I had had thoughts about selling it once it was paid off, but I'm thinking it would be considerably more practical to keep it for at least a few more years. After all, it's fuel-efficient, I barely have a commute (and only three days a week at that) and I don't need to be making major purchases with the economy as it is right now.
My other thought is that I don't think I'll be buying brand-new cars in the future. Whatever psychological effect I was hoping to gain from not buying "someone else's problems" in a used car was totally destroyed when my ex low-speed crashed the car a few weeks after purchase, before I had even transferred the insurance. The repair work was done in another city, was unspeakably shoddy and not guaranteed, and my car still has a slightly bent frame, according to the Honda dealership I brought it to recently. I had bought brand-new thinking that it would hang on to its value and be pretty easy to sell, but there will clearly be some sunk costs with this particular car. At least it wasn't a lemon.
I suspect that selling it, given its history, will be something of a nightmare, even though it's been nearly as reliable as you'd expect a Honda to be at its age. Other people will likely pass it over in favor of a no-accident car, except for the very stingy types who will probably expect to get it well below blue-book value.
Another reason for hanging on to it is that I can't even make up my mind about my next car. An older, used Lexus? A slightly-used hybrid? Hold out for a SmartCar? Forego cars altogether?
A reason for getting a new-to-me car is because I want to enjoy driving, which I seriously don't, except (interestingly) when I rent a car. Then, I probably only am responding to the novelty factor. I admit that I'm quite bored of my car, but I don't want that to drive (heh) a long-term purchase, because I could easily get bored of that, too.
Curious for those of you who know cars better than me-- is it ever a good idea to stick with dealership repairs for your 6-year-old car, rather than going with your convenient neighborhood repair shop? My ex Leo got me into the habit of dealership repairs but I feel like I suffer the worse stickershock there, despite the psychological effect of comfort that the mechanics there "really know Hondas" and can get parts more quickly. Then again, how hard would it BE for ANY mechanic to really know Hondas, given their popularity?
I do miss the days when I had a mechanic in the family, locally. I also had a great relationship with the mechanics at Irish Mike's in Orlando. I'm reluctant to find someone in the area, although Vladimir at that one place near my old house with
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unseelie23 was outstanding. He could have ripped me off were he inclined, but didn't.- Mood:
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You could always sell yours and ... do you have a Car Share program in your area? In that case, go with that - they have different cars all the time. :)
"Bit of a hike" is almost always a dealbreaker for me. :-) Having your car in the shop is inconvenient as it is, and I don't require *awesome*, just competent, efficient, and not-overly-expensive. I'm sure I could do fine within MV.
I'd have to see what CarShare entails, and think about how often I would utilize it.
I am not a car person, but I thought that the main reason to take a car to the dealer was if it was still under warranty. Otherwise, for common cars I was under the impression that it didn't matter. I've never taken my Toyota to a dealership, and I don't think I've suffered for it.
I would be interested in your referral.
They recently installed a new alternator for me - I brought in the car around 10 or 10:30, and it was ready to pick up maybe around 4. It's run by two brothers whose parents own it.
why think about a next car at all, then? This one works. Essentially, since you have it all paid off, you have a FREE CAR!!!!!123, so why not hang on to it until it actually becomes a liability? A Civic with 76K miles in it is about 100-150K miles away from being a liability.
I can't see it as a FREE CAR!!! now that it's hit the 76k mark and will need some expensive maintenance pretty soon, and kinda already does.
dude, car ownership sucks ;-)
But then, I see you're in California. I'm in Orlando, Florida. This place wouldn't know a decent public transit system if it kicked the Mayor in the ass.
while I do appreciate a classic car (mmm... '69 Mustang Boss 429), in a practical context I personally like for the car to stay out of my way and let me drive to the places I wish to see.
Thus, I'll rent a car for a weekend, throw 3300 miles on it, and let someone else worry about the maintenance. The two greatest words in the English language: "unlimited miles". (The three greatest words are "collision damage waiver", for the time you inevitably hit an uninsured motorist in deer form.)
I haven't done the math in several years, so this figure may have changed, but the break-even point between buying a car and renting one is somewhere between 175 and 300 miles per day. Anything above that figure and the wear-and-tear is best passed on to someone else for the daily rental price. If I walk to do my errands, take the train to work, and then when I feel the need to see the world, I drive 600-1200 miles per day... it's a no-brainer!
I currently have an '05 GTO. She's got a bit of work done, so she's putting down about 380ish at the rear wheels. It's not the fastest car ever, but I've surprised my fair share of the stuffed-shirt Vette drivers we have around here!
What you're saying about renting a car for a long road trip, I can absolutely see that as a viable alternative if you don't want to put a beating (or worse, the miles!!!) on your own car, most definitely.
As for that break-even point, it probably has a lot to do with where you live also, because as I was somewhat referring to about Orlando is that it's very spread out. Anything you want to access is almost certainly not going to be near whatever else you might want to get to. That great Cantonese place? Yeah, that's twenty six miles away down 50, in stop and go traffic from this great bookstore/video rental place and so on. Plus, around here, the only rental places I know of all rent incredibly tiny econoboxes. I've never been comfortable in those, unfortunately.
I live in a neighbourhood where the grocery store is 2 blocks away, the bank is 3, there are about thirty restaurants and bars within a ten block radius, etc... so I can do all the really critical things on foot (certainly a good idea when one has had N beers!). I just let the less critical vehicular errands (like running to Home Depot to purchase several large items) pile up and every few weeks I rent a car and bite the bullet on not averaging the break-even quantity of miles per day!
I actually prefer the econoboxes... the price of gas what it is today, a 2500 mile road trip costs an incremental pretty penny for every mile per gallon you lose when they oh-so-courteously threaten to upgrade you to a midsize car, or, heaven forbid, an SUV.
Also, what expensive maintenance does it need? If you've kept up with the maintenance on it thus far, then about all you actually need (and "need" is stretching a bit):
- Oil change
- New fuel filter (don't let them talk you into a fuel system flush, waste of money)
- Air filter
- Cabin filter (not sure if the Civic has one)
Otherwise, you're good. Going to a standard chain mechanic shop will have them telling you you need nonsense like a tranny or radiator flush, but unless the car is running erratically, or leaking, you actually don't.
Also, when your car is paid off, you could trade up to something with an auto in it (though be aware your gas mileage will suffer. Manuals get better mileage than slushboxes). But since the car is paid off, you'll just be responsible for the difference of course, and I'm not sure how CA is but in FL if you trade in a car worth ten grand on a car that costs twelve grand, you only have to pay sales tax on the two grand difference.
Just some things to ponder.
As for expensive maintenance, really the biggie is straightening out the bent frame from the years-ago accident, which is going to cost $2k and (I already checked) won't be covered by insurance. Heck, I was told by the crappy Miami mechanic who did the original fix that the frame WASN'T bent. Bastards. It very much is, and metal is rubbing against metal, probably to the detriment of the parts within.
Aside from that, I'm also thinking about potential necessary belt changes and such (again, I need to look at the manual to see what's on the schedule). It also really needs a new battery (it depletes when I go on vacation longer than 3 days) or possibly to have the alternator examined.
I need new brake pads, a side mirror (old one was taken off by a tree in my driveway), a new headlight, and some very minor detail work.
Damn, you know, I HAVE been talked into a tranny/radiator flush a couple times at oil-change shops. Now I know.
in FL if you trade in a car worth ten grand on a car that costs twelve grand, you only have to pay sales tax on the two grand difference.
What the..... no way! That almost sounds too good to be true. I'll have to look this up as I've never heard of such an arrangement.
Same with changing out the belts for that matter.
Damn, too bad you don't live here, I'd do all that for you for the price of dinner.
Being that your car is older, I'd look on Ebay for a new headlight, also. Belts, EXAMINE THEM before you let a mechanic tell you they need to be changed. As I just said, that's also an easy job with a socket wrench. Torque the tensioner pulley, slip off the old belt, slip on the new one. Every car has a diagram under the hood that shows you the correct way to thread the belt through all the pullies. ZERO guesswork.
Also. A new side mirror? Get on your yellow pages and look for a nearby junkyard. There were roughly eight hundred million Civics made all in your body style, so it's almost certain that you'll be able to get a part (and most likely in your color too) and it's a simple replacement.
The other option here is that you see what somewhere like Carmax would give you for the car, and take that two grand you would have paid on it, and put it down on another inexpensive economy car (this time in auto) and simply call the entire problem solved. Even with those problems, your car should still be worth five or six thousand as it sits.
Also, at 76K you might want to check the spark plugs and wires/cables (it you didn't have it done at 50K)... transmission fluid filter and change the fluid... and regular stuffs like peeking at brakes and clutch... boots, etc... if you were hree I could refer you to a MAGNIFICENT mechanic, but that's a little more inconvenient than Hayward ;)
I just agreed to a job offer to be an Associate Editor for Online News at Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul, MN. It's pretty much my dream job. I'll be editing news stories for online, shooting and editing video and photos as well as other online duties. I might even get the chance to have my own podcast on the site.
My first big assignment will be helping them cover the Republican National Convention, in particular the 10,000+ protesters that are expected to roll into town.
So, now you know someone in the Twin Cities. Come visit!
(Also-- *deeply flattered*)