Quote:
Originally Posted by 911_Dude
I understand what you are saying. But its really just a mind set adjustment. I have 4 cars and two bikes I maintain. Only the Cayman R is new. Your right, the new cars have a bunch of ECU modules. But as a DIYer on these newer cars you just have to accept that you need to add a laptop and cable to your big red tool box. There is aftermarket software for every car maker out there that will do most, if not all, of what a dealer can do. For the Cayman I bought a Durametric Pro cable in a group buy. Once you get used to the software, I think it will be very helpful as another tool in the tool box. Another expense? Yes. But the price of doing DIYs on newer cars. You can justify the expense like any other tool. Guys were saying the same thing when OBD ports first showed up on cars back in the 90's. Once you get past the software layer, they are all the same.
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BUT, on the other hand....I have a 2004 e46 BMW that's my daily driver (and I don't drive much actually, it only has 100,700 miles). When I need to replace it, I simply can't afford another new BMW. New ones are very nice, but the model has changed from buy and own, to lease and replace. I like DIYing myself, but there are some things I just have to throw in the towel on.
So, where does that leave a "middle class" DIY car enthusiast? I don't exactly know. If I was to replace this car with new something today, aside from a tow vehicle, I would look at a Subaru maybe? I guess they have lots of people that DIY and lots of info out there? I don't know. I like Mazda as well, but not FWD.
A lot depends on what breaks I guess. In 8 years of owning my car, I needed a $50 code reader to figure out that it needed a new thermostat. I turned on the airbag light when trying to replace the window regulator. I had a friend with a machine reset the light.
Wife has a 2010 sienna van. I did brakes on it, but everything else from oil changes, to whatever goes elsewhere. It doesn't fit easily in the garage to work on it. That's just how it is I guess.