Tell me about your crappy first car!

[Kevin]

You know it just occurred to me that I've never owned a car that was less than 7 years old.

89 Geo Metro LSi (April 96 - Sept 03)
88 Honda Civic (Sept 03 - April 06. OK had it longer, till July 09 actually, but April 06 was the last time it moved under it's own power.)
92 Subaru Legacy Wagon (July 09 - Sept 09, 5 weeks before it caught fire while I was driving it and it was totaled and not covered by insurance)
02 Ford Taurus SES (Oct 09 to present)

The Taurus is the only vehicle that I owned during the same decade it was made. Ah well some day I might get an actual new car. I started late though since I was 21 when I got my first car. I guess there have been 6 years since I moved out from my parents in Aug of 93 that I haven't had a working vehicle at all. Since my parents only ever had one car and I had two older brothers I rarely drove theirs either, but I did get to borrow grandparents vehicles now and then.

I will say I like my Taurus. Gas mileage sucks from what I'm used to at barely over 30 highway the last few long trips, I shouldn't get excited about breaking 30 that should be the min, but it's usually in the 26-28 range highway and 20 or so in town but it's a solid vehicle and the sunroof is a bonus. It's at 152K miles now (only 20K from me) and not showing any issues. Bluebook value on it still lists it as worth more than what I paid for it too.

[kandrathe]

You know it just occurred to me that I've never owned a car that was less than 7 years old...

Ah well some day I might get an actual new car. ...

Unless I can afford to burn money, or they are giving them away cheaper than used, I'll never buy a "new" car again. There are plenty of slightly used cars that you can get for half the cost of a new car.

Looking at a concrete example, this is a popular Ford model getting 23/33 mpg (Kelly Blue Book, 4cyl, sedan, automatic) ;
2010 Ford Fusion SE w/26,500 miles = $16,633 (5 yr cost = $28,795 )
2011 Ford Fusion SE new = $24,686 (5 yr cost = $41,982)
2012 Ford Fusion SE new = $23,212 (5 yr cost = $39,428)

Beyond the $6579 in price, essentially would save yourself the ~$8000 in depreciation, and the $960 difference financing the additional $6579 (est. $3390-$2430). The total cost difference in this example, between new, and one year old is $6579 in the price, plus about $10,633 in cost over 5 years. I can find something else to do with the $17,000 ($3400/year if I had it).

Another way to look at it is a 5 year $/mile, assuming this vehicle will be driven 30,000 miles per year for 5 years, then sold for 1/2 the purchase price. The 2010 model ($28,795 + ($16,633 /2) ) / 150K miles = 24.7 cents per mile, and the 2012 model is 34.0 cents per mile. (edit: I reworked this from a 10 year lifetime model, since I didn't have costs (repairs, etc.) for years 6-10 calculated into the formula. Resale at about 1/2 is reasonable since value becomes more based on utility i.e. usable miles. A spot check on a 2006 Ford Fusion SE w/92K miles shows about $9,600).

Unless the new car had some compelling feature that I absolutely needed, I'd go for the slightly used car at let someone else pay for the first year depreciation, higher insurance rates, and initial new car taxes.

[Kevin]

You know it just occurred to me that I've never owned a car that was less than 7 years old...

Ah well some day I might get an actual new car. ...

Unless I can afford to burn money, or they are giving them away cheaper than used, I'll never buy a "new" car again. There are plenty of slightly used cars that you can get for half the cost of a new car.

Unless the new car had some compelling feature that I absolutely needed, I'd go for the slightly used car at let someone else pay for the first year depreciation, higher insurance rates, and initial new car taxes.

Oh I know, but I think it's more of one of those wish fulfillment things really.

I've also never spent more than $3000 on the initial purchase price of a car either, which shouldn't be surprising when you look at the four vehicles I've owned. Of course I've also never come anywhere close to 30,000 miles in a year either. I've broken 20K in a year couple of times (twice I think). I'm at 30K on the Taurus in 2 years and I drive it more than I've driven most cars in the past. This year I've made four 1600 - 1800 mile round trips and three 800 - 1000 mile round trips and I've got at least one more of each of this happening this year I think. but if I don't make one of those trips it gets 200 - 300 miles a month. So whatever I get and resell will be a low mileage vehicle, unless my driving habits change a lot (which is possible).

But again it's more a wish fulfillment thing.

[kandrathe]

But again it's more a wish fulfillment thing.

You should just set your wishes higher!

I wish someone would just outright give me a convertible Maserati GranCabrio Sport. I'd try to figure out how to pay for the insurance...

[ShadowHM]

I wish someone would just outright give me a convertible Maserati GranCabrio Sport. I'd try to figure out how to pay for the insurance...

I have sons who drive my car....

And you have a pricing model for car insurance that is vastly cheaper for car insurance than we Ontarians pay for young new drivers.

I think I would be requesting borrowing rights rather than ownership...

[DeeBye]

Where is the snow in the picture? And am I correct that the silver car next to yours is missing its windshield? Normally in this country they break the side windows.

We have a few days here and there without snow I took that picture back in the spring.

My neighbour's car does have an intact windshield. It's just a shadow from a tree overhead that makes it look weird.

---

Unless I can afford to burn money, or they are giving them away cheaper than used, I'll never buy a "new" car again. There are plenty of slightly used cars that you can get for half the cost of a new car.

We did this for my wife's car. We bought a pre-owned 2008 in that year for half the sticker price of a new car. As far as we were concerned it was still "new".

---

I was born the same year my first car rolled off the assembly line.



1979 Dodge Aspen Station Wagon "Woody"

If we were having a "post your ugly car" competition, I think you win!

[Bun-Bun]

If we were having a "post your ugly car" competition, I think you win!

I think not.

[DeeBye]

I think not.

Wow, that certainly is ... something!

[Bun-Bun]

I think not.

Wow, that certainly is ... something!

Yep. It's paid for.

[kandrathe]

If we were having a "post your ugly car" competition, I think you win!

I think not.

Buick Special -- only think sun faded and covered with rusty spots.


The Nash Rambler....


But, I also had the Shoju's wagon, same year, only a Ford model. Mom had hit a deer, and crumpled the hood, and Dad had replaced it with the primer only rust colored one. The rest was powder blue.

[DeeBye]

But, I also had the Shoju's wagon, same year, only a Ford model. Mom had hit a deer, and crumpled the hood, and Dad had replaced it with the primer only rust colored one. The rest was powder blue.

My mom's all-time favourite car was a late '70's Ford wagon very similar to that one, only it was brown and didn't have the fake wood paneling. The thing I most remember about it was that the back window could be opened and closed by pushing a button on the dash. She would often volunteer to cart kids around to various school field trips because you could pack about 20 small people in there (seatbelts? heh).

The radio never worked unless my mom smacked the dashboard in just the right place. Only my mom knew the exact place to hit the dashboard. She was like Fonzie.

[Tris]

First "really" my car, car...

2009 Toyota Camry I-4 .... at less than 31K miles, got alternator problems and check engine light is now on. Feels like it's a GM

[Maitre]

I really like my current car. My old 1987 Toyota Camry died in the spring (man I loved that car), and I found a 2003 Oldsmobile Alero Coupe at a dealer.

My first car was the spiritual predecessor to your current ride: the 1992 Olds Cutlass Supreme S coupe. Mine was purchased (I went in halfsies with my parents) in 1998 with 75K miles. I drove it through college and got it up to 130K before saying good-bye. Before the end, I had the alternator go bad, twice, the transmission commit suicide, the dashboard display (digital spedometer, gas level, milage, etc) become unreadable, and the driver side window (power of course) reach a point where it could not open more than 4 inches.

After I graduated in 2000 and got a real job, I saved a bit, then blew it all on my '98 Mazda Protege some time in 2001. I loved that little sedan. It's respectable power-to-weight ratio made it quite responsive and fun to drive, and it got me back and forth through the I95 corridor on the US east coast frequently enough to turn my long distance relationship with my college girlfriend into my marriage. I miss that car. While my current ride (the 2007 Honda Odyssey) has a reasonable power-to-weight ratio, it's nothing like the Protege. On the plus side though, the Odyssey's second row seats are so far back, the kids can't kick the back of my seat while driving...

I guess that's a plus... right?

[DeeBye]

My first car was the spiritual predecessor to your current ride: the 1992 Olds Cutlass Supreme S coupe. Mine was purchased (I went in halfsies with my parents) in 1998 with 75K miles. I drove it through college and got it up to 130K before saying good-bye. Before the end, I had the alternator go bad, twice, the transmission commit suicide, the dashboard display (digital spedometer, gas level, milage, etc) become unreadable, and the driver side window (power of course) reach a point where it could not open more than 4 inches.

Hopefully my Alero is more reliable than your old Cutlass. So far, so good. I've had it for 7 months and I haven't had a problem with it yet. It's a really fun car to drive too. I missed owning a car with a manual transmission. I think my wife secretly gets jealous and wants to drive my car, but she can't drive a manual and has thus far refused all of my offers to teach her.

[Maitre]

Hopefully my Alero is more reliable than your old Cutlass. So far, so good. I've had it for 7 months and I haven't had a problem with it yet. It's a really fun car to drive too. I missed owning a car with a manual transmission. I think my wife secretly gets jealous and wants to drive my car, but she can't drive a manual and has thus far refused all of my offers to teach her.

I can't imagine that you treat yours as poorly as I treated mine. It lasted me about 5 years in total, and got me back and forth from school whenever I needed it to. I just couldn't trust it during the middle of the semester: that was always the time when something would go bad. My favorite was the transmission failure though: it was explained to me that one of the "gear sets" broke free of [something-or-other] and the resulting debris acted as a fragmentation grenade in an enclosed space. A suitably non-technical yet graphic explanation that served to convice me that the poor thing was just looking for a way out of whatever pain it was in. Unfortunately I wasn't ready to let it go, and so I paid the mechanic to bring it back to life.

[shoju]

If you thought my first car was bad.....



This was my second car. Only take that white paint job down the metal around the wheel wells, roof, and hood in a very spotty "sand blasted" type of way.

[eppie]

If you thought my first car was bad.....



This was my second car. Only take that white paint job down the metal around the wheel wells, roof, and hood in a very spotty "sand blasted" type of way.

I like how you cut off the top of that bush just so that it would fit in the picture.

[NuurAbSaal]

If you thought my first car was bad.....



This was my second car. Only take that white paint job down the metal around the wheel wells, roof, and hood in a very spotty "sand blasted" type of way.

I like how you cut off the top of that bush just so that it would fit in the picture.

[DeeBye]

I like how you cut off the top of that bush just so that it would fit in the picture.

Who the hell trims a bush that way anyhow? Is that flattop a preferable look to something more round and organic?

edit: I'm talking about that cedar bush you perverts

[NuurAbSaal]

I like how you cut off the top of that bush just so that it would fit in the picture.

Who the hell trims a bush that way anyhow? Is that flattop a preferable look to something more round and organic?

edit: I'm talking about that cedar bush you perverts

Right. What gave me away?

take care
Tarbulus