As a car guy, I get a lot of folks coming to me for car advice. I like being asked and I give out advice. This past weekend, however, it was pointed out how ironic it was that I seem to have cars with issues. I got to thinking about this, and it is disturbing. Consider:
Cars that were completely my choice:
- 1980 Chevy Monza It was related to the Vega, what more needs to be said? I will add, however, the driver's door that tended to want to fall off, the heat that failed to work when my wife (then girlfriend) was in the car and the starter that tended to keep running even after the key was completely removed from the ignition.
- 1988 Nissan Pulsar SE Next car after the Monza, it was a money pit. Tended to eat tires and exhaust systems. Spent $5,000 (plus the payments) over 3 years to keep it running and needed struts, tires, exhaust and a steering rack when we traded it in.
- 1992 Saturn SL2 Didn't have it very long, but found out right after we bought it (warranty had just expired) that it was going through a quart of oil every 1,500 miles.
- 1999 Honda OdysseyTwo new transmissions in 5 years and 90,000 miles. Currently have a sliding door needing repair.
$0.360 per mile so far (plus insurance) over 5 years and 90,000 miles. (That's dropping now that it's paid off.) - 2005 Mazda3 So far so good mechanically, but it did just spend a week in the shop to correct some defects in the body work, mostly in the area that was repaired by the dealer before I bought it.
$0.425 per mile so far after 6 months and 8,000 miles.
Cars that were not completely my choice:
- 1988 Chevy Nova I helped my wife pick this one before we were married. If it were me, I would have picked something else, something more fun. It was generally a very good car. Over 3-4 years it needed only a clutch master cylinder until the head gasket went at about 130,000 miles.
- 1988 Dodge Caravan A gift from Dad. It was not reliable, but given the price we paid I can't complain. We did put in a rebuilt engine and transmission, fuel pump, AC compressor and radiator.
- 1988 Chevy Celebrity A beater for a time of financial challenges, it came with a loan payoff as a trade for the Saturn. It too blew a head gasket in the short time we had it.
- 1988 Subaru Wagon Lot of 88's, eh? A freebie beater for my paper route, a woman in church was going to junk it. Broken timing belt and regular infusions of anti-freeze was all it needed while in my possession. Donated to charity when it died of what I think was another broken timing belt.
- 1993 Ford Escort Boring but bulletproof, it was the lesser of available evils (Escort or Tempo? Ugh, Escort I guess.) when we went to trade that lemon Nissan. 10 years and 160,000 miles with only a bad intake manifold gasket as far repairs go.
$0.185 per mile to drive for 10 years & 160,000 miles.
I did the research, the Pulsar was supposed to be a good car, according to Consumer Reports, the only real source available at the time. Ditto on the Odyssey, although I honestly relied a lot on Honda's reputation. I had low expectations for the Escort, but was real desperate to get out of that Pulsar. Only the Nova (and the Celebrity and Subaru beaters) really lived up to my expectations, except for the head gasket. I seem to remember that blown head gaskets on high mileage 4 cylinder cars were more common 10 - 12 years ago, but maybe that's just cognitive dissonance.
So, what do you think, am I car choice challenged?
My husband bought me a Celebrity because I needed A/C in the hot Okie weather. I spent a lot of time on the highway on my way from work. It replaced my 1967 Mustang. We parked it then eventually sold it. {{{{sniff sniff }}} I so miss her. She need much less work then the newer car.
fwiw - at some point they were going to market the Nova in Mexico. It met with very poor reception. Then someone figured out that, in Spanish, the term "No Va" means "it doesn't go".......
toeteaknow: the chevy nova story is a false urban legend. See snopes:
http://www.snopes.com/business/misxlate/nova.asp
Ok, coming out of the proverbial closet: my first car was a 1972 Vega. At least it was VERY easy to work on!
oh, man....all the really good stories are urban legends......unless, of course, they're not and Snopes is one of those communist plots to destroy....(oh, my doctor said I'm not suppose to listen to those conspiracy voices in my head...) nevermind...
ttk
'Doc - You beat me too it. :-)
I liked that Monza, until, you know, the doors started falling off.
That blue blazer was my first car. I really liked that thing. Had problems accelerating with a nudge due to exhaust and AC didn't work. Great fun though and got me through some tough times.
My Chevy pickup has had a water pump, alternator, clutch and fan switch in ten years and 137000 miles. Clutch was the throw out bearing.
Yeah, your car challenged! LOL Why didn't the Thunderbird make the list? Oh, maybe it's above car status!
I don't have a history of buying unreliable cars, but I do have a history of buying cars that depreciate quickly and lose me a lot of money.
1) 1994 Mitsubishi Mirage. Fun car, but too small and with a hard-on-the-ankles sport clutch. Paid $13K brand new, sold three years later for only $7K. Loss: 6K
2) 1995 Mazda 626. Plaqued with horrible paint problems from day one, but other than that OK. Sold it because the new Camrys were just too cool not to own. Bought for $16K, sold for 9K two years later. Loss: 7K.
3) 1997 Camry, bought for 16K, sold 4 years later for 8K. Sold it because I was biking to work and didn't think I needed a car. Bought another car that winter when biking got too difficult Loss: 8K.
4) My current car: 2002 Civic Si. Really fun car, but only two doors and really hard to get carseats in and out of. Will probably sell this fall. Purchase: 16K, probably sell for around 9K. Loss: 7K.
So, in 12 years, that's a total loss of 28K. That's only about $192 a month, so I guess I haven't done too badly.
But it's clear to me now that I get bored with my cars quickly. And since I like to buy them relatively new I eat a lot of depreciation.
BEG - I didn't include the Thunderbird because it's more toy than transportation. Kinda like I bet you wouldn't include the costs on your Allis Chalmers WC in your farming expenses.
For the record, it needed brakes, an interior re-do, 2 new decklid cylinders, a new decklid hydraulic line, a new top (not installed), new front suspension kit (not installed), new shocks (not installed) and new wheels and tires. It has cost me about $1.60 per mile so far. :-)
I also didn't mention wear stuff like clutches. The Monza had 2 clutches, the Pulsar and Escort 1 each. The Nova, Pulsar, Escort, Subaru and Odyssey also got timing belts (the Monza needed a timing gear) and there were numerous brake jobs and tires.
Apparently I owned the only reliable Chevette ever built. Traded it off short of 100,000 miles. Never had a problem with it ... except when I let the maintenance on the brakes go too long, once. It was a manual transmission model, 1977, got great mileage and was fun to drive. I would never do this today, but back then I could insert it into the slipstream of (tailgate) an 18-wheeler on the interstate and - almost - not have to touch the accelerator for miles.
(What an idiot I was back then.)
Keith - My aunt had a Chevette that she liked, I think. Probably about the same year, black 2 door with a red interior and a 4 speed stick. So you're not alone.
I remember my Dad doing the same thing with our '77 Olds Cutlass. He was thrilled to get 20+ MPG on that trip with that big 350ci (that's a 5.7 liter) V8.
Are you kidding me! WC is a work tractor. Use it on the farm almost as much as the other one. You bet it's a tax deduction!! LOL
Just this week I built a 19"x42" platform for the back, built a stand for the umbrella, greased her up and fixed it's rain cap. Going to cut 60 acres of grass with it as soon as my brother get's more property. Want to come over and do 20 or 30? :)