Bought a new car

[Bamaman]

We just about never see any rusted out vehicles. There again, we seldom see any snow, and are just in an ice belt. When there's black ice, we go no where.

I once worked in North Dakota one winter week. Easy to understand why so many of the farmers (not raising livestock) head for Florida for Winter.

Our cars easily last 15 years and 200K miles which makes living in the South a value.

 

[CRLLS]

The Lotus Super 7 is my favorite of all times. They simply have never been outclassed in SCCA racing in its class.

Is yours a Lotus? Or, Caterham? Or, other replica? What engine's it got?

I have wanted a Lotus 7 ever since seeing one in the mid sixties. But..... I am frugal. I didn't want to spend the $$ on such a frivolous toy. So I built it from scratch for <1/4 the cost (and a lot of elbow grease). It is based loosely on a book from the UK, with help from a web-site called Locostusa.com. It has a Wankel engine, drivetrain and other misc stuff from a 1990 Mazda RX-7. I built it for street use. 160+HP in a 1400# car makes it a fun toy.

Thanks for recognizing it.

 

[CRLLS]

Ah, those were the days. We had a 72 Pinto and were pretty smug that we didn't have a Vega with it's oil eating habits....until Pintos started exploding upon rear impact! .......

The Vega vs Pinto rivalry was quite the thing back then. I purchased a 2yr old used Vega. It had heater core leaks, burned oil, and had rust holes when I bought it. I quickly upgraded to a brand new '73 Pinto, my 1st new car. I paid $2,650 out the door for a fully equipped Pinto hatchback. Those were the days. However, the bottom of the doors rusted out by 1978 thanks to Illinois' salted roads. I never was worried about a fire, even when running into that cement truck!

 

[brett]

I read the owners manual, specifically the recommended maintenance schedule.

I pay particular attention to changing all fluids at or before the recommended intervals. Oil, transmission, brake, power steering, radiator, etc. In the case of the radiator I use the manufacturer's suggested brand not the popular one size fits all brand. Same with items such as brake shoes.

So far, so good. I believe this strategy has paid dividends over the years, served to reduce my overall cost of mtce, and extending the life of my vehicle.

 

[Dawg52]

I am sure my 2012 Toyota is good for at least 8-10 more years, but, realizing that I am not getting any younger, I am starting to think that replacing it in 2-3 years with a car that has things they help me avoid getting into accidents would be a good idea.

I'm with you. My 2013 Hyundai has a little over 50k miles and I'm sure I could drive it another 7-8 years, but I won't. I'll probably keep it another 2-3 years and buy something else. As you say....not getting any younger and I prefer a newer car for road trips. Why not enjoy my money instead of just stock piling more for my nephews.

Another observation is that the other drivers seem crazier every year. Could it be me? Surely not.

That does seem to be the case. Seems like every time I drive home there is some car right on my a$$. The speed limit on one street is 35 and I always travel at 40. So it's not like I'm poking like some 'old' person I sometimes get behind.

 

[Teacher Terry]

We hate spending $ on cars so keep them until they are dead or too expensive to repair. I had my volvo and a saturn 14 years with 178 & 147 miles on them.

 

[Bamaman]

I have wanted a Lotus 7 ever since seeing one in the mid sixties. But..... I am frugal. I didn't want to spend the $$ on such a frivolous toy. So I built it from scratch for <1/4 the cost (and a lot of elbow grease). It is based loosely on a book from the UK, with help from a web-site called Locostusa.com. It has a Wankel engine, drivetrain and other misc stuff from a 1990 Mazda RX-7. I built it for street use. 160+HP in a 1400# car makes it a fun toy.

Now that looks like a great car. I was looking online yesterday at the new Caterhams, and the Haybusta version is incredibly fast. I too was a RX7 owner for 20 years, and mine was bulletproof. Your later model rotary engine would be perfect for such a light car.

We recently went through the best Lotus car collection in the U.S. at the Barber Motorsports race track in Birmingham. The curator of the motorcars took us through the whole project, including 1500 motorcycles in warehouses. It's worthwhile visiting if you ever get in the area.

 

[travelover]

A garage can make rusting worse. It's warmer, so the snow/ice/salt melts and is more active............

As a lad I had a Karmann Ghia convertible and felt so lucky to rent an apartment that had a garage in half the basement, so it was very warm. After about 2 winters the Ghia turned to dust.

 

[racy]

60 years old and looking at your "last car"? Nonsense, you'll have at least one more if not two or three.

Look at the features that are common in cars today that were not even imagined ten years ago. The one thing you can expect is that the rate of change will increase, so a typical car ten years from now may make anything you buy now seem primitive in comparison.

Just a simple example: ten years ago a backup camera was really rare. Today I couldn't imagine buying a car without one, and you won't even be allowed to buy one without it come 2018.

Your next car may even drive itself!

Ric Edelman made the same point recently on his radio show. Said that he just leased his first car ever; that up until now he'd always recommended buying. His reason was the fast technological changes happening with autos. Said that we'd be treating cars like cell phones; have to upgrade every couple of years to keep up.

I'm not sure I completely agree, but it was interesting I thought.

 

[REWahoo]

60 years old and looking at your "last car"? Nonsense, you'll have at least one more if not two or three.

+1

Just prior to retiring at age 62 my dad purchased what he called his "last car."

Turns out it didn't last him 28 years and he purchased three more "last cars."

 

[cj]

The Vega vs Pinto rivalry was quite the thing back then. I purchased a 2yr old used Vega. It had heater core leaks, burned oil, and had rust holes when I bought it. I quickly upgraded to a brand new '73 Pinto, my 1st new car. I paid $2,650 out the door for a fully equipped Pinto hatchback. Those were the days. However, the bottom of the doors rusted out by 1978 thanks to Illinois' salted roads. I never was worried about a fire, even when running into that cement truck!

Oh, how I loved my Pintos!! At the age of 20, bought my first new car, a 1975 yuck-green Pinto. Loved it! When it was 3 years old, 15K miles on it, some drunk in a big boat car ( I think it was a Lincoln) smashed it to bits. It was parked in front of my apartment. His car was hardly damaged. So I took the insurance money and ran out and bought another new one - a bright red hatchback which I had for 8 years. It was the greatest! I had my dad and grandfather put an ah-ooo-ga horn on it. It's the one car I would love to have back (in its original condition)!

 

[imoldernu]

At age 80, we're looking at the new Bentley Continental Supersport.

Maybe we can't take it with us, but it's gonna take a lot to catch up with us.

 

[Meadbh]

At age 80, we're looking at the new Bentley Continental Supersport.

Maybe we can't take it with us, but it's gonna take a lot to catch up with us.

I hope you're joking! Nice car, but £200K?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/cars/ben...0bhp-209mph-continental-supersports-powerful/

 

[Walt34]

At age 80, we're looking at the new Bentley Continental Supersport.

Maybe we can't take it with us, but it's gonna take a lot to catch up with us.

Yeah, I was reading an article about that one this morning. (Drool.)

 

[Hermit]

2017 Chevy Equinox

Large enough for when we pick up the grandchildren (3) yet small enough for our primary driving needs and gas mileage.

CRLLS - I live in Michigan with heavily salted winter roads. Cars are pretty good these days. The 2004 that I gave to my daughter is still pretty solid with no visible rust.

Braumeister - You are correct that the new cars will advance, however, I don't think the main function of getting from point A to point B will change all that much. I think my age (under 60) will have more to do with needing a newer car than the change in technology. I sure hope I outlive this car, but at 65 to 70, I'm not sure what my needs or options would be when that happens.

I think I need to get out my cane and wack you one for even suggesting 65 to 70 even might be too old for a new car. Or maybe I'll let the 80 year old I ski with wack you with one of his ski poles! (JK)

 

[Jerry1]

I think I need to get out my cane and wack you one for even suggesting 65 to 70 even might be too old for a new car. Or maybe I'll let the 80 year old I ski with wack you with one of his ski poles! (JK)

I hope I have the money to buy a new car when I'm 70. Even more I hope I'm healthy enough to need/want/be able to use a new car. My expectation is, however, that my retirement will be on the frugal side and spending money for a new car is not likely to ever be in the budget again. I'm perfectly fine with that as I would rather RE than drive a new car.