Posted on 08/07/2013 3:50:29 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
We have 3 clear title vehicles.
Honda 1300 MC
Kia Rio
Ford Windstar Van
The MC and Kia get great gas mileage and we have the van for long trips or if we need to haul anything.
No vehicle payments is nice.
We just put aside about half of a new car payment each month for inspections and any repairs/ tires/oil changes etc.
The total for my daughters is two mommy vans, one Volvo wagon and a VW Passat. They finally grew up and stopped the carnage.
Seems insanity to me to spend 40K on a flipping car...
It really is the worst part(scary expensive) of modern parenting, the driving thing. 100 years ago how many teenagers wrecked the family buggy?
Due to the vast wealth brought on by 0bamanomics?
I believe that. In the past six years or so, I've seen quite a number of those old diesel Benzes being trailered on the highway. Most of them looked as though they'd been parked in someone's back yard for over a decade - dirty and mildewed with dry-rotted tires. After laying dormant for so long, all of a sudden those cars became highly sought.
I recommend old volvos for a first car. They’re damn near indestructible and so heavy, the go 0-60 in about four days. Keep the brakes in good shape though.
What about the Gremlin?
Those are my reasons exactly!
All of the above plus I live in Nebraska where you’re hit with auto taxes every year; is the reason why I still drive my 99 Ford Escort.
> 11 years old? Crikey, none of mine are that new.
one is 20, one is 35 and one is 72.
no car payments and you can actually work on them yourself if you have to.
That’s the answer to the OP’s question.
My Buick is running fine at 244,000 after replacing the water pump. Pump was $36. Installation by a mechanic was $200! I discovered my model requires removal of an engine mount and the power steering pump in order to replace the water pump or even the serpentine belt.That was more than I felt comfortable doing.Gas mileage in the mid to high 20s with plenty of steel and an airbag.
My ‘95 Honda Civic is still going strong.
1. It is only good sense to drive a car a number of years after you pay for it, because those are years you are not making payments.
2. The days of ordinary people being affluent enough to have a regular car trade-in are gone.
3. Godawful gas prices mean less driving and less wear and tear on cars, so they last longer.
For me, the Pull-A-Part franchise has been a godsend.
All those formerly dealer-only parts can be had in decent condition for pennies on the dollar.
You really need a 10+ year old car to find parts there, but that isn’t a problem for us.
Interestingly, there are plenty of parts for my 02 Chrysler, but in four years, I’ve only seen two trucks in the yard for parts for my 00 Sierra, and both were so abused and rusted that nothing was really usable.
Our 94 Nissan is unfortunately unsaveable regardless of parts availbility. Asian cars from that era don’t survive the salt here like the domestics did. They all rust, but the asian cars seem to rust structurally while the domestics rust cosmetically. There’s only so much you can patch and replace before the whole unitized body shell needs to be scrapped.
Thanks for the data point. I like the Pilot and have been thinking about getting something bigger to replace my wife’s Altima.
I paid 5k for my last car 7 years ago, a ‘98 Ford Explorer. I never paid any collision or theft insurance since 5k is clearly an acceptable loss . That’s what I’m talking about. It sounds like you had collision and theft on both vehicles.
My “Newest” vehicle is 14 years old.
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