When to Buy a "New" Car if Driving a High Mileage Old One?

[kyphysics]

So, sure enough, three months later, there stood the emptied spaghetti in the passenger door jam. I didn't give a F*&%. Hence, the Plymouth Duster was subsequently dubbed, the "Spaghetti-mobile." It's a true story, I swear. My dad thought that was the funniest thing in the world. So much so that, about a year later, he had a similar incident, and in the spirit of defiance for a self-imposed idiotic act, decided not to clean up a similar "take out" catastrophe he created in his car.

I wasn't there to witness his incident so I can't speak to it, but I believe him.

heh heh

Y'all be crazy.

Thing is...a smelly, nasty car won't be possible if/when I get married. I doubt any spouse puts up with that!

edit: Just this week I found 10-day old french fries in my passenger side floor. Forgot I dropped some earlier... :) With the weather so humid and hot now, rotting food can get super gross.

 

[kyphysics]

Do those driving really old cars think new safety features are worth getting a new car?

Not sure which ones you're thinking of, but I can't think of any off the top of my head that would make me that much safer.

I do all the driving school taught stuff. Buckle up. Look both ways. Check my blind spot, etc. etc. It's led to me being in only one accident where it was my fault. And tha'ts because I was eating and driving and braked too late. Head was down a second too long to eat my Taco Bell burrito and left me with not enough response time. Very very very thankfully that was a minor accident as I wasn't going very fast. Just the thought of it scares me when I replay it in my mind.

But, yeah, other than that incident, I've not had any accidents that were my fault just from using good driving habits.

 

[Mark44]

Last oil change they told me I needed to replace the oil pan

What goes wrong with an oil pan ?

Something like oil is collecting in it.

Oil is supposed to collect in the oil pan, but if "something like oil" is collecting there, that's not the fault of the oil pan, unless it has a hole in it and something besides oil is getting in. There's not much that can go wrong with an oil pan, short of it being punctured or bent so that it doesn't make a good seal with the underside of the engine block, or the threads of the hole for the drain plug being stripped.

 

[Vanadium 50]

you have to get a SAFETY CHECK

Not a safety check! The fiends!

 

[Mark44]

Not only that, but in MA, if you buy a car from guy across the street, guess what, You got to get BRAND NEW LICENSE PLATES if you want to be street legal. What a fu#%$ng scam. So, by the time I walked out of the registration office, I was $500 into it over the initial $1700.

As I recall, you formerly lived in Seattle. Washington does the same as you describe, although you don't have to get a safety check. The way people drive in Boston, a safety check is probably a good idea.

It won't be long before you get why MA is also called "Taxachusetts."

 

[DS2C]

My 06 Tundra has 216,000 miles on it and looks and runs brand new. I would sell my mother before I sold my truck. Take care of your ride and it will last a very long time. Unless it's a Dodge...

 

[vela]

Do those driving really old cars think new safety features are worth getting a new car?

By themselves, I wouldn't say they're worth getting a new car, but there's been many more advances in technology. Things like keyless ignition and heated seats are standard features on many models now, and they make a big difference. Bluetooth and a USB port are really convenient to have. My elderly mom loves having the backup camera, the blind spot monitor, and the rear cross-traffic alert in her car. Depending on what your current car has, you might find the overall upgrade enticing even though no one feature is a must-have.

Not sure which ones you're thinking of, but I can't think of any off the top of my head that would make me that much safer.

Ideally, one is already a safe driver. Many of the new features make it easier to be a safe driver. Some features, like side-impact air bags, will make it safer for occupants in the car in case of an accident. The best driving habits in the world won't protect you from the idiot who runs a red light and t-bones your car in the middle of an intersection.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

The best driving habits in the world won't protect you from the idiot who runs a red light and t-bones your car in the middle of an intersection.

I try and peek both sides when approaching an intersection when I have green. I suppose at a fast enough speed it wouldn't make a difference. I also do not gun the light when it changes green and look both ways before I go. I see people speeding through an early red every day here.

 

[mathwonk]

greg makes a good point about safety in #22. the only reason i can think of to get a new car if yours is still running is if your old car does not have an airbag. that could save your life or that of your loved ones. i had to replace my 1985 honda civic after 350 thousand miles when it was hit from behind and my mechanic got tired of working on it. if you change oil every 3-5,000 miles a honda used to last easily 200,000 miles and more.

otherwise, make a chart. tires go 30-40 thou or more, brakes go about 30 thou, you need a clutch every so often, etc... None of these are remotely as costly as a new car. when the cylinders need replacing or the engine, then you might think about it. but air conditioners fail quickly in an old honda and you might have sensitive passengers. honda civics were also notoriously unsafe in an accident, beause they were small.

cars have attributes roughly of safety, economy of operation, reliability, initial cost, comfort, handling, and looks. decide what matters to you. with a new car you may gain in comfort, looks, reliability, but lose big in initial cost. it's mostly math.

oh yes, there is the social aspect. my mom once broke up with a guy who drove her around in a "horse and buggy" in favor of another swain who had a car. so you might also get more dates with a new car, if you are in that category.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

greg makes a good point about safety in #22. the only reason i can think of to get a new car if yours is still running is if your old car does not have an airbag.

I don't know cars, but it's amazing to me that we haven't made general improvements to car safety via materials and design in the past 20-30 years.

 

[jim hardy]

I don't know cars, but it's amazing to me that we haven't made general improvements to car safety via materials and design in the past 20-30 years.

Hmm i guess it was that long ago they came up with "Crumple Zones" .
Didn't need them in a 5000 pound Buick with fenders that're thick as today's bumpers. My kids still have Aunt Hazel's '65 Electra . The ash tray weighs a good pound and a half.

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

Didn't need them in a 5000 pound Buick with fenders that're thick as today's bumpers. My kids still have Aunt Hazel's '65 Electra . The ash tray weighs a good pound and a half.

Sure about that? :)

 

[jim hardy]

Sure about that? :)

They hit it in the side on purpose.
Those old Chevys had an X frame with no structure out by the doors. I was a Ford guy back then, they had a rectangular frame and marketeers leapt on the Chevy X-frame for just the reason your picture demonstrates..

Auto industry has come a long way.

But I'm old enough to remember those commercials.

 

[BillTre]

We recently got a 2013 Subaru.
Instead of a timing belt (the replacement of which we were figuring into cost and future maintenance costs) the Subaru has a timing chain.
It is not supposed to need changing within the expected lifetime of the car.
If that's true, seems all cars should have these?

 

[mathwonk]

I suspect timing chains also eventually need changing, unless your expected lifetime is a lot shorter than mine, but not as often.

https://www.google.com/search?site=&source=hp&q=how+often+to+change+a+timing+chain&oq=how+=oftwn+tochange+a+timing+chain&gs_l=psy-ab.1.0.0i22i30k1l2.1398.7175.0.10157.37.29.1.0.0.0.638.3697.10j9j2j0j1j1.23.0...0...1.1.64.psy-ab..13.24.3684.0..0j35i39k1j0i131k1j0i67k1j0i20k1j0i13i30k1j0i22i10i30k1.AvqElfPrzJYAs far as safety, I have been rear-ended in a tiny honda civic hatchback with crumple zones by a ford F150 truck. I walked away but my car was totalled (like an accordion) while the ford was hardly scratched. In fact the other driver, who was at fault, drove off, lied about it, and there was not enough damage to his truck to prove he had been in an accident.

Ten years later I was t-boned, at the front right wheel well, by a buick while in my BMW 525 with air bags, and both my son and I walked away. me with a sprained hand from hitting the windshield. My BMW was also totalled. I did cry though, since that was such a nice car, but in hindsight the best thing it did was save our lives.

Oh yes, some insurance companies also consider such events as "incidents" that lower your reliability rating, and raise your premium, even if the fault is entirely the other party's and was unavoidable.

so enhancing safety may also involve moving to a less accident prone area, (not atlanta).

 

[Dr Transport]

My '01 chevy silverado has 140K miles on it. I was thinking about getting rid of it, but after thinking about it for months, I just might keep it for the time being. I put some money into it to get it back in fighting shape, rear breaks totally redone, new fuel lines and brake lines. No Bluetooth and the after market Bluetooth products just aren't that good because there is no aux jack to hook into the radio. I suppose I could put a new radio in the dash, that way I could get the loose connection for the odometer fixed. Only three rust spots, still in pretty good shape, the clear coat has dissolved away over the years in the sun, so I have to wash and wax it regularly to keep the paint from coming off, all in all, a good truck still.