"pjp" wrote

| I just don't see myself ever buying a "new" vehicle again. None of them
| are worth the money and what you're realing doing is simply giving a
| dealer endless opportunities to exploit you. Least that's my take on it.
|

I need it for work. To my mind it's cheaper to buy
new and pay off a loan. I get a dependable vehicle.
And repair costs these days make a used car too
expensive.

I had two Toyota pickups that lasted me about
30 years. 19 years and 230K miles on the first
one. 11 years and 80K miles on the second. I
did most of the work myself and they didn't need
much. But then the second started to rust
out and things like exhaust sensors kept going
on me. Stuff that didn't even exist on the older
truck. I decided it would be better to buy new
again rather than to start doing repairs on a regular
basis. If I have to pay $300 to $1,000 every 2
months for maintenance then I'm better off just
buying new. The last thing that went was speed
sensors on the front wheels. I didn't even know
they existed! $350 to do it myself of $700 to pay
a mechanic to hook up two little camera gizmos
next to the brake disk. (Probably $100 for an hour's
labor and $250 for the scam parts markup.) Like
most machinery today, repairing is more expensive
than buying new. TVs, DVD players, drills, saws,
and even cars. Fixing them isn't worth it.

This time I got a Nissan. The Toyotas were good
when I bought them. They used to be the best for the
least money. But Toyota shifted their focus. Now
they only make expensive pickups and the Tacoma
bed is only 5' because there's a full back seat. It's
really a family sedan that can be used to carry an
ATV or a bag of grass seed... after a plastic liner
has been installed so the bed doesn't get dirty.

I guess there's not much money in work trucks.
These days it's all about selling luxury sedans that
just look like work trucks. So macho cowboys can
drive around suburban streets felling like the Marlboro
man. There are very few models that are actually
just a pickup, without back doors and back seats.

| I don't own any phone but a landline so anything to do with a cell phone
| is money poorly spent. Same with any fancy way to play music in the car.

Unfortunately, most people want to talk on their
portable phone. I live in MA where it's legal and traffic
has become like a demolition derby. In NH and VT it's
illegal to use handhelds. The difference is noticeable.
Some people might still be on the phone, but at least
they're not trying to text, and they have a hand free
to turn on their signals.

I see the problem as symptomatic
of something far more chilling: a general trend away
from community. So many people no longer see
themselves connected to the people around them.
They walk without looking where they're going and
drive as though they're alone on the road. If
I beep the horn at them they don't even look up,
never imagining someone might be beeping at them,
even though they're sitting at a green light talking
on the phone!