My "check engine" light in the Camry just cost me $500 - NOT EVEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY - injector and spark "malfunction" - I could REPLACE the entire fuel and spark systems in the Centurion and still have enough left over for a case of suds!
When the anti lock brake light on my daughter's Dodge Neon went out before she got rid of it, I removed the bulb so it would pass the state inspection and it did. The ABS computer was bad. Consumer=1 point Chrysler corp.=0 points NYS inspection station=they never noticed so what's the difference The old cars are lookin' better every day!:Brow:
ou: Shoulda thought of that one. Next time I'll just pull the bulb. Next time it comes on I'll throw a quart of injector cleaner and take it up around 120 (if it'll make it). That ought to do it. Wish somebody would hit it. I'd get rid of it, but I've already swallowed the depreciation. There's another case for older cars. Depreciation is done! The math: paid $18k for the Camry three years ago. Kelly BB says it's worth $9. So, buy a $20k car today and in three years it's maybe worth half that. Three year depreciation: $10k You could probably buy a Centurion in this condition today for let's say $7k. In three years it will probably be worth, oh, let's say $6k. Three year depreciation: $1k. One of our elderly friends drives the Pontiac Parisienne his mother left behind. Immaculately maintained. They wound up keeping over the Volvo. The Volvo was too much trouble.
That's not to mention the high cost of maintenence and repairs on a foreign made car, let alone a newer domestic one. They did the right thing keeping the Pontiac. What good is keeping a car you can't fix? :beer
My son got his 96 Dodge Ram truck cheap cuz the ABS light was on and dealer said it could cost over $1500 to fix. After he got it I just disconnected the battery and reconnected (to reset) and it's been 6 mos and no light / no problems. Bruce
new cars suck anyway on the most part alot of them fall apart after 100000 and thats it they meet the junkyard i mean on the mostpart alot of cars get crapity crap about then then there are some that last but then again do you see any of these new cars still being around in 40 years or so..
Even with the Japanese, the older cars are better. I drove an '83 Accord for 8 years and 140k miles. Never missed a beat. Didn't even change the timing belt. Ran awesome. Got rid of it when I just had to have a pickup. The last two ricers we've had - a Nissan (serious POS), and the Camry have been disappointments. Maybe I'll just put it in the trunk of the Buick for awhile.
Honda Starter = $325, it'll take you all saturday to install it yourself, after you remove the power steering pump, alternator, and half the exhaust. :spank: Buick Starter = $40, it'll take you an hour to swap it out, including time spent washing up and popping a can of suds. :beer :spank: or :beer ? Simple decision.
You'd be surprised how many issues you can resolve on the newer cars without taking the car to a shop. What was the code they pulled on the Camry? Those are notorious for getting splits down the boots of the ignition wires.
That is one reason I ride my motorcycle almost every day! of course even my motorcycle is old, my daily rider is a 1978 Yamaha XS750....it's the newest vehicle I own. Just spent $1100 fixing my girlfriends 1997 Ford Contour, it broke a timing belt tensioner...she drove my 68 Skylark while hers was being repaired, in the last 6 years I've spent less than $100 in repairs to the 68, you gotta love it!
I've always said that too. When you factor in the high cost of repairs, added safety of a big car, and car payments for a new one, that's the way to go. We use our Dodge caravan for a driver, but when that breaks down, it usually means a tow home for repair. At least when the older cars broke down, usually you could at least limp them to a place to get fixed or get them home to fix them yourself. The fuel pump went in my old Caravan twice, end each time I had almost a full tank of gas and had to be towed home. The electric pump on those is located in the tank, and costs around $100. Not a pleasant thing to have to do. At least that was something I can do myself. It was a little tricky figuring it out, though. The second time I knew what it was. :af:
My daughter's 2000 Cougar was hesitating every now and then this past summer. She took it to the dealer and they said the fuel pressure was low and the pump need replacing at their cost of $350. So I bought one for $90 and was going to put it in but then the cold weather came and the car is running fine since I put some Redline injector cleaner in. My point: who knows if the pump is or was bad. Typical dealer shenanigans? Bruce
I don't trust car dealers. Never did, never will. Especially after working as a mechanic at a few of them in the past. Things may have changed a little over the years, but at one foreign car dealer (whose name I will not mention) I worked at, the motto was "rape 'em". They were charging $50 for a radiator flush and all we did was drain and refill. There wasn't even a garden hose on the premises! I left after only working there a short time. Besides, the 13 hour days I had to work for the 3 day work week were killing me. :jd:
