Shopping for a car

robin416 said:
I did. Or was thinking it was road grime. If you live in the country, that's part of a vehicle's look. That's why I've been so confused about @hollydolly's comments about its appearance.
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I guess knowing where the pic was taken and that it had a lot of maple trees there made me assume others could see the reflected trees.
 
You make a good point @StarSong that we all may have a different purpose in mind when thinking about getting a new (or Newer) vehicle. I'm also thinking I want to get something newer than my old, reliable, ho-hum 2015 Honda Civic Coupe. It's still rock solid and has cost me nothing more than oil changes and regular maintenance since I bought it almost new in 2015.
I'm getting to the point in my life where I want something completely impractical but super fun to drive. I have no responsiblilties to anyone other than myself and I guess I wanna have one last driving fling in my life before I have to turn in my keys or at least go with something else boring but functional. If I do this, it will be this spring sometime and I expect it'll be something I'll own only for a year or two ... maybe 3? This doesn't mean that my choice would be right for someone else though.

I would tend to agree with others that have said Deb should lookk into cost of repairs for her current vehicle and just go that route. I wish her the best of luck in making the choice that's right for her (y)
 
robin416 said:
Yeah, you should see my truck right now. It's yellow although it's actually brown. Oak and pine pollen has covered everything.
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At least that will wash off. Here we get a lot of salt build-up over the winter on cars which is probably why I have corrosion. The Honda place gave me a complimentary car wash and that pepped up the appearance a lot. It was starting to look like a grayish-white car.
 
My only interest is your safety Deb. Beat up and old? So am I! Wish I could trade most of me in for a newer model!

It’s hard for you to give up what you cherish. That’s not a fault. It’s just you.

My mother didn’t want old stuff. She was desperately poor as a kid. The new stuff didn’t have to be expensive. It just had to be new.

She would sneakily throw out old stuff that I wanted to keep. That’s a whole other story.

Just be safe.
 
robin416 said:
I did. Or was thinking it was road grime. If you live in the country, that's part of a vehicle's look. That's why I've been so confused about @hollydolly's comments about its appearance.
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the car is filthy, it's also badly scratched, she's posted other pictures of it in the past. She doesn't live in the country, so no need for that mess..... whereas I do..... and my car is immaculate
 
Pepper said:
My only interest is your safety Deb. Beat up and old? So am I! Wish I could trade most of me in for a newer model!

It’s hard for you to give up what you cherish. That’s not a fault. It’s just you.

My mother didn’t want old stuff. She was desperately poor as a kid. The new stuff didn’t have to be expensive. It just had to be new.

She would sneakily throw out old stuff that I wanted to keep. That’s a whole other story.

Just be safe.
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I can't believe the trauma I went through just buying a new dryer. 🙄 It's a hard decision because maybe a repair man could fix it and it will last a few more years......and it's solid compared to new appliances. In the end there is a brand new washer and dryer in my house and I'm happy. I know it's not going to last like the others but that's the way of the world.
 
Until a year ago, I was driving an 18-year-old Toyota Corolla. It Had 61K miles on it and everything still worked. My plan was to keep it but then I decided that many people have to quit driving in their early 80s and since I only drive about three – 4K miles a year if I wanted a new car, I should get it since I was only 71 and that’s what I did.

I’m really enjoying the car. I also am enjoying the new safety features such as the backup camera. I decided I might as well spend some of my money because my kids will certainly spend it if I don’t.
 
debodun said:
With the exception of the very first car I bought, I've paid cash for all my cars. Dealers don't like that. They want you to finance it through them.
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I found that out last year, buying DW's Subaru. I ended up paying it off a couple months later. But what a hassle, if I buy from a dealer again it's either cash or I walk out the door.
 
debodun said:
I took pics of my car in a different place with no trees above and on an overcast day.

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Looks pretty good to me for a 24 year old car. If you're happy with it, Deb, and your main concern is having it nickel and dime you to death, why not take it to a local (or even not so local) mechanic shop that has a good reputation, pay them to give it a once-over, find out what it needs or is likely to need soon, and what that will cost.

Then you can weigh the pros and cons of keeping the car versus trading up to something newer.
 
Funny story about driving a banged up car... DD sideswiped a parked car when she about 19. The passenger side was a mess but the rest of the car looked fine! Our insurance company paid to repair the car she hit but considered hers a total loss, so paid us for it.

I called the insurance company with the offer to pay the salvage amount and keep the car. At first they refused, saying I couldn't do that. So I called California Insurance Commission and learned I did indeed have the right to do so. Called the insurance company back and threatened to turn them over to the commission, and suddenly they decided we had the right to keep the car for salvage price. $250-ish. The car was about 6 years old at that time.

It was perfectly safe to drive and mechanically sound, it just looked a mess from one side. Her boyfriend dubbed the car, "the mangled beast" and the name stuck from that day forward.

D drove that car throughout college. When she started her career a few years later, she upgraded to a non-mangled vehicle. DH & I sold the salvage-titled beast for the same $250 we paid the insurance company for it.
 
debodun said:
I did see a splot on the garage floor this morning that looks like it's just in front of the left rear tire.

If there was a leak, my dad would have just wrapped some duct tape around it.
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Now we know where your procrastination comes from. The splot in front of the left rear tire makes no sense. If it was to the front inside of the tire more than likely that is brake fluid. Or the splot was there before & you have parked your car a little differently. Either way test it to see if it has an oily feel to it. If it has an oily feel to it & has a semi sweet smell your brake line needing replace just became real.
By now I think you have enough input to decide what you are going to do.
Don't keep us in suspense. What is your decision?
 
We bought a used 2021 Toyota Corolla Hybrid that had 33k miles on it. I saw ads for ones with 120k, 130k, 150k miles so I am hoping this is the last car I will need to buy. It's getting almost 60mpg. Its small but so far (2 years) its been a great vehicle.
 
debodun said:
I took pics of my car in a different place with no trees above and on an overcast day.

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Deb, I truly see no reason why you don't keep the car. It runs, it looks pretty good, and if you like it, do what you want. Do not worry for one second about what other people think of it. Now, if getting a new, technologically up-to-date car gives you a thrill, do it. It will be a safer ride, that's for sure. My Subaru had tons of this and that on it, and I liked it, even though I never even glanced at the owner's manual. Somehow I figured stuff out and what I didn't know, didn't hurt me.

I would consider getting some blind spot mirrors that stick on your side mirrors.

My car is a 2004 Honda CRV, 108K miles on it. Yeah, it's not going to win any beauty contests, and I just spent $3K getting things fixed (a lot more expensive here than in PA), but I'm fine with it. It's not worth it to me to buy a brand new car with the latest Subaru tech on it, even though I love that stuff. This car has belonged to 3 generations of women in my immediate family. It stays. I consider it to be an heirloom.

I remember when my stepmother was driving a 19 year old car which she *loved with a passion*. My dad said, nope, too old and bought her a new car. She was not happy, and I don't blame her. She's an adult and if she wanted to keep her car, that was her business only.
 
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