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My nickels and dimes came from mechanic shops looking to disfavor themselves from my patronage.
Yup,the quotes are padded and the labor lining not the mechanics pocket but the shop owner.
A $17 bolt and stopper problem was disguised as a replace the entire part! ($200 retail and 20% markup by shop=$240) then add 110$ per hour ...350$ for a pull the wheel,slap on the part.
My friend took a look,saw what it really needed. A six pack and a few belly laughs got that car fixed.
So while some maintenance is necessary (no matter it's age),be mindful of the wise fixes. Where not all things need replaced,but sometimes adjusted or reseated.
I sadly got dimed by a shop not being forthright in saying,mame' we think this may be a warrantied item.So you may want to check the records. We'd be glad to do the labor to set things right. Instead they put on a necessary part ,gave me a warranty for the new part,then said, Hey! We have to keep that part for a core exchange. (Which I paid for in the parts quote that was inflated 50%). That core fetched them $80 . That was them diming a consumer.
In 1962 I grew up across the the street from a long retired old wiry guy who wore coveralls every day. His daily drivers were a pick up truck and a car that still look like the day he bought them new in about 1939. He was about 35 years older than my parents so I guess he bought them when he was about 40 years old. He was obviously pretty handy because he also mowed his yard with what looked like a push mower that he outfitted with a small engine. It looked new also, but it could have been something modern in the 1950's he bought.
There was a TV car guru type guy who said the average car should last about 30 years if maintained properly. One thing I did take note of is he said hoses should be changed often. He said they wear out from the inside and deposit lots of rubberized gunk in your engine long before they begin to show wear on the outside.
Either they bought a POS beater that was already falling apart and neglected, which what else would you expect? Or they bought nicer vehicle from the get go and ignored it the entire time they owned it, and now that it's getting some age on it, things are starting to break, and they're peeved they have to spend ANY money on it, other than for fuel.
Does it suck when your car breaks? Of course, especially if money is tight. But you can't expect a vehicle to NEVER need repairs or to NEVER break, you're just setting yourself up for disappointment at that point. And to delude yourself into thinking "I'll just get a different car and it won't need anything" is an exercise in perpetual frustration. You'll dump time, money and effort into trying to find something that just doesn't exist.
Same goes for people who, when their vehicle breaks, they want the cheapest possible fix that's out there, even if it's only temporary. They'd rather cheap out and spend MORE time and money trying to save a buck than if they'd just fix it right the first time and be done with it. I swear some people are so short sighted that they can't see past "right now", either that or they like creating more work for themselves. Personally, I don't.
So I say anyone who complains that a vehicle "nickel and dimed them to death" either brought it on themselves via neglecting their vehicle, or they had unreasonable expectations of the vehicle that they own (ex. bought a $700 beater and then whine that "it needs x,y,z" or "things are always breaking"). WELL DUH!!! People don't sell a car cheap for NO reason, likely they also neglected it and now the cost of repairs exceed the value of the car, so they're "cutting their losses" and getting rid of it.
What do you guys think?
While your observation may apply in a lot of cases, it’s not always true. I’ve purchased brand new cars maintained/serviced and did not abuse them and they were problematic from the get go.
Some cars are just crap quality no matter how well you maintain them.
But yes a neglected car will nickel and dime you to death.
I'd say that in many cases the people saying this can't do basic math. The reality is that after paying a car off, it is almost always cheaper to keep repairing that car than buying a new one. New vehicles these days cost $30,000 dollars. When even in the worst case, you can put in a rebuilt engine or transmission for $3K or so.
Keeping a car to 300,000 miles or even more, and keeping it under repair, is almost always more economical than buying a new one. Do the basic math of adding up the nickles and dimes. Once paid off, keeping a car under repair is money in the bank.
I'd say that in many cases the people saying this can't do basic math. The reality is that after paying a car off, it is almost always cheaper to keep repairing that car than buying a new one. New vehicles these days cost $30,000 dollars. When even in the worst case, you can put in a rebuilt engine or transmission for $3K or so.
Keeping a car to 300,000 miles or even more, and keeping it under repair, is almost always more economical than buying a new one. Do the basic math of adding up the nickles and dimes. Once paid off, keeping a car under repair is money in the bank.
Nope, once it's paid off, time to look for a new one!
Gotta perpetuate that cycle of never ending debt, because you'll always have a car payment, right???
Or the one I love the most "I'm getting a new car because it won't break!"
People amaze me at how astoundingly dumb they really are!
I'd say that in many cases the people saying this can't do basic math. The reality is that after paying a car off, it is almost always cheaper to keep repairing that car than buying a new one. New vehicles these days cost $30,000 dollars. When even in the worst case, you can put in a rebuilt engine or transmission for $3K or so.
Keeping a car to 300,000 miles or even more, and keeping it under repair, is almost always more economical than buying a new one. Do the basic math of adding up the nickles and dimes. Once paid off, keeping a car under repair is money in the bank.
I will agree with this...it's cheaper to keep the old car and keep doing repairs vrs buying new.
For many people though doing so may not be a practical or safe alternative. Like a woman who has a commute that involves risky areas or someone who frequently drives through remote areas. Just two logical examples of cases when the expense of a newer vehicle would likely be worth the peace of mind. That doesn't even touch on the fact that having a vehicle in for service usually poses a significant inconvenience for just about anyone AND alot of working people generally have schedules to keep and expectations to meet which demand they have a reliable vehicle. Money isn't the only factor at play.
I will agree with this...it's cheaper to keep the old car and keep doing repairs vrs buying new.
For many people though doing so may not be a practical or safe alternative. Like a woman who has a commute that involves risky areas or someone who frequently drives through remote areas. Just two logical examples of cases when the expense of a newer vehicle would likely be worth the peace of mind. That doesn't even touch on the fact that having a vehicle in for service usually poses a significant inconvenience for just about anyone AND alot of working people generally have schedules to keep and expectations to meet which demand they have a reliable vehicle. Money isn't the only factor at play.
I’ve seen brand new cars on the side of the road broken down. While having a new car minimizes the break downs it doesn’t mean you won’t break down.
I have older cars and they run great. I’m doing. Front axle suspension rebuild on both trucks. One needs i5 the other is basically there. So I’m spending about 1400 bucks in parts for both trucks. T9 replace both trucks I would be looking at 65,000 and 75,000 respectively.
Sorry but msunya8n8ng my old trucks saves me a bundle. Considering they are paid for I say I’m good with my decision.
On the one hand. Look what the driver is saving on depreciation. It must be less than the repairs. But sometimes you get a lemon, just a few years old and keeps having trouble. They have a valid point. Maybe the complainers should learn some basic repairs.
Last edited by pvande55; 03-11-2018 at 04:04 PM..
Reason: Grammar
I’ve seen brand new cars on the side of the road broken down. While having a new car minimizes the break downs it doesn’t mean you won’t break down.
I have older cars and they run great. I’m doing. Front axle suspension rebuild on both trucks. One needs i5 the other is basically there. So I’m spending about 1400 bucks in parts for both trucks. T9 replace both trucks I would be looking at 65,000 and 75,000 respectively. Sorry but msunya8n8ng my old trucks saves me a bundle. Considering they are paid for I say I’m good with my decision.
Sorry but maintaining my old trucks saves me a bundle. (Fat fingered my iPhone)
Quote:
Originally Posted by pvande55
On the one hand. Look what the driver is saving on depreciation. It must be less than the repairs. But sometimes you get a lemon, just a few years old and keeps having trouble. They have a valid point. Maybe the complainers should learn some basic repairs.
Most basic repairs on vehicles can be done with few tools. I remember my basic tool kit when i first started working on cars was a Craftsman 200 piece mechanics set. It grew from there over the years.
I started work8ng on cars because I didn’t have the mibe6 to pay someone and I realized that once I do it the savings are great. And lots of times when I had work done on the car it was not right and I ended up redoing it in some cases. So I only have certain things done.
Right now if I took my car to a dealer or shop I would be paying somewhere around 3000 for each truck to do the work I need done. Thats 6000 bucks. All it’s costing me is about 1100 in parts and two Saturdays.
Inner seals outer hub Seals, axle u joints, 4x4 hubs, upper and lower ball joints, rotors, brakes and pads, shocks and steering stabilizer.
"Once paid off, keeping a car under repair is money in the bank".
Depends on the vehicle in question.
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