Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Seeing as how there are some of us that have either never owned a car or stopped owning one due to various financial reasons, another big thing that obviously has to be factored into car-ownership is maintenance.
The last couple of cars I owned were a '71 GMC 2500 from '03-'05, and an '87 Bronco II from '05-'06.
The '71 was an enjoyable pickup and I quickly learned how to diagnose and repair various problems that arose on it.
I had the typical acquaintances that were pressuring me to perform a multitude of body and performance enhancements on it, but I preferred to keep things simple on it.
Anywho, there was a short in the electrical system that led to the wiring harness burning out and due to lack of funds and low-paying job, the truck had to go since a new wiring harness was one of those special-order headaches. I wanted to keep it, but "outside forces" never learned to shut up about certain things.
Then there was the '87 which was running just fine when I purchased it and did so for a little over a year after I bought it.
I ultimately had to get another smog check done for it since the previous one was already 2 years old at the time.
Took it to a smog place down the street and let them do their thing.
It ran great for a month or so after wards, then its acceleration began to get rather spotty.
I attempted to diagnose the problem myself by going over every possible trouble-shoot in the Haynes manual that seemed to match said problem.
Small parts were replaced here and there, but after all fussing with it, this thing was still running horrible.
I then decided to take it to a couple of reputable places to get it professionally diagnosed.
No one was able to trace it down to one single problem and I was never charged.
Took it back to the smog place and things got real ugly over there after they thought I was accusing them of purposely doing something to my vehicle to enhance their profit margin.
Needless to say, vehicle sat for awhile after I gave up on it and was eventually scrapped.
At this point in time, I'm looking into purchasing a new vehicle and doing the "trade-in" every few years.
But for those of you who keep their vehicles long after the warranty has dried up, how long would you "keep at it" yourself until it was time to shell out money for a shop?
I then decided to take it to a couple of reputable places to get it professionally diagnosed.
This says it all. There are so many "other" things in cars now that can affect operation that getting
the initial diagnosis right isn't something most can do without good testers.
No matter how good you are at the R&R once X is determined to be the problem...
Quote:
I'm looking into purchasing a new vehicle and doing the "trade-in" every few years.
...how long would you "keep at it" yourself until it was time to shell out money for a shop?
As alluded to above... putting up with a buggy X when you know it is the X...
is a very different thing than assuming that the X is bad but really having a problem with Y.
Fixing Y (which you really can't do yourself anyway) will also always cost more than X.
so much depends on where you are, cause some areas are harder on vehicles than others. up north, salt destroys vehicles, down in Texas, they stay ok for 30 to 40 years on the road. if you maintain, the car, don't drive it like a bat out of hell, blah, blah, blah, then you can keep it for hundreds of thousands of miles. otherwise, trade, lease every two years and don't own nothing, nor have a maintenance headache. Your cash, your situation and your likes or dislikes depend on what you will do.
Good responses, yet at the same time I'm still wondering if it's just a money-pit I'm going to be jumping into.
I'll stew about it some more and then see whether an old, reliable with so-so fuel economy is the way to go.
Or, stick with the aforementioned plan of purchasing now and then trading in while the miles aren't that bad.
Either way, I've managed to be not-so overly dependent on a motor that one breaking down wouldn't mean a disruption in my life.
Or, stick with the aforementioned plan of purchasing now and then trading in while the miles aren't that bad.
That's about how you use the car. If your in business or sales or something that has you in the
car all day or even just have a really long commute then you NEED the reliability of new.
If you're making some money at it then you need NICE as well as new.
If you can get by with a late start some mornings because the car was acting up (again)
or you have another car to use those days then you can discount the new a bit.
But you'll still need the nice and most of the reliability of new too.
Get what suits... just be sure to do the financing well.
You know, it depends. When the warning chirp starts sounding on your disc brakes you need to fix them or be replacing rotors along with brakes in fairly short order.
Your AC stops working can likely wait.
Your rear shocks get a bit weak can likely wait but a broken one needs fixed.
An O2 sensor can sometimes wait, but not if the performance of the car is impacted.
My car is six years old with 92,000 miles. It feels really good not to have a car payment. As it gets older and accrues more miles, the maintenence will be higher. I plan to spend about $600.00 to replace the timing belt, water pump, and belt tensioner. It is a lot of money for a used car, but I believe an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
You know, it depends. When the warning chirp starts sounding on your disc brakes you need to fix them or be replacing rotors along with brakes in fairly short order.
Your AC stops working can likely wait.
Your rear shocks get a bit weak can likely wait but a broken one needs fixed.
An O2 sensor can sometimes wait, but not if the performance of the car is impacted.
These are all relatively easy fixes for those of us with some form of mechanical inclination.
After having USDOT/FMCSA tractor-trailer pre-trips pounded into my skull over the years, pre and post-trips all over any vehicle I happen to be using have become second nature.
However, there are always going to be those days when all your self-taught diagnostic skills won't save you from the vehicle shifting into gear properly or accelerating poorly.
I'm an admitted cheap-skate and I also prefer to not look weak(there, I said it) by having to go into a mechanics shop for anything.
If anything, I'm most likely going to start taking some advanced auto classes at the local college again.
I may not become an ASE Master Tech, but I'll know my way around the deeper mechanical components of an average vehicle a little better for when that time comes.
These are all relatively easy fixes for those of us with some form of mechanical inclination.
After having USDOT/FMCSA tractor-trailer pre-trips pounded into my skull over the years, pre and post-trips all over any vehicle I happen to be using have become second nature.
However, there are always going to be those days when all your self-taught diagnostic skills won't save you from the vehicle shifting into gear properly or accelerating poorly.
I'm an admitted cheap-skate and I also prefer to not look weak(there, I said it) by having to go into a mechanics shop for anything.
If anything, I'm most likely going to start taking some advanced auto classes at the local college again.
I may not become an ASE Master Tech, but I'll know my way around the deeper mechanical components of an average vehicle a little better for when that time comes.
You're right, I responded as to someone who doesn't.
I don't do brakes anymore.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
