They didn't, up until fairly recently... the whole Cash for Clunkers
nonsense t ok a fleet of servicable used cars off the market, driving
up the prices of eve ything else...
I think that was actually the whole point... fuel the economy by getting rid of the cheaper sources of used cars and making the remaining ones more expensive. There are cars that don't even run that sell for way more than they should ever be worth now that there are fewer older, cheaper alternatives.
And that is REALLY hurting those of us that don't have a lot of money to spa or youth looking to purchase their first vehicles.
-+-
And that is REALLY hurting those of us that don't have a lot of money to spare,
or youth looking to purchase their first vehicles.
Lupine Furmen wrote to Dumas Walker <=-
And that is REALLY hurting those of us that don't have a lot of money
to spare, or youth looking to purchase their first vehicles.
Moondog wrote to Lupine Furmen <=-
I question if someone who does not have alot of money should be buying
a vehicle that isn't fuel efficient, unless it is a work truck.
Dumas Walker wrote to LUPINE FURMEN <=-
I think a lot of folks fall into one of those categories. I am not the type that needs to keep up with the Joneses, so I normally buy used. However, the last time I went looking, a decent used car that would
have cost me maybe $5k before cash-for-clunkers is now upwards of $15k.
I could by a much newer car for not much more. :(
If I buy a new car, there's no upside.
Yeah, I've got a 16 year old son, and I'm looking for one of
those $500 beaters that used to be common on Craigslist. Now
they're all racing in the 24 hour of Lemons series.
ryan wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
All that said, we happily lease a car. We're on our second lease and
it's nice. We don't pay for maintenance, unless we need new tires. We drive less than 10k miles/year so we get a rather low rate for a nice brand new car. And every three years, we get a new one, and we turn the old one in, no questions asked.
I understand that it's silly to throw money away like that, but I don't think of a car as an investment, I think of it as a necessity that I'd like to have a few years, throw out and get a new one...sort of like a cell phone or tablet or something.
blocks to work (if I even go in), otherwise I travel frequently and work pay for flights/rentals/ubers. My gf drives a mile each way for work. Other than that, groceries and restaurants are the places we go, and we don't typically go far...nice thing about living in the Bay Area is everything is close, unless you want to take a weekend trip.
I think that was actually the whole point... fuel the economy by getting rid of the cheaper sources of used cars and making the remaining ones more expensive. There are cars that don't even run that sell for way more than they should ever be worth now that there are fewer older, cheaper alternatives.
And that is REALLY hurting those of us that don't have a lot of money to spare, or youth looking to purchase their first vehicles.
I question if someone who does not have alot of money should be buying
a vehicle that isn't fuel efficient, unless it is a work truck.
RYAN wrote to POINDEXTER FORTRAN <=-
If I buy a new car, there's no upside.
I understand that it's silly to throw money away like that, but I don't think of a car as an investment, I think of it as a necessity that I'd like to have a few years, throw out and get a new one...sort of like a cell phone or tablet or something.
Then again, I have a '67 GTO parked and rising in value daily, so I
guess I get the best of both worlds hehe.
It's easy for most of us to sit back and say that, but for a lot of people, vehicle is required transportation, and the fuel efficiency isn't really tha important. Someone who is poor and needs to get to a job or travel to take c of a family member or something generally doesn't have the extra money -- or the credit -- to get something newer and more fuel efficient, so a cranky ol minivan or an Oldsmobile from the Carter administration is better than nothi even if they're running on a quarter tank of gas 90% of the time.
Lupine Furmen wrote to All <=-
Yeah, My first car was a 73 Mercury Comet GT that my dad bought me and paid like 4 or 500 for it. It needed work, but that was the whole
point. My parents believed that both my sister and I should be able to
do our own maintenance on our vehicles. So the semester after I got the car I took Auto-Shop in HS and learned how to make my own repairs.
Yep - gotta have it - it will wear out - we will want something more modern. A cell phone is a good analagy!
Then again, I have a '67 GTO parked and rising in value daily, so I guess I get the best of both worlds hehe.
NICE! LOL
... If at first you don't succeed, call it version 1.0
Yeah, My first car was a 73 Mercury Comet GT that my dad bought me and paid like 4 or 500 for it. It needed work, but that was the whole point. My parents believed that both my sister and I should be able to do our own maintenance on our vehicles. So the semester after I got the car I took Auto-Shop in HS and learned how to make my own repairs. I really miss that car and wish I still had it, even though that little 302 V8 would probably be killing me with todays gas prices, especially considering that everytime I put gas in I would have to add a lead addative since it ran on REGULAR gas.
Recently in an off roading bog I read about a trend in truck buyers buying fairly clean 1970's era GM trucks from out west or down south, and stripping them down and rebuilding them frame up cheaper than buying a new truck. Loads of aftermarket and spare parts, and as long as you're not throwing old hoses, brake lines and other deadlined worn parts back in, you can put together a reliable everyday driver. Way too often builders get a bit silly a nd stray off the clasic daily driver concept and build something that is neither cost effective to run or wears out parts faster.
I wonder if this formula can be carried over to the high mileage warrior cars such as Hondas and Toyotas? Will a builder get return of investment if they did a restore in order to sell it versus keeping it?
Derision wrote to Lupine Furmen <=-
I learned so much about cars just trying to keep my old '78 Skylark
going. There was so much wrong with it, and I swear I had the hood open
at least twice a day. But now, swapping out a water pump on the side of the road or rigging up a temporary brake system at a rest stop doesn't phase me at all.
Derision wrote to Moondog <=-
combo you could think of, so getting an old V6 Monte Carlo or Blazer,
and assuming that the frame and body aren't rotted out, throwing in new components is simple and often much cheaper than getting something new
or trying to repair what's already in there.
Derision wrote to Moondog <=-
combo you could think of, so getting an old V6 Monte Carlo or Blazer, and assuming that the frame and body aren't rotted out, throwing in new components is simple and often much cheaper than getting something new or trying to repair what's already in there.
Preppers and ex-military keep talking about CUC-Vs, one model was an old Blazer with 24v electronics and a rock solid diesel V8. Sounds like a keeper if you can find one that's in good shape and don't mind driving a 4WD that looks like a military vehicle.
... Where are we? When are we? Is this now?
Moondog wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
You can always repaint them. Diesels have 2-3 times the lifespan of a gasoline engine.
Moondog wrote to poindexter FORTRAN <=-
You can always repaint them. Diesels have 2-3 times the lifespan of a gasoline engine.
I love diesels - Drove a Rabbit Diesel in college, probably put 200K on it, by just changing the oil, brakes and tires.
Yep, keep the oil changed and they run forever - partly because, I'm told, they're made for such high compression ratios needed to ignite the diesel without using spark plugs, something like 23:1.
... Have you ever asked a question you weren't supposed to ask?
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