The Day I Found Out I Should Get a New Car
- Thread starter Snapcat
- Start date
Your posts show that you seem to care about what I buy too. LOL.
Again, happy for you. You are right with your reasons for buying new. I prefer to buy cars that are trouble fee and booger free too. Which I can get from a used car with detailing, warranties etc. I am not but 15 year old cars. Just a couple of years behind the current year. I have the added bonus of not paying a higher price for a depreciating asset. That why I buy the way I do as that is what I feel most comfortable doing. I'm not knocking you for what you feel comfortable doing just because I have a different preference in the year of the car I buy.
But now that you have said you only care what you buy and why, and I have said what I buy and why and that I am happy for you and your new cars, this can be the end of the debate. Thanks
I'll be the poor guy in this thread. My current car is almost 28 years old and has served me faithfully for almost 9 of those years. Nothing but general maintenance in all that time. If there's one area I failed, it was keeping her undercoated. She's getting soft underneath and her time may be drawing near. But as every model year passes, I see reliability diminish. I've never owned a brand new vehicle and probably never will. I like to be able to repair my own vehicles whenever possible. I actually had to break down and let Mufflerman repair my exhaust on Christmas Eve day because I had no desire to do it outside. Just my 2 cents.
It's good to buy used for a couple of factors
1. trustworthy mechanic
2. you know how to deal with cars
I have bought used cars that interests me...Subaru STI i owned for 10 years until I no longer have the interest to drive it...fun car...I bought Dodge Ram brand new to tow my work trailer and my boat trailer... I would buy another brand new truck soon...just better to drive and haul things.
I am 76 yrs old and am on my 4th Subaru. Bought them all used and got great service out of all of them. I've had 2 foresters and 2 outbacks. My present Subaru is a 2012 outback that I bought in 2015. It has the 3.6 engine which is pretty well bullet proof as it has a timing chain not a belt. Got it with 70,000 kms and am approaching 300,000 kms with only regular maintenance so far. All the subarus I have had are beasts in the winter with a good set of snow tires on them ( love the Toyo winter tires).
Just my 2 cents.
Just my 2 cents.
I have had the same mechanic for 15 years. He is great. A good mechanic is so important
If the check engine light comes on all that means it’s a computer has found something out of whack. The computer keeps monitoring the car and if the event shows up three times it will light up the light on the dash. Now as you pointed out disconnect the battery will get rid of the light only for a short time as once you start driving computers starts looking for errors and if it finds the same one it will notify you. Did you fill up the tank shortly before the light went on check the gas. To find out the code you need to code reader. As for the alternator and battery your correct they work hand-in-hand the battery is dead you’re running off the alternator and some alternators can produce 130 A but that really puts a load on the alternator and in a short time you will be replacing both the battery and the alternator. Just go to a garage or a high school that has an automotive department and tell him you want to put a load test on the battery I have all that equipment and job it pays for itself in a short time.
As for buying a new or used car sit down take a sheet of paper and write down pros and cons of the vehicle you’re interested, items like insurance is a big one. Do you really need power windows, power door locks etc. etc. but nowadays it looks like cars come with all the bells and whistles. Which means when it breaks you’ll be going to the dealership or your mechanic. I bought my Genesis new and look after it from day one that includes synthetic oil changes, breaks when needed, and I do it all myself. One avenue you might do is if there is a high school nearby that has an automotive shop talk to the teacher because he will be a licensed mechanic, or should be to do the maintenance on your car usually they just charge a parts supply the parts and they do it I know when I went through high school, we had a lot of customers. As for me once the neighborhood finds out you do work on cars you’ll be busy. Now that I’m retired, I only look out for two cars may be four.
I noticed the check engine light on when leaving Mr. Lube after the tranny flush. So, I do not believe it was connected to a gas fill up(maybe you mean the cap?). Anyways, it stayed off after the disonnect but a few weeks back it came on after a Krown rustproofing. Have not got around to trying the disconnect trick yet. It is solid, not blinking. We are talking about a 96 Cougar, so first year for the check engine light emission thing. I remember a shop trying a code reader a couple of years ago and it did not work. Got a fuel injector flush service and it turned it off. I do not do a lot of driving these days, so I try to get some highway driving with accessories off to keep the battery up. Also, if I am getting a coin up car wash or a case of beer, I just keep it running.
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at their labour rate, this likely was the lowest total cost option for you...
What about the factory workers and people at the dealership. Maybe the staff had a nooner in your car before delivery. lol
There is about 2 to 300 monitors for the computer to figure out when the check engine light comes on it could be engine, could be transmission, could be the brakes, or the good one I like is preset if I recall BMW does that. The way BMW did it at approximately 80 to 90,000 km check engine light will come in and the driver doesn’t know anything about cars takes it to the dealership and gets raped, technician resets the computer and you’re on your way until the next encounter. I know myself check engine light came on twice once for an oxygen sensor yes the Genesis has four oxygen sensors the scanner told me it was the first one bank one which is the driver side. The second one was the gas Which at the Dealership is about $65 got one off the Internet for 15 and away went my light. Nowadays you gotta be a computer technician to work on your car my other car 69 Chevelle the only thing computer on it is the ignition system other than that it’s old-fashioned car breaks down on the side of the road fix it yourself new cars, car breaks down on the side of the road it’s a tow truck to the dealership or garage and then the games begin.
Heard the newer cars' parts are all wired up and you can't just swap one part for another as the computer will know it's been swapped and refuse to start.
Dystopian shit. @richaceg, Tesla probably knows every time you pass gas in your car
Last part I swapped out (I'm not a handy guy) was a little actuator by the brake pedal that wired up to the rear brake light and ignition. Completely analog, $30 at NAPA and off I went.
Nowadays maybe it's $300+diagnosis fee
Dystopian shit. @richaceg, Tesla probably knows every time you pass gas in your car
Last part I swapped out (I'm not a handy guy) was a little actuator by the brake pedal that wired up to the rear brake light and ignition. Completely analog, $30 at NAPA and off I went.
Nowadays maybe it's $300+diagnosis fee
Only one of the 4 in my fleet isn't running at the moment lol. The engine is still on the stand
Yep those are the utilitarian practical rides that will serve commuters transportation purposes. Sorry about your fridge. Is it a Range Rover?
There are so many Mercs and Bimmers driving around my neighborhood you’d think you were in Stuttgart. Many of the Singh’s, Chen’s, and Muhammad’s are trying hard to keep up with each other. Dunno why but it’s glaringly obvious.They seem to be badge brainwashed. I like your dream picks. I’d love to trade my 11 year old ATS for a Blackwing. Premium pricing prevents me from pulling the trigger. Of course it’s probably really because I’m an old stingy white guy. My mother calls me “tight”. She’s dead right. The Fox Body Mustang I owned. Bought it new in 90’. A red 5.0L, 5 speed notch with a black interior. It was a clone of my 67’ just 23 years newer. Kept it till the day came when the baby carriage I had newly needed wouldn’t fit in the trunk. I still wish to this day it would have had fold down rear seats. Sold the 67’ as well for living expenses at the time. No worries though. I got over my tightwad tendencies last year and bought an 07’ Shelby GT500 convertible. 07’-09’ coupes and convertibles are selling for $30 US or less down south these days for relatively low mileage examples. A screaming performance steal! It took 30 years off my psyche. Go get you one. Your soul will thank you for it.
You're right about ethnic buyers. They aspire to German luxury cars. But if white guys like yourself will not buy their cars, the white guys in Stuttgart will find someone else to.
