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Location: San Ramon, Seattle, Anchorage, Reykjavik
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
Do you have any idea how much it cost to maintain an airplane?
A stripped down 40 year old Cessna can still cost 6 figures and that's before you're talking maintenance. There's a reason not everybody owns an airplane.
Amen to that. I bought my Aeronca 7AC Champ for $3500 in 1982 and used it to get my license at age 16. Still have it. Would probably sell for just under $100k now if I ever wanted to sell it. Which I don't. Paid almost $500k for my amphibious Cessna 206H. Both get anything they need and should last me the rest of my legal flying life, and then go to my kids.
Precisely. First, working on a simple car is outright fun. I view my labor in that regard as leisure. Second, I am semi-retired from what was a fairly remunerative and rewarding career in engineering. For reasons beyond the scope of this Forum, it is unlikely that I'll ever work in my profession again. Thus, time is cheap, while discretionary money is precious.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
2) you'd be better off spending that money in stocks...
I kind refer you to my posts over in the Investment forum, where I discuss the vicissitudes of the stock market. In short, you're quite right, about the long-term efficacy of stocks. But what most people fail to realize, is the psychology of the thing: accumulate a tidy sum, and it becomes your precious treasure. That last thing that one desires to do, is to dip into that precious treasure - be it to fund water pumps, vacations or retirement expenses. Instead, one nurses this sum, identifying with it emotionally, as something to be retained unmolested at all costs.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
3) wouldn't you want to buy a more reliable replacement part that may come out in the future, as opposed to stocking up on the defective version?
Ideally, yes. But I'm buying 25-40 year old cars. Improved parts do occasionally come out, especially for models favored by the aftermarket. But the quotidian wear-item parts change little.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
4) you are aware you can just buy a lifetime warranty if you plan to keep the car forever right?
That would perhaps be sensible if I bought a car new, or at least while it was still within its original warranty. But I rarely buy a car until it's depreciated 90% from its original price, by which time, warranties would be moot.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
5) what if the pump fails at 19K miles next time half way up a bridge on your way to the airport in 100 degree weather at high noon? Do people not find this as inconvenient as I do?
Thus, AAA. I've been towed 200 miles before... when for example an old BMW suffered a failure in an idler pulley, throwing the serpentine belt, and thus disabling the water pump and alternator.
You're certainly right about the inconvenience, and even the potential danger. But please keep in mind, that everyone's situation is markedly different. You're a family man, are you not? Well, even though my hair is now quite gray, in terms of lifestyle and life-calculations, I'm still a teenager. I live like one, and have the responsibilities of one.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
6) imagine the space you'd save not keeping an Autozone in your garage. You could probably even be able to downsize and save even more money.
I live in the rural Heartland, where land is next to free. It is entirely tractable and legal to have what's tantamount to a private junkyard. The downside is that my house today is worth less than it was 20 years ago. The upside is that yes, I can indeed store more parts than Autozone. But I'm helpless with a CAN BUS system. Nor do I particularly care for OBD-II. This, and not power-windows or backup-cameras, is the real bane of the amateur mechanic.
Hmmm. The last time I flew my flight was delayed several hours and it took them three tries to find us a plane that didn't have mechanical issues. Not the first time I've seen delays for maintenance either, though it was definitely the worst. I don't think airplane maintenance is the gold standard here.
That being said, I am one of those people (suckers?) who follows the recommended maintenance schedule.
Airplanes are FAA regulated, inspected, and audited. Even the manufacturing and design process is highly regulated. The mine that the aluminum came from is even regulated. What is considered a “mechanical†issue on airplane that delays a flight could be a light bulb out on a fire detector handle while most people are completely content with driving around with a check engine light on their whole life.
If a complicated car breaks down then someone clearly didn't take care of it. With routine maintenance and immediately taking the car in after a check engine light or other dashboard light activates, such instances can be avoided.
There are still design flaws that only become obvious in a product line once it's been out there for a while. A lot of the early 00s VW issues were of the electrical variety. VW had a tendency to put sensitive electrical items like the comfort control module at effectively floor level (the CCM was under the floor mats) and not provide adequate protection against possible damage from water.
I live in of of the wettest places in the contiguous 48 States. And looking back, it should have been zero surprise that our Passat of Despair started having the electrical gremlins, including CCM issues around the 50K mile mark based on how the car was built.
See also- Nissan's CVT problems and the engine problems that Hyundai/Kia try to blame on car owners.
Originally Posted by Listener2307 Long time ago I heard a comment that I took to heart.
The engineer said that if we car owners maintained our vehicles as if they were airplanes, they would last virtually forever.
90 GMC with 400,000 miles. Bought it new.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ziggy100
Do you have any idea how much it cost to maintain an airplane?
A stripped down 40 year old Cessna can still cost 6 figures and that's before you're talking maintenance. There's a reason not everybody owns an airplane.
No.
Don't care, either. I maintain a car, not an airplane.
I replace things before they break. Like the thermostat, lower radiator hose, EGR valve. I flush the cooling system periodically, flush the brake system. And the transmission will be rebuilt this summer - for the first time in 28 years, even though its only problem is that it is a little slow going into gear.
Engine still feels strong and sounds strong even with 400,000 miles on it, so I'm going to let it go for a while. Maybe forever. But even if it fails I won't fall out of the sky.
Like I say. I maintain my truck as if it were an airplane. But I don't maintain a Cessna, now do I?
And that is how you get a car, or truck, to last practically forever -- assuming some dumbass doesn't hit your vehicle and destroy it. You always treat your vehicle as if you want it to last at least another 100k or 200k miles.
Of course, you have to start with a decent drivetrain and a chassis that is relatively resistant to corrosion. And you make the determination that you will fix anything that breaks, because you won't be able to find a replacement that is actually better for your purposes.
No.
Don't care, either. I maintain a car, not an airplane.
I replace things before they break. Like the thermostat, lower radiator hose, EGR valve. I flush the cooling system periodically, flush the brake system. And the transmission will be rebuilt this summer - for the first time in 28 years, even though its only problem is that it is a little slow going into gear.
Engine still feels strong and sounds strong even with 400,000 miles on it, so I'm going to let it go for a while. Maybe forever. But even if it fails I won't fall out of the sky.
Like I say. I maintain my truck as if it were an airplane. But I don't maintain a Cessna, now do I?
A 28 year old Cessna is still well within its service life and requires a lot of maintenance and would still be worth close to what you paid for it. Excessive maintenance on a 28 year old truck that's outlived it's service life and isn't worth anything is just a hobby.
I have some relatives that kept a Suburban past 400K miles. By the time they traded it every major component had either been rebuilt or replaced. It also wasn't trusted to leave a 4 mile radius around the house. It also stunk, rattled, and was fairly uncomfortable and outdated. It basically became a very large golf cart just used to cart stuff around the neighborhood. I doubt replacing some EGR valves and radiator hoses every weekend would have granted it anymore useful life.
And that is how you get a car, or truck, to last practically forever -- assuming some dumbass doesn't hit your vehicle and destroy it. You always treat your vehicle as if you want it to last at least another 100k or 200k miles.
Of course, you have to start with a decent drivetrain and a chassis that is relatively resistant to corrosion. And you make the determination that you will fix anything that breaks, because you won't be able to find a replacement that is actually better for your purposes.
That's how the Soviets built cars. Couldn't tell much between a 1960 and a 1985, but extremely simple and no frills...Soviet style.
Yes if you replace your drivetrain every 20K miles, you get as close as anybody can to a car that last forever, but there is something to be said about throwing good money after bad money. Otherwise we'd have 50 year old school buses, garbage trucks, and police cars still driving around.
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