[killerformula]

So I figured this would be an interesting thread. When do you guys decide that its time to pitch your daily driver and get a new one? At what point is it simply not reliable enough to depend upon anymore?

I've been thinking about this on and off lately. I have the jeep as my daily trans, and its been a great car. But now the driver's door has failed, so I've got to fix that which is somewhat of a major repair. I guess other than that its pretty much perfectly reliable. 160,000 miles on the clock and doesn't burn a drop. So I've been looking into buying a bit of a newer car, maybe one that doesn't use as much gas (I only get about 14-15 in the city, which I think kinda sucks). The front end on the ol jeep is a bit loose. One of the CV joints on the front axle is going out, just some little junk that is starting to add up.

So when do you guys throw in the towel and buy a new ride?

K

 

[CET]

I only sell when I get tired of a vehicle. Anything can be fixed. I do the labour so repairs ( even an engine rebuild ) is relatively inexpensive.

I figure at least I know how my vehicles have been driven and how they have been maintained. Buying another used one is not knowing how it has been treated. It gets to be -30c and below here so I have to own reliable vehicles.

 

[poncho62]

Daily driver................I drive 'em until another/better $100 special comes along. Have been driving my $100 83 Blazer for 5 years now.

They used to be $50 specials, but times have changed.

 

[coldknock]

I got my Geo for $50 almost two years ago. So far I've put about $1000 in it in hard parts, tires and struts....and I'm about to spend another little chunk on a power steering pump.

170,000 miles so far and no signs of death yet. The way I see it I've spent $50 a month for 20 months not counting $600 in insurance for that time. It's hard to argue with that.

Larry

 

[helrazr3]

as long as i dont have a lot of problems with a car or truck i'll keep it around but i do a fair amount of driving i go to conn. a few times a year and lake george so i like to know that i'm not going to have any problems.

if i cant just get in and drive to the next town or new jersey when ever i want then its time to get a new one. i retired my last truck at 130,000 miles and bought a 94 with 93,000 mi.and in a few years i'll get another one.

as for the wifes car we bought it new and it has 40,000 mi on it. its a 2000 concorde. hopefully i'll be able to afford a new one in a few years.

 

[flyfisher]

I have to go with the general consensus here. I usually get rid of the vehicles when they're picked clean and the scrap yard gives me the gratuitous $50. Either the MTO (DMV) pulls the plates, or it's too dangerous to drive and too expensive to fix. Right now the Jimmy's getting that way, but with 475 000 kms and about $3000 in hard parts, and initial cost amortized over the last five years, I can't complain.
I'm looking for a ZR-2 Jimmy for my next truck, I'll spend a little more in initial cost. I hope it will be as reliable and as cheap to fix as my Jimmy is.

 

[bullheimer]

"little junk that's starting to add up" thats me. i just about drive them till they die. left a 91 regal up near some oregon ski resort when it blew up. got this total pos grand am for 2K two years ago after that. it looked and ran great then. then it started coming apart at the seems. both door windows came off the track repeatedly, the power module then the crank sensor twice. front end got smashed. stereo got ripped off. then the last electrical problem we couldnt fix other than if i replaced the power module for the third time. fk it. there's a limit that was reached, a line that was crossed. same with finding out all the doors and windows in my 70 chevelle had been packed with pink fiberglass. that stuff itches so i sold it. that and i had all the stuff to make it a SS, even bought a parts car with it. a junk SS. but when i found out SS's didn't come with small blocks i dumped a great car. my sister's izusu trooper needs to go to. on it's second or third engine, drivers window doesnt work, pass door "knob" wont open, cracked windshield, radio you cant understand, can't rev over 3500 rpm, gets 8mpg. it's time, kinda like when a human gets to be 70 or 80

 

[Cruiseomatic]

Untill the wheels fall off and the engine wont crank plus the chassis breaks. lol.

 

[ecrusch1987]

When the old dodge gets bellow10 miles to the gallon... oh yea, i'm already getting 9ain: , rebuilding a 4 banger though, gotta love the gas mileage.

Eric

 

[killerformula]

Well I don't really have a very good place to do major repairs these days... but I suppose the type of things wrong with my ride are things that would happen to pretty much any car. When that crank sensor went out (for those of you who had the pleasure of reading that jem, lol) I was late to work one day, because I had to walk. Lucky I'm within walking distance, but I really can't afford to have a car that's not going to be reliable. THere's a difference, I think, between being able to fix problems that arise, and not having serious problems coming from your car in the first place. I guess one way to avoid that is just to drive the most simple kind of car you can; so I suppose the 4x4 option on the jeep isn't helping things, lol.

Anyway, whenver you switch vehicles its kinda a big pain, because no matter how much looking and test driving you do, its going to take a good 3-6 weeks to get the feel for the car and how reliable it is, I think.

K

 

[RCastle]

When it finally says"Look Ron,your wife has wrecked me one too many times,My paint is flaking,the front end vibrates like a space ship on Re-Entry,the fuel gauge always is on E,and I am just getting tired!"

 

[Beenaway2long]

When it needs an oil change, or when the bottle of Grey Poupon is empty...We are civilized, aren't we?

 

[crazygutgut]

hmm, tend to go by milage or "gut" instinct. I had a nissan sentra, that had 175k miles on it, besides regular maintenence, never did a thing to it! I just KNEW that something major was bound to happen. Sold it, before it could. I have a 96 civic now and it has low miles, but is fastly approaching the 10 year mark, and the smog requirements are getting ridiculous for 10+ cars... Im gonna try and sell it next year and get another used "cheapy 4 banger" to drive the 80 mile commute!!

 

[RCastle]

My wife's boss was telling her several years ago that he was getting a new Mercedes SUV.She told me he just had the Mercedes he was driving at the time for a few years.When she asked him why he was trading up,he told her the old one needed tires.Man I wish I had that kind of money.

 

[mikeweyman]

i got an 88 corolla, the steering is ok, bad struts, good brakes,250000 miles,new floor(old engine hood),heater works on med and hi only,temp is only hot,headlight switch is on the blinker stick and is worn so the headlights go out when you put the blinker on if not careful. crappy dome light,
this is a true piece of crapola, but when i turn the key it runs .
it uses 1 qt of oil ,1/2 pint p.s. fluid.2 qts antifreeze , 1/4 qt of tranny fluid per month. so it's anyone's guess what disease will take it.
overall i like it cause it's cheap as dirt.mike

 

[38 special]

The last two vehicles I had, I got ride of after well over 200,000 miles and they weren't reliable enough to get me to work on time anymore. I just couldn't see trying to fix them any longer. The cost of repairing them out weighted the cost of another slightly newer vehicle. The only trouble is, the newer the vehicle the harder it is for me to work on. Too much computer stuff and other garbage in the way of the actual motor itself.

 

[Ghetto Jet]

A car guy knows when it's time to get rid of a car. If you're having doubts it's not time.

 

[killerformula]

yeah, I'll probably ride it out some more. I'll rebuild the front on it to make sure its safe, weld up the door and call it good. I guess I feel like maybe some of you aren't seeing the difference, or in your minds just don't make a difference between a car that 'still runs pretty good, and can be fixed to get me from point A to Point B.' And a car that's dependable enough to rely on in any pinch, and will promise not to make you late to work in the morning. Sure, if my jeep craps tomorrow, I can fix it, but do I really want to tell my boss I can't come in because my car puked on me... again? That's the question I'm asking. With enough tools and resouces, any car can be fixed indefinately. But if your family member is hurt or sick at 2am, are you going to be gritting your teeth getting into it....


K

 

[akm]

i'll give you $500 (if it has 4 wheel drive) for it, lol.

i never have a car long enough to give my opinion, but my old Jeep has 160K on the four banger and i recently drove it down to South Padre Island (ended up putting over 1,200 miles on it) and she never missed a beat.
i think that the only thing that makes a car un-reliable is if someone doesn't take care of it........ i never worry about miles.

back when i was a state inspector, i had a guy come in with a 280Z that had around 700,000 miles on it. it was the original motor and he was the original owner. i asked what he did to get so many miles out of it, and he said "i change the oil". the damn thing passed with flying colors, lol.

Jeep motors seem to last forever. i'd keep it, fix the little things and drive it. or just get yourself a Honda or a Toyota to get yourself around cheap.
one thing i miss about my Honda is the great gas mileage.

 

[killerformula]

yeah its really not a bad deal. Had the thing for 3 years and the only things I've had to change are the manifold, crank sensor, and now the door welding debacle. Looks like I'll be doing a front end rebuild on it. I guess that's not bad.

K