|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Apr 30, 2014 15:42:56 GMT -5
Looks like I need a new car, lickety-split. Pain in the pocketbook, pain in the ass.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 15:49:04 GMT -5
Oh, that sucks, Becca.  |
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Apr 30, 2014 15:53:55 GMT -5
Thanks. I was planning to get a new one, but not 'til the end of the summer. Blech.
|
|
|
|
Post by vrabinec on Apr 30, 2014 16:02:29 GMT -5
Ouch. Mine's got 165k on it, and the wife's has 135k. We're hoping they last a couple more years. We're loving not having a car payment. Saving for a new patio, master bath, and outdoor Jacuzzi. The wife doesn't know we're saving for the Jacuzzi yet, but she got her way on the patio and master bath thing, so I figure she's gonna owe me. But I got a feeling, just when we have enough to pay for the first two, our cars will give out, and we'll have car payments again, and the Jacuzzi's gonna have to wait until I'm too old to enjoy the thing.
|
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Apr 30, 2014 16:19:15 GMT -5
But I got a feeling, just when we have enough to pay for the first two, our cars will give out, and we'll have car payments again, and the Jacuzzi's gonna have to wait until I'm too old to enjoy the thing. My 83-year-old neighbor would disagree with you. He loves his Jacuzzi. Or were you thinking even older than that? |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Apr 30, 2014 16:20:56 GMT -5
Sorry about the car, Becca. It's so much better when you can go buy a new one on your own schedule. Like right after the release of Solatium when your book sales can pay for it.
|
|
|
|
Post by scdaffron on Apr 30, 2014 18:15:13 GMT -5
I'm curious what kind of car died so horribly that you have to get rid of it. I SO don't want one of those. My car is a 1997 so clearly I don't give up on my vehicles easily  But now you get to go car shopping! Whatcha gonna get? |
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Apr 30, 2014 18:27:52 GMT -5
Sorry about the car, Becca. It's so much better when you can go buy a new one on your own schedule. Like right after the release of Solatium when your book sales can pay for it. LOL! One thing I love about you, Daniel, is your optimism. Susan, it's a 2001 Mazda Millennia. Our mechanic said they're hellish to work on because of the complexity of the engine. The current problem is probably just the water pump, but they can't get at that item without taking a lot of other bits apart, so it'd be a pricey repair. Then, when he was examining it, he also noticed that the supercharger is on its last legs -- leaking air instead of pumping it into the engine. Due to the engine's belting, the car won't run if the supercharger goes, and replacing that would be hugely expensive. It just doesn't seem worth it, given that the car's a gas-guzzler we've been meaning to replace, anyway. It's just bad timing. I had to get a rental for the last week and a half of classes. So annoying. And yeah, a second car payment will be painful. Jeez modern life is expensive. Right now I'm planning on a Mazda 3. They're practical, fuel efficient, good in crash tests, and okay to drive. I had a Mazdaspeed 3 before we had to get a minivan, and I would dearly love to get another one of those. Such a fantastic car. But they're turbocharged, so they're not so fuel efficient, and getting a manual probably isn't a good idea, since I have occasional bouts of sciatic in my left leg. I miss it, though. Driving an automatic ain't really driving.  Maybe I'll see if there are any used Speed 3s on Craigslist. Just out of curiosity, you understand.  |
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 18:36:25 GMT -5
Driving an automatic ain't really driving. God, I know what you mean. I would LOVE to have a 5-speed again, but in Portland, it would be just sort of stupid. I don't have sciatica, but I do have an uncooperative left knee, and since I am basically a hobbit, the distance to the clutch pedal needs to be *just* right or I'm going to be in pain in a short time of driving. |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Apr 30, 2014 18:56:51 GMT -5
Driving an automatic ain't really driving. Yay! Someone else who still likes a manual transmission! I won't buy a vehicle that has an automatic tranny. The few times I've bought a new vehicle, I've had to pass on features I wanted because they only came with the automatic. Our Toyota Tacoma is a case in point. I wanted a double cab (4-door), 4WD, and a long bed. You can get that in an automatic, but not a manual. We had to get the short bed version instead, which is nice from a wheel base standpoint (the thing drives more like a car than a truck), but not really what I wanted. I haul stuff. I needed the room! We're looking at trailers now. Good thing I had the foresight to get the towing package.  ETA: Our Tacoma has a lovely 6-speed manual transmission with a sweet overdrive. At 75 MPH, it turns about 2,400 RPM. It ain't a Mazda, but it sure goes hummmmm on the highway. (Does anyone remember those ads?) |
|
|
|
Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 30, 2014 19:11:10 GMT -5
Sucks when it creeps up ahead of schedule! The manual transmission references reminds me of a funny story. Back in college I had a GLC Mazda hatchback. My first car, it was used. I drove that bad boy until the it died and I mean it was dead as disco, wouldn't start, shot to hell. Before it died for good, the only way I could start it was by popping the clutch (well the only way without paying for a new starter or whatever was wrong with it). I became a master at finding little inclines to park. I lived in Minnesota back then which is flat as a pancake. When I couldn't find a hill, I need a push so I could pop it. My girlfriend (now wife) never learned how to drive with a stick, so the only solution was for her to push my car while I was in the driver seat popping the clutch. It was very embarrassing to have the dude in the car with the girl pushing the car. |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on Apr 30, 2014 19:15:38 GMT -5
My girlfriend (now wife) never learned how to drive with a stick, so the only solution was for her to push my car while I was in the driver seat popping the clutch. That's a great story. I can't believe she married you. |
|
|
|
Post by Alan Petersen on Apr 30, 2014 19:48:02 GMT -5
My girlfriend (now wife) never learned how to drive with a stick, so the only solution was for her to push my car while I was in the driver seat popping the clutch. That's a great story. I can't believe she married you. That's when I knew she was the one. |
|
|
|
Post by Becca Mills on Apr 30, 2014 21:57:56 GMT -5
Huh. Poking around a bit, I'm seeing lots of cars for sale around here with salvage titles. That means the car's been totaled out by an insurance company, but then repaired anyway. They get a special title and are no long eligible for collision coverage. Prices look to be about 60% of cars with clean titles. Hm. Prolly not a good idea, especially if you're not paying cash.
|
|
Deleted
Deleted Member
Posts: 0
|
Post by Deleted on Apr 30, 2014 22:17:58 GMT -5
Huh. Poking around a bit, I'm seeing lots of cars for sale around here with salvage titles. That means the car's been totaled out by an insurance company, but then repaired anyway. They get a special title and are no long eligible for collision coverage. Prices look to be about 60% of cars with clean titles. Hm. Prolly not a good idea, especially if you're not paying cash. Nah, probably not a good idea. Tempting, though. |
|
|
|
Post by scdaffron on May 1, 2014 7:52:05 GMT -5
My sister had a Mazda GLC hatchback. It was kind of a piece of crap, but I have fond memories of driving it up to Julian, CA when I got married. (She had driven from Minnesota or somewhere else far away to San Diego, so she was sick of driving.)
|
|
|
|
Post by Suzy on May 1, 2014 7:55:54 GMT -5
Nobody here, and I mean NOBODY drives and automatic. I have a 6 speed Toyota Yaris and I love it! Very fast and nippy on country roads and it does a zillion miles to a teaspoon of diesel.
|
|
|
|
Post by vrabinec on May 1, 2014 8:05:38 GMT -5
Sucks when it creeps up ahead of schedule! The manual transmission references reminds me of a funny story. Back in college I had a GLC Mazda hatchback. My first car, it was used. I drove that bad boy until the it died and I mean it was dead as disco, wouldn't start, shot to hell. Before it died for good, the only way I could start it was by popping the clutch (well the only way without paying for a new starter or whatever was wrong with it). I became a master at finding little inclines to park. I lived in Minnesota back then which is flat as a pancake. When I couldn't find a hill, I need a push so I could pop it. My girlfriend (now wife) never learned how to drive with a stick, so the only solution was for her to push my car while I was in the driver seat popping the clutch. It was very embarrassing to have the dude in the car with the girl pushing the car. That reminds me of when I was a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. I lived in a dorm, Tower 18th floor. Right down the hall was Tim Lewis, a freshman phenom football player who later went on to the NFL, was an all-pro, and was the Steelers defensive coordinator for a few years. Total dick. This big dude (6'2 220 lbs) used to make his girlfriend carry his stuff, including computer terminals and stuff like that. What a fucking douche bag. (Err, not that I'm equating your situation to that) |
|
|
|
Post by vrabinec on May 1, 2014 8:06:22 GMT -5
Huh. Poking around a bit, I'm seeing lots of cars for sale around here with salvage titles. That means the car's been totaled out by an insurance company, but then repaired anyway. They get a special title and are no long eligible for collision coverage. Prices look to be about 60% of cars with clean titles. Hm. Prolly not a good idea, especially if you're not paying cash. I bought my Yaris for under $10K |
|
|
|
Post by Daniel on May 1, 2014 8:43:43 GMT -5
Nobody here, and I mean NOBODY drives and automatic. I have a 6 speed Toyota Yaris and I love it! Very fast and nippy on country roads and it does a zillion miles to a teaspoon of diesel. In the U.S., it's getting more and more difficult to buy a standard transmission vehicle. I think having to shift gears interferes with texting, eating, talking on the cell phone, and all the other things our drivers do that isn't driving. In at least one out of every five cars I see going the other way, the driver is talking on a cell phone. About one in a hundred have both forearms on the wheel and are texting. I just hope I'm not in the way when they finally win their Darwin award. |
|
