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My first car was a used 1965 Ford Galaxie and I bought it for $500. It lasted a week before the electrical system went out. Of course, at 18, I knew nothing of buying cars.
My next car was a used 72 Pinto and I bought that for $2000. It lasted until 1983.
In 1983 I bought a new Mazda B2000 automatic with a camper shell on the back for $4000 and it lasted until 2000.
My next truck was a new Mazda that cost $13,000 and was totaled in an accident (not my fault) in 2004 before it was even paid off.
Since then I've had other cars and my current one is a used 2005 PT Cruiser (cost $5000) with a fender needing replacement at an appraised cost of $1800 (my fault). Needless to say, the fender isn't going to be replaced. But I just brought it into the dealer to replace the computer PCM, whatever that is. It's going to cost me $1700. My mechanic is going to take care of the rest (no way am I letting the dealership do everything), which is a valve cover on the gasket, brakes and a torn engine mount. At this point, what with the timing chain and other repairs I've done on it, I'll have put way more into the car than what it's worth.
Sure I could sell it to someone for a cheap beater, but hey, that's what I need. So unfortunately...and before anyone asks why don't I get a new car, the answer is simply, I can't afford it. For what I'm putting into the Cruiser, I'd end up probably buying the same set of problems in another car.
I am seriously thinking about getting my next vehicle used circa 1985 or so, though, before computers...
Uh, 30 years if a fairly long time....what do you want for less than $1,000?
How cheap do you want (beater) cars to be in 2018??
Exactly. $400 in 1976 dollars is worth $1800 in 2018 dollars. There should be a few running private party offerings for that. But as has been mentioned before, there's not enough profit at that price point to make it profitable for most dealers. Plus depending upon condition and mileage, those may not be easily financeable and they make most of their profit on the financing side.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,351 posts, read 54,513,644 times
Reputation: 40819
Quote:
Originally Posted by rodentraiser
My first car was a used 1965 Ford Galaxie and I bought it for $500. It lasted a week before the electrical system went out. Of course, at 18, I knew nothing of buying cars.
My next car was a used 72 Pinto and I bought that for $2000. It lasted until 1983.
In 1983 I bought a new Mazda B2000 automatic with a camper shell on the back for $4000 and it lasted until 2000.
My next truck was a new Mazda that cost $13,000 and was totaled in an accident (not my fault) in 2004 before it was even paid off.
Since then I've had other cars and my current one is a used 2005 PT Cruiser (cost $5000) with a fender needing replacement at an appraised cost of $1800 (my fault). Needless to say, the fender isn't going to be replaced. But I just brought it into the dealer to replace the computer PCM, whatever that is. It's going to cost me $1700. My mechanic is going to take care of the rest (no way am I letting the dealership do everything), which is a valve cover on the gasket, brakes and a torn engine mount. At this point, what with the timing chain and other repairs I've done on it, I'll have put way more into the car than what it's worth.
Sure I could sell it to someone for a cheap beater, but hey, that's what I need. So unfortunately...and before anyone asks why don't I get a new car, the answer is simply, I can't afford it. For what I'm putting into the Cruiser, I'd end up probably buying the same set of problems in another car.
I am seriously thinking about getting my next vehicle used circa 1985 or so, though, before computers...
I wouldn't worry so much about computers, if they were going to fail they likely would have in the first coupla hundred hours.
I wouldn't worry so much about computers, if they were going to fail they likely would have in the first coupla hundred hours.
Alas, it does not work that way. Computers or "modules" typically fail after ten or fifteen years. They fail suddenly and without explanation other than "the _____ module is bad." Replace it and everything is hunky dory again, at least until the next one fails.
Location: By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea
68,351 posts, read 54,513,644 times
Reputation: 40819
Quote:
Originally Posted by Coldjensens
Alas, it does not work that way. Computers or "modules" typically fail after ten or fifteen years. They fail suddenly and without explanation other than "the _____ module is bad." Replace it and everything is hunky dory again, at least until the next one fails.
Well, you go your way and I'll go mine. Personal experience as well as that of others I've talked to says not to worry and I don't. Modules like HVAC etc.? Yeah they can be a little shaky but even so I had a 25 year old Lexus that needed one and it only cost me about $80 to have it rebuilt, but my experience with ECUs has been don't reverse the polarity, don't get them wet, and the ones I've had experience with have been bullet proof. I will however stay away from things like touch-screen control centers.
But "Back in the old days" it likely never would have seen 200K.
No. Dodge Darts with their slant six engines were known to last until 300K miles. Volvos from the 1960's and 70's also had a great reputation for high mileage.
In the 1980s minimum wage was 3.35 an hour now it's 7.25 an hour you factor the cost of a Ford Pinto or Ford Escort versus a Ford Festiva brand new the price hasn't doubled.
Not true!
My dad bought a Pinto new in 77 for $1400 (manual, no a/c). A Fiesta today can be had for about 12K (MSRP is 15ish). Keep in mind fuel was $1 a gallon vs. 2.5X that today.
No. Dodge Darts with their slant six engines were known to last until 300K miles. Volvos from the 1960's and 70's also had a great reputation for high mileage.
My "almost" first car was a late 60's Valiant (slant 6).....only had 35K miles on it (old lady special) and we couldn't get the thing to run. It sat for 10+ years in a garage.
Cheap cars got used up in that cash for clunkers program. Also consider the local junkyards will buy a car for $300+ as long as it has a title and scrap it so that artificially ups the values in the cheap cars market.
In 1999 I scored a Mazda 323 for an employee for $350. Ran fine but had a busted headlight/crunched fender and ac didn't work.
He drove that car 4 years before it was totaled by a drunk driver. Insurance company gave him $1600 so he was THRILLED!
Cars today are so complex and cost so much to fix when something major breaks. Back in the old days, if you drove a beater and the transmission failed, it wasn’t that big of a deal to swap out another one. These days, if a CVT fails on a 200k mile car, you might as well consider it totaled.
Repair costs are too expensive now for the lower income person to afford.
Bingo. Exactly the reason I'll drive my $900 79 Thunderbird, which still looks good and (knock on wood) has had zero breakdowns in 16+ years of ownership, as long as I can.
Last edited by stilldriveem; 07-23-2018 at 02:59 PM..
Reason: Mis spelled word
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Modules like HVAC etc.? Yeah they can be a little shaky but even so I had a 25 year old Lexus that needed one and it only cost me about $80 to have it rebuilt, but my experience with ECUs has been don't reverse the polarity, don't get them wet, and the ones I've had experience with have been bullet proof. I will however stay away from things like touch-screen control centers. 
