service performed every 2,500 miles. (I always divide the recommended oil and filter changes in half. --- I believe that clean engines are happy engines.) ---- All oil and filter service is performed by the selling dealer. ------- (I pay for the 2,500 mile interval service with cash, and the 5,000 mile interval service is paid by the pre-paid service plan!)
5.) I run my vehicles to 100,000 miles, because my extended warranty runs to 100,000 miles. At 90,000 miles I start to look for a replacement vehicle. This process usually takes me one year, because I do extensive research on the vehicle and the dealership, if I am going to a NEW NAME PLATE! --- I will not make a vehicle purchase "IF" I do not like the "attitude" of the selling dealer. ---- I look at a vehicle purchase like a marriage. For three (3) years the dealer and I must be able to get along! If I cannot get along with the dealer at the selling stage, ------ it is going to go down hill after that portion of the process is over!
6.) Prior to taking my vehicle to the dealer for a "trade in appraisal," I spend one day cleaning, and detailing the entire vehicle. ---- I make an appointment with the sales person, and I stay in control of the entire purchasing process. ---- (At the present time I have two vehicles for business, a 2007 V6 Toyota XLE Camry with 68000 miles, and a 2010 4 cylinder Chevrolet LTZ Malibu with 17,000 miles. Both vehicles are service by the selling dealers in the same fashion.
7.) In both vehicles I use an additive in the motor oil at every oil and filter change. The product is; BG/MOA. My Camry does not use any oil between oil and filter changes, and I do not have any signs of a "sludge build up" in the engine. (This is my decision! ---- I also use an additive periodically in the fuel!)
8.) I will not own a vehicle without an extended factory warranty, because it is too expensive to repair the new vehicles. An automatic transmission could cost thousands of dollars. A simple A/C compressor problem could cost $1,500.00 to $2,000.00 dollars. ---- My vehicles are in excellent condition when I turn them over to the dealer at 100,000 miles. I get "top dollar" on a trade in!
Best regards. -------------- Dwayne :shades:
I don't believe in dumping perfectly fine fluids down the drain into the waste stream. Offends my green sensibilities to waste oil like that. I generally extend the oil change interval by a few thousand miles after my cars are out of warranty. I don't believe in additives either, although with a Toyota and their past sludge and gelling issues, I don't blame you for going that route.
Extended warranties can pay off, but the odds are definitely in the dealer's favor. Their profit margins are at least 50%. I sleep ok without one. The length of the factory warranty does factor into what car I'll buy.
$2,000 sounds expensive, but that's only three or four car payments on your 36 month note.
If your vehicles are in excellent condition at 100,000 miles, then you are leaving another 100,000 miles on the table. :shades:
Ha ha. Who says cats aren't lovable?
2019 Kia Soul+, 2015 Mustang GT, 2013 Ford F-150, 2000 Chrysler Sebring convertible
Andre - that's a great story. I'm glad I made the comment that generated it....