The Coffee House

The best cars are the one's with no payment. Can always buy used tires. Funny fact about me, I have never had a car payment. My first car was paid by cash, 76 Chevy Nova. Drove that into the ground and always had a company car after that. I was in the Marine's and didn't own a vehicle. When I got out, I drove the Nova until it rusted out.

I'm obviously not the kind of person who needs to replace her car every 3 years, like a lot of folks these days, but I also don't understand the intense aversion to spending money on a new car. There's still a car payment; they're just called "repairs" and those payments go higher as the car gets older. :) They might not be as regular, but sometimes, they can be much more painful.

Of course, I was very happy when my car loan was paid off, and I am saving as much money as I can for a downpayment so that I won't have to take out a big loan. But as much as I have loved Lucille, she's becoming less enjoyable to drive because of all the little things that are starting to go wrong (she's also got an oil leak somewhere, so I'm having to feed her oil on a regular basis; there's the slight shimmy because there's some play in the suspension.) I'd rather let her go before she gets to the point of pissing me off by breaking down or becoming unreliable. Don't want to end on a sour note.

I have never been of the mind that a car is just an appliance, so I'm willing to pay some money to make the experience of driving even more enjoyable.
That's a solid perspective. My wife has to have a new one every 2 or 3 years, leasing is a huge financial loss. So I just try to lesson the severity by paying cash and hope to sell and recoup some of the damage. Cars are such a money pit. I wish she would drive a pickup truck, the loss would not be as great and way easier to sell.

Oh, I could never lease. It goes against just about every fiber of my being. I'll willing to rent for housing, but I won't lease my cars. Even if I were willing to do so, my father would probably come back to haunt me for the rest of my days.

When I buy a car, I plan on having it for the long haul. I get my money's worth :)
 
The best cars are the one's with no payment. Can always buy used tires. Funny fact about me, I have never had a car payment. My first car was paid by cash, 76 Chevy Nova. Drove that into the ground and always had a company car after that. I was in the Marine's and didn't own a vehicle. When I got out, I drove the Nova until it rusted out.

I'm obviously not the kind of person who needs to replace her car every 3 years, like a lot of folks these days, but I also don't understand the intense aversion to spending money on a new car. There's still a car payment; they're just called "repairs" and those payments go higher as the car gets older. :) They might not be as regular, but sometimes, they can be much more painful.

Of course, I was very happy when my car loan was paid off, and I am saving as much money as I can for a downpayment so that I won't have to take out a big loan. But as much as I have loved Lucille, she's becoming less enjoyable to drive because of all the little things that are starting to go wrong (she's also got an oil leak somewhere, so I'm having to feed her oil on a regular basis; there's the slight shimmy because there's some play in the suspension.) I'd rather let her go before she gets to the point of pissing me off by breaking down or becoming unreliable. Don't want to end on a sour note.

I have never been of the mind that a car is just an appliance, so I'm willing to pay some money to make the experience of driving even more enjoyable.
That's a solid perspective. My wife has to have a new one every 2 or 3 years, leasing is a huge financial loss. So I just try to lesson the severity by paying cash and hope to sell and recoup some of the damage. Cars are such a money pit. I wish she would drive a pickup truck, the loss would not be as great and way easier to sell.

Oh, I could never lease. It goes against just about every fiber of my being. I'll willing to rent for housing, but I won't lease my cars. Even if I were willing to do so, my father would probably come back to haunt me for the rest of my days.

When I buy a car, I plan on having it for the long haul. I get my money's worth :)
Yup, he was wise. I finally sold my wife's 2012 Buick Enclave a few days ago. Craigslist finally came through but the scum that comes with it is not desirable.
 
Buenas Dias Coffee Hosers. Yes, cars are a money pit ... Some cars are a fun, flashy, sexy money pit ... But a pit nonetheless (sorta like photography). Driving a car until the wheels fall off gives the owner the best return on their money. Gary and Mary Lou don't have car payments ... But if Gary was young and single he probably wouldn't get any second dates.

@ Leo: Gary just purchased a used car for Mary Lou's son. We delivered it to a high school auto repair/mechanic class and they went through everything and repaired it all, for only cost the cost of parts (the school gets a discount on the parts). The school's program is taught by certified mechanics most of the teachers own their own shop and the class is to prepare the kids for certification. Send Lucille to school.
 
Ahhhhhhhhh ... Finally a cool and overcast morning. The marine layer is thick today, almost a fog. USA is out of the Copa, humbled by Argentina. Nobody felt that USA had a chance, but we all hoped the USA would be competitive, would make a game out of it. The USA wasn't competitive, it was a game between children and men. Once the Argentines had a comfy lead, they just spread out the field and played keep-away. What Gary doesn't understand is that soccer has been a serious sport here for awhile ... Why are the US men's teams so bad?
 
Morning, hosers! I hope everyone's hump day is going well so far.

On the subject of old cars, my 2001 Civic with about 197K has front brakes that chatter, result of not having the rotors ground down last summer when it got new pads. I didn't figure on having it very long, but now it looks like I may keep it until early next year. The chatter is getting a little worse (happening at lower speeds and a little more pronounced). Am I in for some sort of brake catastrophe soon or can I ignore it for a while? The car doesn't get much mileage, probably only 3K/yr at this point.
 
USA is out of the Copa, humbled by Argentina. Nobody felt that USA had a chance, but we all hoped the USA would be competitive, would make a game out of it. The USA wasn't competitive, it was a game between children and men. Once the Argentines had a comfy lead, they just spread out the field and played keep-away. What Gary doesn't understand is that soccer has been a serious sport here for awhile ... Why are the US men's teams so bad?
I was really hoping they'd be competitive, as well. But they didn't play well, at all. I disliked their methods of getting the ball and stopping Argentina (especially that hit against Messi). It makes me wonder how they even got to the semifinals.

At least they didn't play as bad as Mexico did against Chile. :blue: Although, Mexico (or at least their fans in the stadium) deserved to be humbled, IMO.
 
Morning, hosers! I hope everyone's hump day is going well so far.

On the subject of old cars, my 2001 Civic with about 197K has front brakes that chatter, result of not having the rotors ground down last summer when it got new pads. I didn't figure on having it very long, but now it looks like I may keep it until early next year. The chatter is getting a little worse (happening at lower speeds and a little more pronounced). Am I in for some sort of brake catastrophe soon or can I ignore it for a while? The car doesn't get much mileage, probably only 3K/yr at this point.

I'd look at getting the rotors either ground or replaced if it were me - they aren't terribly expensive and brakes really isn't something you want to screw around with.
 
@ Ken: You need to get the rotors 'turned'. The rotors are removed and bolted onto ... a machine, like a turntable on its side, then a 'stylus' will even (shave) the rotor flat again. Gary suspects that the rotors may be beyond turning and most likely have to be replaced. The rotor damaged usually is due to wearing the brakes down beyond the maximum wear point. Your brake condition is not a safety factor (unless it is shaking so badly that you are in danger of losing control of the car). But the shaking will promote/accelerate the wearing of many other parts, (a la the drivetrain), and loosen other worn parts and additionally loosen loose parts causing indirect damage. New rotors will probably run about $250 +/- $50). Turning most likely run well under $100.
 
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Why are the US men's teams so bad?

Just a wild guess mind you, but maybe anybody with any athletic ability is playing a real sport?

:)
Gary is exercising some tolerance here by accepting soccer into the family of real sports. (Being from a Blue State, Gary is probably high on the tolerance spectrum.)
 
Morning, hosers! I hope everyone's hump day is going well so far.

On the subject of old cars, my 2001 Civic with about 197K has front brakes that chatter, result of not having the rotors ground down last summer when it got new pads. I didn't figure on having it very long, but now it looks like I may keep it until early next year. The chatter is getting a little worse (happening at lower speeds and a little more pronounced). Am I in for some sort of brake catastrophe soon or can I ignore it for a while? The car doesn't get much mileage, probably only 3K/yr at this point.

I'd look at getting the rotors either ground or replaced if it were me - they aren't terribly expensive and brakes really isn't something you want to screw around with.
Agreed. I replaced my rotors last year by myself. The mechanic wanted $350 for the front two. Hah.
 
Gary is exercising some tolerance here by accepting soccer into the family of real sports. (Being from a Blue State, Gary is probably high on the tolerance spectrum.)

Then I shall admire your ability to sit and watch grown men running around chasing a ball for most of the afternoon without producing much in the way of actual results. :)

I freely admit, I've never gotten it.. but, eh...
 
Agreed. I replaced my rotors last year by myself. The mechanic wanted $350 for the front two. Hah.

With most vehicles it's a pretty easy job, something you can do in the driveway with some basic tools and a jackstand. Only one's I've ever found that were really bad were Mazda, those things were nearly impossible to get off.
 
Agreed. I replaced my rotors last year by myself. The mechanic wanted $350 for the front two. Hah.

With most vehicles it's a pretty easy job, something you can do in the driveway with some basic tools and a jackstand. Only one's I've ever found that were really bad were Mazda, those things were nearly impossible to get off.
I was surprised at how easy it was. The only tool that might not be in the typical tool chest that I used was a torque wrench.

They also wanted $70 to change my in-cabin air filter. A $15 part that takes less than 5 minutes with no tools required. Rip. Off.
 
Gary is exercising some tolerance here by accepting soccer into the family of real sports. (Being from a Blue State, Gary is probably high on the tolerance spectrum.)

Then I shall admire your ability to sit and watch grown men running around chasing a ball for most of the afternoon without producing much in the way of actual results. :)

I freely admit, I've never gotten it.. but, eh...
Gary's much much better half is deep into soccer. As she accepts and puts up with Gary ... He feels that being tolerant of soccer isn't a bad deal, all things considered. Mary Lou's youngest son played at college level and her oldest son was in the Olympic Development program.

As a former football player, Gary would love to see some NFL stars on a soccer pitch ... Just to see what happens ... But they may already have that sport, it's called rugby.
 

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