Junk that Sh!tbox!
 

Took the 97 Mazda 626 in today for a front end align and front brakes at Pep Boys. They told me the tranny is failing (duh, like I didn't know its vibrating and making noises for the last two years). I'd have done the brake job myself, but with $10 each for disc turning and $40 for pads, their $60 deal looked pretty good. Trannie costs $2,100 and the car is worth about $1,300 on a good day. Has 145k miles, the A/C works *****in, and it runs. So, I took it home without the work. On reflection, I'm going to take it back tomorrow and get the alignment and brakes. The trannie will probably ***** the bed Monday, but its my drive into LA car. Oh, and the struts are shot, and the paint is going, drivers side bolster on seat is gone and stuffing is coming out. I haven't made payments on the thing in 7 years. And it get 25 mpg on regular. The only thing I've put into it is tires and brake pads, plus regular maintenance.

What about you, do you maintain a vehicle and drive it until it costs more to repair than it's worth, or do you change cars every few years? I'm not talking a pcar, but a regular commuter traffic driver. I calculate the mpg with regular on the Mazda compared to the 911 which needs premium and the Mazda is 50% less $ per mile for gasoline than the 911. Going to and from work in LA with stop and go traffic and an automatic trannie and really good A/C, I usually take the Mazda to work rather than the 911.

BTW, again, I'm just posting on a boring Friday night.

I thought this thread was going to be about the David Brown car.

Drive it until it dies. That is what I am doing with my truck. 96 Ford Ranger. 189,XXX miles

Yep. Then you can pick up a low-mileage, two year old car for cheap (thank you employee pricing!) and make that your new *****box.

I have a 96 Volvo 850 that I can find no reasonable reason to get rid of it. I think I may just have it for another 10 years.

See if you can find a decent used tranny in a junk yard or someplace else. They can't cost too much. Have somebody swap it in & drive it some more. The tranny shouldn't cost even as much as another used car. Plus, you already know what you have - which is a real LA beater gem in the making.

I have a beater 92 Pathfinder with 180k, its been in the family since new. Drive, put in gas, change oil, that is about it. Sucks gas but keeping it is cheaper than buying somehting else that sips gas. With regular fluid changes, i suspect that it will last another 100k.

You gotta factor in new tags insurance in when u think about a new car. Thats why i drive my ranger which i've had since i was 16 still. I put in gas and thats about it(not really oil, it hasn't been changed since 99, i did have to add a quart one day :) ) I say drive it until it dies

^ So says the rich guy :D

I picked up the 1990 325i cab a year and a half ago for $2300.00 and put about $2k into it in parts ($3k if you count the fancy wheels and tires), some needed, some not. Things a new cam drive belt, water pump, heater valve, new discs, pads, and brake hoses and so forth. That's my daily driver, and it's a good ride, though it's a 5-speed, auto trannies are more common.

I lease my daily drivers and drive a company lease car, so I don't own the cars I drive except the 911. I don't want the expense, depreciation or aggravation of owning a car any more. We don't put many miles on our cars, so we're the perfect lease candidates. I can budget for the lease/insurance payments, but it's impossible to budget for repairs/breakdowns. Just my .02 worth...

Hugh,

Am driving around town these days in a 17 year old Honda Accord wagon with 226,000 miles on it that refuses to die. I bought it 4 years ago for $2500 and it did nothing but run for 2 years, when the ignition module died. Replaced it and a leaky steering rack for about $1000. Had to pay someone to do it as I was working too much right then. A year ago did the front brakes here at home for $40...

Two years later it still starts every time, the A/C is cool and its full of old Jag parts this week after we parted out a donor car for one of my projects. Gets 25+ mpg and uses regular fuel.

Its not fancy, but gets us there and back, runs cheap and is just hard to beat. Oh yea, its paid for and is in the cheapest insurance class you can get. Why get rid of it? Will keep it until it dies or something big needs replacing, otherwise cannot see a reason to sell it!

I'm going to go against the tide (big surprize I know :p ).

I buy a new Hyundai every five or so years (when it starts to get close to 100K miles).

$12-15K for a shiny new car with all the new gadgets and safety gear (CD player, air bags, cruise control) and 30 mpg.

That is for an Elantra, the middle of their line.

The only money I spend on the car is for oil/filters/tires.

For me it is about time, my time is too valuable to be spent running back and forth to a mechanic and/or buying parts/wrenching on the car plus the possibility of the car leaving me on the side of the road.

When I feel like working on a car I would rather fiddle with my Porsche and not be under pressure of "it has to be fixed or I won't make it to work".

Besides the Porsche seems to always provide me with something to work on... I think it is a Zen thing.

OTOH as other have said I know people who can keep a BMW/MB/Honda runnig well over 250K miles.

Never.

Leasing is for suckers and new cars are for even bigger suckers. Maybe if I win the lottery or similarly end up in a situation where I have money to blow I'd consider it, but to dump that much money into a rapidly-depreciating item is even more financially suicidal than "investing" in the current housing market, IMHO.

My car payments are exactly zero. They've been this way for a long time (my last one was for my motorcycle, which only cost me about $150 a month to finance - paid off a while back and still running great). I own three Porsches and a bike for way less than the total purchase price of a Toyota Camry. I can carry liability-only insurance and avoid getting ripped off by the insurance companies. I have THREE spares in case something breaks to still get to work without a problem. And if I ever fell on financially hard times I could liquidate two or even three of them with virtually no loss (only what I put into them in terms of time upgrades and basic maintenance).

Sorry, but I think I'm laughing all the way to the bank on this one.

Even a modest piece-of-crap econobox is going to cost you in the neighborhood of $300-a-month - probably closer to $400-a-month if you factor in the ripoff insurance you're required to carry. Let's say it's $350 for sake of arguement. Over the course of a year that's $350 x 12 = $3,600. I can tell you I spent probably around half that on required maintenance items for my entire fleet last year. Now granted I spent a lot more on upgrades and other "non-essential" work, but I don't consider that, since one might opt to similarly spend on another vehicle - new or otherwise. It's discretionary.

Funny, that's where the title to this thread came from. My old college roommate used to tell me that about the DB4.

I drive my cars tell the ash tray is dirty, and buy another one.

Please don't tell me how much money I am loosing each year.

Michael

I bought a '85 Audi 4000, one owner, full history car to drive to work in, has over 190K miles and I've spent next to nothing on it.......they usually last 2 -3 years and another one turns up.

As long as you don't take up smoking I expect you'll do fine.

I glad someone put the numbers out there so I didn't have to.

VERY solid advice! A car lease is silly and costs more than buying a car. Don't think its true? Why do car dealers push leases so much? You think its because they care about your bottom line? Puh-leez!!

Hugh,
Do the brakes and drive it a little longer while you look for a replacement. That way you find the next "used driver" at your pace and on your conditions.

My philosophy (haven't had a new car since 1976)

1. Drive vehicle until wheels fall off.

2. Reinstall wheels

3. Repeat as required.

All kidding aside, Our "grocery getter" is a 1993 VW Passat GLX with 92k. Sees about 5k or less per year. My wife loves that car, and would kill to keep it, I am convinced. When we want to take a long vacation, we rent from National (last time was 10 days for $280 for a Chevy Impala). No problems. Anything craps out, not my problem.

Last year, the Passat required about $500 in repairs. So far this year, just under $300.

New cars are a very bad deal and leases are good only if used in business. A lease is simply a way for many people to drive "more car" than they actually can afford. However, any used car should have a PPI. Worth the $90 to $100 many times over, if for no other reason, peace of mind (doesn't hurt for negotiating price either)