car talk
There is no way I will ever get as good a deal on a car as I did the one I am driving now. I paid $900. The guy who owned it before me was a really busy dude, so he didn't have a lot of time to clean it, and it sort of accumulated a big mess inside. Underneath that mess though, was a pretty clean ride for 9 bills. It needed some brake pads VERY BADLY when I got it, but that only set me back like $25, and I installed them myself. The most important thing though, was the WORKING A/C, and the power steering. Previous to the Geo, I had been driving an ooooold Jetta (which I loved) which had straight up unpowered rack and pinion steering and no A/C. If you have never driven a car with no power assist on the steering, let me assure you that it is no fun. The slower you go, the harder it is to yank the wheel around. So, I was pretty freakin happy when I got the Geo...even if it had a few dents and stains. The A/C made it feel like total luxury...no more getting sweaty just driving somewhere in the crazy southern heat.
When I got the GEO, if I rememeber correctly, it had 170,000 miles on it. Thats a lot of miles. Right now it is just about to click over to 290,000 miles! The motor is kicking ass! There are signs that it is approaching senior citizenship though. A little vibration from the CV joint, the drivers side inside door handle is busted, and the power steering system is leaking pretty bad. Its getting a little tough to get into first gear also. At least I can stop without taking it out of gear now that we replaced the clutch slave cylinder though. Man that was a pain in the ass.
I baby it...I don't speed and I am never in a rush so I take it way easy with the accelerator and try to brake long and easy instead of jamming it up anyones ass them slamming the binders at the last second. Honestly, I think I could squeeze another 50k miles out of it, but wisdom says that I need to start looking for a new ride, so I have been investigating. I'll never get a deal as good as I did on the Geo though.
Here are some interesting things I have noticed about the cheap car market (which is an entirely difeferent scene than your shiny dealership luxury world....I can't afford that kind of crap):
When I got the GEO, if I rememeber correctly, it had 170,000 miles on it. Thats a lot of miles. Right now it is just about to click over to 290,000 miles! The motor is kicking ass! There are signs that it is approaching senior citizenship though. A little vibration from the CV joint, the drivers side inside door handle is busted, and the power steering system is leaking pretty bad. Its getting a little tough to get into first gear also. At least I can stop without taking it out of gear now that we replaced the clutch slave cylinder though. Man that was a pain in the ass.
I baby it...I don't speed and I am never in a rush so I take it way easy with the accelerator and try to brake long and easy instead of jamming it up anyones ass them slamming the binders at the last second. Honestly, I think I could squeeze another 50k miles out of it, but wisdom says that I need to start looking for a new ride, so I have been investigating. I'll never get a deal as good as I did on the Geo though.
Here are some interesting things I have noticed about the cheap car market (which is an entirely difeferent scene than your shiny dealership luxury world....I can't afford that kind of crap):
- people are dumping 6cylinders like crazy. the best "deals" i have seen are all on 6 cylinders...and believe it or not, some 5 cylinders (VW passats are 5cyl a lot of the time)
- craigslist car ads are a magnet for scammers and people trying to get you on their mailing lists. people flag posts on there so much that sometimes I think they might flag legitimate good deals
- people seem to really want to ditch VW cabrios for cheap. i've had a rabbit convertible before and it is not fun when the roof starts to leak
- the folks who get halfway finished doing the whole "body kit" treatment to a car anmd then try to sell it for a jacked up price crack me up
- I haven't ruled out a Volvo station wagon as a possibility, (especially if I can find a good price on a turbo) because they are invisible to cops
- Never buy a used car if it is red. just trust me okay?