My car's busted- what's my next step?

[JAMIESMITH]

No, they don't make them like the old ones anymore...and thank heavens for that. New cars are so far superior to old ones in just about every possible way.

We will have to agree to disagree on that point.

 

[tvguy]

We will have to agree to disagree on that point.

LOL.
Lee Iaccoca in his book Iacocca talked about how folks in the 1950's-60's and 70's almost HAD to trade in a car every 3 years because of quality.
The influx of Japanese cars changed that, in kind of an odd way. Toyota and Datsun in the 1970's introduced cars build out of plastic and cardboard, when American Automakers were still us using steel and cast iron. Funny thing is, the plastic and cardboard seemed to hold up just fine

 

[JAMIESMITH]

LOL.
Lee Iaccoca in his book Iacocca talked about how folks in the 1950's-60's and 70's almost HAD to trade in a car every 3 years because of quality.
The influx of Japanese cars changed that, in kind of an odd way. Toyota and Datsun in the 1970's introduced cars build out of plastic and cardboard, when American Automakers were still us using steel and cast iron. Funny thing is, the plastic and cardboard seemed to hold up just fine

My problem with newer cars is all the unnecessary electronics. I want simple designs that are less likely to have problems (manual windows, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, less sensors,etc). My first car was a Datsun. Wonderful car!

 

[tvguy]

My problem with newer cars is all the unnecessary electronics. I want simple designs that are less likely to have problems (manual windows, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, less sensors,etc). My first car was a Datsun. Wonderful car!

I get it. Only one of cars has ABS, and that needed repairs when the ABS light came on. Then the air bag light came on, that needed repair (while under warranty). Then the power lock on one door failed.

But we live in a world of disposable products with lots of electronics. My heat pump is 27 years old and we are nursing it along. The HVAC tech says even the best current heat pump won't last more than 15 years, because the electronics will fail and likely won't even be available if I want to replace them.

 

[JKalai]

I know everyone here hates on Carmax, but if you go through them GET THE WARRANTY.

There was a guy on Reddit that bought the most unreliable car ever made (a Land Rover IIRC), and they covered it every single time with no questions asked. Ended up costing upwards of $20,000 of repairs.

 

[Klayfish]

My problem with newer cars is all the unnecessary electronics. I want simple designs that are less likely to have problems (manual windows, manual transmission, rear wheel drive, less sensors,etc). My first car was a Datsun. Wonderful car!

And that's fine, you may not LIKE power windows and sensors, but modern cars are far more reliable, far safer, far more efficient, etc...than an old Datsun. Yes, of course, when a car is packed full of gadgets, things can break. There's a very good reason manufacturers give 100k mile powertrain warranties as compared to the days of Datsun (Nissan pulled the plug over 30 years ago) when warranties were extremely short. The manual transmission of the Fox body Mustang is a joke compared to the manual transmission offered in todays' Mustang...by the way, I love your appreciation of manual transmissions...I've ALWAYS had a manual trans car, even my daily driver now is a stick, despite having a 60 mile each way commute of which half is in heavy rush hour traffic.

Don't get me wrong, I love old cars...I'm a car nut through and through. But cars from years past simply don't hold a candle to modern ones from the standpoints I mentioned above.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

Do NOT buy a used rental car. Trust me, these things are abused! (I drove them for years, my coworkers and I did not treat them well and the major rental car companies "review" of each return is "wash it and return it to the line". )

Personally we had good experiences with CarMax and I would use them again. I did not find them higher priced and I am OVER having salesman chase me around a dealership trying to sell me some piece of junke on the push list!

 

[tvguy]

Do NOT buy a used rental car. Trust me, these things are abused! (I drove them for years, my coworkers and I did not treat them well and the major rental car companies "review" of each return is "wash it and return it to the line". )

Personally we had good experiences with CarMax and I would use them again. I did not find them higher priced and I am OVER having salesman chase me around a dealership trying to sell me some piece of junke on the push list!

I respectfully disagree as a former rental company employee, and owner of 2 former rentals cars. Those "certified" used cars at dealers are almost all lease and rental returns. Those are the cars sold as the cream of the used car crop and backed by warranties by the auto makers.

 

[elgerber]

Do NOT buy a used rental car. Trust me, these things are abused! (I drove them for years, my coworkers and I did not treat them well and the major rental car companies "review" of each return is "wash it and return it to the line". )

Personally we had good experiences with CarMax and I would use them again. I did not find them higher priced and I am OVER having salesman chase me around a dealership trying to sell me some piece of junke on the push list!

My husband bought a used rental car, and drove it for 5 years and never had a single problem with it. And he drives a ton of miles.

 

[kymom99]

I respectfully disagree as a former rental company employee, and owner of 2 former rentals cars. Those "certified" used cars at dealers are almost all lease and rental returns. Those are the cars sold as the cream of the used car crop and backed by warranties by the auto makers.

I'll back you up on that. The certified used car I bought 6 years ago was a rental. Less than 1 year old and 7700 miles. Not sure if that is typical, but the dealer had a bunch of them on the lot. I got the remainder of the manufacturer warranty plus 100k for it being certified. Six years and no problems.

 

[Southernmiss]

I'll back you up on that. The certified used car I bought 6 years ago was a rental. Less than 1 year old and 7700 miles. Not sure if that is typical, but the dealer had a bunch of them on the lot. I got the remainder of the manufacturer warranty plus 100k for it being certified. Six years and no problems.

Our last 2 vans have been former rentals. The first van was a Dodge-traded it in at 147,000 miles December of 2008 due to transmission issues for a former rental 2008 Toyota Sienna. I am still driving the Sienna and I just realized it's at 147,000 miles now. I have no plans of getting rid of the Sienna. It's been a well built, reliable auto and I expect to get close to 147,000 more miles out of it.

 

[JAMIESMITH]

I get it. Only one of cars has ABS, and that needed repairs when the ABS light came on. Then the air bag light came on, that needed repair (while under warranty). Then the power lock on one door failed.

But we live in a world of disposable products with lots of electronics. My heat pump is 27 years old and we are nursing it along. The HVAC tech says even the best current heat pump won't last more than 15 years, because the electronics will fail and likely won't even be available if I want to replace them.

Exactly! The problem is that all our disposable products are so expensive! The average family does well to get them paid for before it’s time to buy again.

 

[tvguy]

Exactly! The problem is that all our disposable products are so expensive! The average family does well to get them paid for before it’s time to buy again.

The average person keeps a car 11.5 years, so I should HOPE they have years of no car payments between purchases. That average does make sense because you have wacko people like me that have had cars 30+ years, and other folks who lease a new car every 2 years. And you don't have to spend $33,000 ($33,560 is the average price) on a new car when you can buy say, a 2016 Toyota Corolla with 22,000 miles on it for $16,000. You just have to be smart with your shopping.

 

[GMG_3]

My suggestion is to go buy a 2002-2006 Toyota Corolla for $4000-6000 with less than 100k miles.

You can put another 100-200k if you needed to and no expensive repairs. Pay cash and then pay off your husbands car. Save money and upgrade your car or go to Disney world instead.



I drive 45k miles a year so I churn through cars. Current car is 2011 Honda Civic with 265k. Hopefully get another 100k

 

[tvguy]

I drive 45k miles a year so I churn through cars. Current car is 2011 Honda Civic with 265k. Hopefully get another 100k

Yow, that averages out to your car moving at 5 mph 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! Your insurance and gas bills must staggering.

 

[GMG_3]

Yow, that averages out to your car moving at 5 mph 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! Your insurance and gas bills must staggering.

Not to mention garden state parkway and jersey turnpike tolls!

Have considered putting all these on a Disney credit card.

 

[tvguy]

Not to mention garden state parkway and jersey turnpike tolls!

Have considered putting all these on a Disney credit card.

My driving gets spread over 4 cars. People feel sorry when I put $80 of gas in my Suburban, but it only gets 3,000 miles a year so a tank of gas lasts 2 months.

 

[Fleuristic]

Since your current car is a Chevrolet Aveo and your price range is around 16k might I recommend a used Chevrolet Volt? They are rock solid and probably have more space than the Aveo. Mine is a 2013 with 90,000 miles on it and not a single problem. They can be had for less than the budget you listed. I've seen several with over 400,000 miles on the odometer with only things like hub bearings and tires needing replacement.