Tuesday, June 27, 2006
The 2,200 Reasons To Walk
The other day, while on a road trip back from Boston, I was saddened to see a little yellow light start blinking on my dashboard. It wasn't the turn signal, or the hazards. It wasn't the low fuel indicator or the cruise control light. It a little yellow light in the shape of a gear with an exclamation point in the middle. It's the kind of light that makes grown men cry.
I drove my poor, ailing car home and rushed it to the "emergency room," the local trans shop. The initial inspection looked good. It looked as though I had nipped the problem in the bud. They said that it looked as though there was only minor damage, but they would have to pull the thing apart to be sure. I felt as though I had dodged a bullet.
Of course, I was being set up for a fall. I received a call this morning from the trans shop, and they said that not only did the parts of the transmission that wear out normally break, but so did the parts that usually never have to be replaced in the life of the car. It's going to run me about $2,200.00 to fix the damn thing. That’s roughly 30 percent of what I paid for the thing in the first place.
I bought this car about two years ago. This is my 4th car, and the first one built after I graduated from high school. This was the first time I had purchased a car from a dealer, and the first time I had gotten a car loan.
I bought it because my previous three cars were constant headaches; they had high mileages and always had something wrong with them. The first two were handed down from my parents, and the last one I was about 12 years old and I bought from a mechanic for less than 2 grand. I have learned something valuable from this experience. Never buy a car right after getting your prior vehicle inspected. You're buying out of anger, and it's just going to end in tears.
In my innocence I thought that buying a newer car with little mileage meant that it would be more reliable than the others. By paying more for a newer car, in the long run I would be saving money, because the upkeep would be less. How wrong I was. It just goes to show that no matter how old or experienced you become, you can always act like an idiot and convince yourself of anything.
There's a funny thing that happens when you spend a lot for a car, especially when you owe the bank for it. Suddenly, the second something goes wrong, you take it to the shop. The brakes are squeaking. I take it in. Routine maintenance is due, I take it in. The check engine light comes on, I take it in. You are invested in that machine, and you go to great pains to make sure it lasts the 3, 4 or 5 years you take paying the fucking thing off.
With a P.O.S. on the other hand, you don't give a shit. Sure, it'll cost you $500.00 every year to pass inspection, but you'll put a piece of duct tape over the check engine light so you won't have to look at it, rather than take it in. My first car had a coolant leak. Did I take it in to be fixed? Hell no. I simply stocked up on antifreeze and filled it before I left, and prayed I didn't get stuck in traffic.
The next car leaked brake fluid. Brake fluid! Did I have my brakes fixed? Fuck no. I stocked up on brake fluid and whenever the brakes started to feel soft, I'd pull over and top the fucker up. This was also the car whose steering wheel had to be at a 45-degree angle in order for the car to go straight. The only time you replace anything on a car like that is when the only way you can get the car to move is with a tow truck.
My current car isn't even that expensive. I bought it used for less than 10 grand. I can't imagine what would happen if I shelled out $50,000 for a BMW or some other ridiculous machine. The simple fact is this: If you put 100,000 miles on a car, something's going to break, and it's probably something expensive. It doesn't matter what kind of car it is or how much you paid for it. The only question is, do you give a shit whether or not it gets fixed.
I drove the brake fluid car to Los Angeles and back. I also drove it to Texas and back. I racked up roughly the same amount of miles on that SOB that Neil Armstrong logged on his trip to the moon. I had no qualms about breaking down, or what the resale value was. When it finally gave up and died, it had been driven into the ground. Now, I worry that by driving to Boston, I have put on too many miles. I'm sick of it. From now on, it's used pieces of crap for me. The rust around the tire wells and the duct tape holding the side view mirror on is a badge of honor.
I suppose the only alternative is to get a horse. I like that idea, because when it breaks down, at least I can take it out back and shoot it.
I drove my poor, ailing car home and rushed it to the "emergency room," the local trans shop. The initial inspection looked good. It looked as though I had nipped the problem in the bud. They said that it looked as though there was only minor damage, but they would have to pull the thing apart to be sure. I felt as though I had dodged a bullet.
Of course, I was being set up for a fall. I received a call this morning from the trans shop, and they said that not only did the parts of the transmission that wear out normally break, but so did the parts that usually never have to be replaced in the life of the car. It's going to run me about $2,200.00 to fix the damn thing. That’s roughly 30 percent of what I paid for the thing in the first place.
I bought this car about two years ago. This is my 4th car, and the first one built after I graduated from high school. This was the first time I had purchased a car from a dealer, and the first time I had gotten a car loan.
I bought it because my previous three cars were constant headaches; they had high mileages and always had something wrong with them. The first two were handed down from my parents, and the last one I was about 12 years old and I bought from a mechanic for less than 2 grand. I have learned something valuable from this experience. Never buy a car right after getting your prior vehicle inspected. You're buying out of anger, and it's just going to end in tears.
In my innocence I thought that buying a newer car with little mileage meant that it would be more reliable than the others. By paying more for a newer car, in the long run I would be saving money, because the upkeep would be less. How wrong I was. It just goes to show that no matter how old or experienced you become, you can always act like an idiot and convince yourself of anything.
There's a funny thing that happens when you spend a lot for a car, especially when you owe the bank for it. Suddenly, the second something goes wrong, you take it to the shop. The brakes are squeaking. I take it in. Routine maintenance is due, I take it in. The check engine light comes on, I take it in. You are invested in that machine, and you go to great pains to make sure it lasts the 3, 4 or 5 years you take paying the fucking thing off.
With a P.O.S. on the other hand, you don't give a shit. Sure, it'll cost you $500.00 every year to pass inspection, but you'll put a piece of duct tape over the check engine light so you won't have to look at it, rather than take it in. My first car had a coolant leak. Did I take it in to be fixed? Hell no. I simply stocked up on antifreeze and filled it before I left, and prayed I didn't get stuck in traffic.
The next car leaked brake fluid. Brake fluid! Did I have my brakes fixed? Fuck no. I stocked up on brake fluid and whenever the brakes started to feel soft, I'd pull over and top the fucker up. This was also the car whose steering wheel had to be at a 45-degree angle in order for the car to go straight. The only time you replace anything on a car like that is when the only way you can get the car to move is with a tow truck.
My current car isn't even that expensive. I bought it used for less than 10 grand. I can't imagine what would happen if I shelled out $50,000 for a BMW or some other ridiculous machine. The simple fact is this: If you put 100,000 miles on a car, something's going to break, and it's probably something expensive. It doesn't matter what kind of car it is or how much you paid for it. The only question is, do you give a shit whether or not it gets fixed.
I drove the brake fluid car to Los Angeles and back. I also drove it to Texas and back. I racked up roughly the same amount of miles on that SOB that Neil Armstrong logged on his trip to the moon. I had no qualms about breaking down, or what the resale value was. When it finally gave up and died, it had been driven into the ground. Now, I worry that by driving to Boston, I have put on too many miles. I'm sick of it. From now on, it's used pieces of crap for me. The rust around the tire wells and the duct tape holding the side view mirror on is a badge of honor.
I suppose the only alternative is to get a horse. I like that idea, because when it breaks down, at least I can take it out back and shoot it.
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That's kinda the reason i always buy new. Great warranty and it take slonger to get to the 100,000 death mark.
that's also why i only buy Hondas becasue tehy seem to make it to the 200K mark before they start to gasp and wheeze.
that's also why i only buy Hondas becasue tehy seem to make it to the 200K mark before they start to gasp and wheeze.
Yeah, Hondas will last you a good 200k until they die. Two of my four cars were Hondas. They will need major maintenance somewhere in there, though. Here's a better method:
A new Accord costs about $18k. It's got a good warranty and it'll finally die somewhere around 200k miles. At some point, you're going to have to replace the transmission, and the brakes at least once. Because the deck is always stacked against you chances are the warranty will have expired by then. (Besides, brakes are never covered.)
That, plus all the routine maintenance, plus all the other little issues that might come up, you are probably going to put in another 5-10 grand on this thing. If you drive 25,000 miles per year, there's a good chance you'll have it for about 8 years. So, you end up paying about $23,000- $28,000.00.
Now, buy a ten-year-old Accord with 100k miles on it. Make sure that the transmission has been replaced at some point. Even if it's in fair condition, it'll only cost you about $3600. Assuming it lasts until about 200,000 miles, you'll have that car only about half the time.
Factor in about $2,000 ($500 per years) to pass inspection, plus another $2,000 to keep it running, you're still only at about $7,600. Since you have to do that twice as often as you do with your new car, that total comes to about $15,200. Sure, the passenger side airbag might not work and there’s a strange rattling inside the dash, but it’s a fuckload cheaper because you just don’t care.
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A new Accord costs about $18k. It's got a good warranty and it'll finally die somewhere around 200k miles. At some point, you're going to have to replace the transmission, and the brakes at least once. Because the deck is always stacked against you chances are the warranty will have expired by then. (Besides, brakes are never covered.)
That, plus all the routine maintenance, plus all the other little issues that might come up, you are probably going to put in another 5-10 grand on this thing. If you drive 25,000 miles per year, there's a good chance you'll have it for about 8 years. So, you end up paying about $23,000- $28,000.00.
Now, buy a ten-year-old Accord with 100k miles on it. Make sure that the transmission has been replaced at some point. Even if it's in fair condition, it'll only cost you about $3600. Assuming it lasts until about 200,000 miles, you'll have that car only about half the time.
Factor in about $2,000 ($500 per years) to pass inspection, plus another $2,000 to keep it running, you're still only at about $7,600. Since you have to do that twice as often as you do with your new car, that total comes to about $15,200. Sure, the passenger side airbag might not work and there’s a strange rattling inside the dash, but it’s a fuckload cheaper because you just don’t care.
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