Should I buy a new car?

SeaEagle said:
Thanks again for the thoughtful replies. I'll be holding off until the wheels fall off my current car.

I imagine that when the "soft landing" hits, car prices will tank at least a little bit and that will be time to buy instead of peak bubble.
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2k for your servicing seems pretty expensive for 2 years. Keep that in mind.
Though, I don't know what servicing is like in North America, so perhaps that's not too bad, but like others in this thread i've owned 20 + cars in my life and never got close to that on a regular basis - though I do most work myself.

I'm with the "keep your car" crew.
You lose way too much "value" driving a brand new car off the lot. Also, you might have just had an initial outlay due to high mileage and being a new owner. Not necessarily a bad thing. When it comes to cars so many will take advice from mechanics and get maximum mileage before due servicing, which is smart but it just means you pick up the bill eventually on a "cheaper" car.

Cambelts are pretty important though, don't skip that. Once that's done you can take your time with most other things as long as it doesn't cause reliability issues for your job. Good luck mate!
 
SeekingTruth said:
The learning curve of figuring out a new car is very high as well if you've been driving 15+ year old vehicles. I find it interesting how tech was supposed to make our lives easier (a fake sell) when in fact I'm reading a stupid owners manual for the first time ever about how to operate all these gadgets and infotainment center. I feel like a boomer discovering the Internet.

Funny how my wife doesn't care at all. She just wants to get in and go. She hates the Sirius radio too. Although they may have gotten her with the backup camera. And the sensors already saved us from a backup into a pole.
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I wrote this in another thread:

"One of my clients has the Ford Lightning for almost a year now.

He also has an early 90s F-150 regular cab. The windows are always down and the dog is only ever a quick hop onto the bench seat. Keys always in the ignition or in the visor.

Guess which one is his daily errand vehicle?

This guy sold his company about 10 years ago for $800m so has the means to buy whatever vehicle he wants. The lightning isn't what he thought it would be for a long haul truck, and is too fancy for just getting in and going for his errand running. So it sits for long periods."

This describes me and so many I know. Some days I don't even want doors. I just want to hop in and go without beeps and sensors yelling at me to do the right thing.

If Toyota nails it with this new Land Cruiser and drops all the unnecessary tech and keeps the price low, I think they have a winner.
 
3 pages and maybe I missed it but Noone on here has said anything about Honda.

The J-series engines (V6) are proven to be reliable over long periods of time WITH the maintenance being upkept. It's rarely been modified and is still using a timing belt to this day. Most manufactures have transitioned into timing chains at this point.

Alot of folks will naysay Honda due to their controversial VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) system. If it's such a concern it can be fixed by using a computer but highly not recommended. (This system still exists in all new v6 Hondas or acura vehicles just a newer version).
 
A well built Japanese car like a Toyota can easily run for 300K miles.
Mechanically, it will keep going. But I've found after 15-20 years, other parts start to go out, that are independent of your car brand: electronics, radiators, alternators, CV joints, trannies, muffler, etc. So I like to replace my cars at this time.

Start to expect some significant maintenance expenses around the 15-20 year point.

But both used and new cars are too expensive right now. I've been wanting to replace my 2003 car since the covid lockdowns, but the prices are too absurd. Part of this is permanent: the devaluing of the US dollar due to massive money printing has made everything about 1/3 more expensive compared to 2019, but there is a temporary factor as well: US new car purchases are still 1,000,000 units per year below normal, and until new car purchases return to those norms, cars are in a supply shortage, with higher prices.

TLDR; used cars from 5-15 years are the sweet spot, but if you can hold off for another year or two, used car prices may improve. Of course, we may be on the edge of the financial collapse that has been talked about since the 70s, in which case you should spend you money now, while you can still afford a car.
 
Gazeebo said:
3 pages and maybe I missed it but Noone on here has said anything about Honda.

The J-series engines (V6) are proven to be reliable over long periods of time WITH the maintenance being upkept. It's rarely been modified and is still using a timing belt to this day. Most manufactures have transitioned into timing chains at this point.

Alot of folks will naysay Honda due to their controversial VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) system. If it's such a concern it can be fixed by using a computer but highly not recommended. (This system still exists in all new v6 Hondas or acura vehicles just a newer version).
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Hondas are fantastic, it seems like they have absolute top-tier reliability next to Toyota. They are less focused on SUV's and trucks, which makes them less appealing in the US market.

My first car was a stick shift Honda Civic, it went through a lot of abuse and kept chugging along.
 
Rax Moscow said:
A well built Japanese car like a Toyota can easily run for 300K miles.
Mechanically, it will keep going. But I've found after 15-20 years, other parts start to go out, that are independent of your car brand: electronics, radiators, alternators, CV joints, trannies, muffler, etc. So I like to replace my cars at this time.

Start to expect some significant maintenance expenses around the 15-20 year point.

But both used and new cars are too expensive right now. I've been wanting to replace my 2003 car since the covid lockdowns, but the prices are too absurd. Part of this is permanent: the devaluing of the US dollar due to massive money printing has made everything about 1/3 more expensive compared to 2019, but there is a temporary factor as well: US new car purchases are still 1,000,000 units per year below normal, and until new car purchases return to those norms, cars are in a supply shortage, with higher prices.

TLDR; used cars from 5-15 years are the sweet spot, but if you can hold off for another year or two, used car prices may improve. Of course, we may be on the edge of the financial collapse that has been talked about since the 70s, in which case you should spend you money now, while you can still afford a car.
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My early 2000s Subaru has these issues. An a/c fan is starting to make noise, my rear hydraulics for the hatch are failing, periodic sensor failures, etc. These issues keep adding up and with the timing belt due, I'm less interested in sinking 1000s into a car with 150k miles.

I'm considering waiting the winter out and getting a new generation Tacoma when they drop. Or a new Outback even, they hold resale value fairly well.
 
Gazeebo said:
3 pages and maybe I missed it but Noone on here has said anything about Honda.

The J-series engines (V6) are proven to be reliable over long periods of time WITH the maintenance being upkept. It's rarely been modified and is still using a timing belt to this day. Most manufactures have transitioned into timing chains at this point.

Alot of folks will naysay Honda due to their controversial VCM (Variable Cylinder Management) system. If it's such a concern it can be fixed by using a computer but highly not recommended. (This system still exists in all new v6 Hondas or acura vehicles just a newer version).
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My wife drove an Accord for a long time. She only sold it when she got pregnant and decided she didn't want to drive anymore. That thing was a workhorse. The Honda V6 was a monster and super smooth on the highway with great mileage. The trim held up really well and the quality of build was excellent. For a boring sedan it was beyond anything else in its class. I would not hesitate to buy an Accord again, should she ever decide to resume driving (she does tend to take the Suburban on little missions though, women really do love those things). She also has a special love for Honda because of where she grew up.
 
Honda's from the 90s-2000s were as good as Toyota's but with a slightly more premium feel (paint, interior etc) and still are incredibly cars today. Buy either of those brands new or used and you are set. Personally, if I was buying new or newish, a Toyota Hilux or Land Cruiser would be my pick but I'm poor due to kids and crazy cost of living. :(
 
RedLagoon said:
Honda's from the 90s-2000s were as good as Toyota's but with a slightly more premium feel (paint, interior etc) and still are incredibly cars today. Buy either of those brands new or used and you are set. Personally, if I was buying new or newish, a Toyota Hilux or Land Cruiser would be my pick but I'm poor due to kids and crazy cost of living. :(
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Could not agree more I have nothing against Toyota but being a 3rd generation Honda/Acura mechanic I am indeed biased.

One of my service advisors has a land cruiser which I have done quite a bit of work on for him. Building good will until he decides to sell.

Cars are absurd prices right now our lowest vehicle cost at our dealer is the new base model Integra which is about 40k for a snazzier looking civic. Now if your wealthy, the type-s varient is about 70k. But it comes with a body kit 🤣
 
Gazeebo said:
Could not agree more I have nothing against Toyota but being a 3rd generation Honda/Acura mechanic I am indeed biased.

One of my service advisors has a land cruiser which I have done quite a bit of work on for him. Building good will until he decides to sell.

Cars are absurd prices right now our lowest vehicle cost at our dealer is the new base model Integra which is about 40k for a snazzier looking civic. Now if your wealthy, the type-s varient is about 70k. But it comes with a body kit 🤣
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You might like this story of Honda nostalgia from the 80s and 90s.

My wife grew up right by one of the Honda R&D facilities in Tokyo. They have an immaculate little campus with all sorts of cool little things for the neighborhood to appreciate. Everything from their morning exercise to their after work music that thanks them for a wonderful day and wishes them a happy evening with their family - it was all such a part of their lives. She still can't see fireworks without comparing them to the summer festival that Honda put on and their fireworks display. Families would sit on the grass of the campus lawn and eat and drink and then watch the fireworks. Many of her neighbors worked there as designers and engineers, and many boys set their own life path to one day working there on an F1 or some other wild prototype.

When I walk by it now, I can still feel the love that used to be shared between some giant corporation and a small Tokyo neighborhood. It might seem dated and I am certainly jaded, but I find myself angered by the ignorance that present corporations have toward the people. It doesn't have to be this way.

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@Laner wow, man let me say that was a grand memory you shared thank you. To live in an area where the company shows some genuine love is unheard of now. I spent alot of youth wanting to touge over in Japan and i have watched about all I can find of folks doing it there and just watching the videos of it still gives me a genuine warmth in my heart. Have you visited the Honda museum before? I have done the virtual tour and it's an amazing collection of some fine Honda engineering and championship vehicles and motorbikes.

Too round off, for me that photo is iconic and could be mistaken for a drift magazine cover from the 80s/90s.
 
I just got in a little fender bender with my old Mk4 VW. I am actually pretty upset about it, far more than I would have thought.

I was with my family and we had just left my son's rugby game and were going to head to the mountains for a hike. As I was driving toward an intersection, my gut instinct kicked in and I brake checked. A second later a car ran a stop sign and tried crossing the road. I slammed the brakes and swerved, but I think he panicked and drove into me, as there is no excuse for him having hit me. Everyone was fine, thank God. But my car...

The damage isn't bad - front passenger fender, door and wheel. But in BC we have only a government monopoly where they control all aspects of insurance. So considering the age of the vehicle, they are going to try and crush it. I have had this car since new and have meticulously maintained it. I was also planning to pass it on to my son in a few years, as these Mk4s are fun to drive and easy to work on/mod.

This whole thing gave me a pretty sick feeling.
 
Laner said:
From the what we were talking about before about Toyota. Seems this is already not only happening, but is being released!

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/...truck-first-drive-review-japan-mobility-show/

This is great news and I am optimistic about vehicles for the first time in a long while!

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This is very cool. I have really been thinking that I'll have to buy an 80's or early 90's car from here on out so I don't have all the computerized garbage that is completely unnecessary in modern vehicles. I don't pay for Netflix, why would I ever pay for heated seats?

I like the idea of giving a barebones platform that people can add to. It is like a modular car. Years ago, I thought why don't manufacturers just give you one or two drive trains (long and short wheelbase for example), and then you can swap in and out components on top of that?
 
I live in BC (Canada) also, and I'm concerned that the government will make internal combustion vehicles too expensive/illegal to operate in the coming years. This is motivating me to keep my beater running and not buying a new gas car.

Is anyone else factoring this into their car buying decision?
 
SeaEagle said:
I live in BC (Canada) also, and I'm concerned that the government will make internal combustion vehicles too expensive/illegal to operate in the coming years. This is motivating me to keep my beater running and not buying a new gas car.

Is anyone else factoring this into their car buying decision?
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Yeah, we're already starting to see the cracks form in their plans to force everyone into EVs. I don't think it will happen in our lifetimes. There's just too many logistical bottlenecks that they can't fix. That and people are learning that EVs aren't all they were cracked up to be, so they're getting traded in and sitting on used car lots for very long periods of time.
 
mountainaire said:
Yeah, we're already starting to see the cracks form in their plans to force everyone into EVs. I don't think it will happen in our lifetimes. There's just too many logistical bottlenecks that they can't fix. That and people are learning that EVs aren't all they were cracked up to be, so they're getting traded in and sitting on used car lots for very long periods of time.
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If strata lots start to ban the charging inside their structures it could set EVs back a lot. Especially in a place like Vancouver where every 5th vehicle is an EV.
 
SeaEagle said:
I live in BC (Canada) also, and I'm concerned that the government will make internal combustion vehicles too expensive/illegal to operate in the coming years. This is motivating me to keep my beater running and not buying a new gas car.

Is anyone else factoring this into their car buying decision?
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Not yet, but I could see it becoming a factor if we stay on this current path.

For now, BC is just too big and relies too much on resources. There is no way that the economic engines of BC will be convinced an EV is superior to diesel with a slip tank. These guys go weeks without needing a fill so imagine trying to convince them they need a charge every day.
 

Laner said:
From the what we were talking about before about Toyota. Seems this is already not only happening, but is being released!

https://www.motortrend.com/reviews/...truck-first-drive-review-japan-mobility-show/

This is great news and I am optimistic about vehicles for the first time in a long while!

View attachment 1004
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Ah yes, the truck that America needs but will never get because our govt hates us. Just think if Americans started getting affordable trucks, the next thing they'd want are affordable houses and we can't have that, no sir. What's the point of having people around who aren't debt slaves...
 
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