Old car VS new car

[patrick66]

My '86 Ford full-sized wagon is something that has been unavailable from FoMoCo since 1992 in the US market. The last of the full-sized GM wagons was built in 1996. I like BIG station wagons. Ford happened to make the best of the lot, IMO, and owning a 75K mile, three-owner car that gets 19 highway and 15 in the city is still FAR less expensive than any new car, period. I'll never, ever own a minivan; and the so-called "crossover" cars are nothing more than very ugly and bloated minivans that can not haul a sheet of plywood on their best days. Granted, Dodge had a very nice car in the Magnum wagon, but they did nothing to market the car, and so the car lasted but four model years...shame on Chrysler!

I drive the Ford anywhere from 20 - 30 miles on a normal day. I can jump in it and go anywhere I like, and it is one of the best snow & ice cars I've ever owned.

But you know why I drive older cars and trucks? It is the satisfation of NOT having a car payment! Haven't had one for nearly four years now, since the wife's '06 PT ragtop was paid off in '09. Realize the fact that a car payment, insurance (tornado alley and the second highest rates in the US!), and once a new car runs out of warranty, NOTHING is cheap about fixing one; then you'll realize why I like the sheer economic benefits of driving older cars as daily drivers. My sons have a '76 Buick and an '85 Grand Marquis as drivers, and they keep right on going with minimal maintenance & insurance costs. If I had the desire to spend a grand a month on a new $65K truck, I am quite capable of doing so...but why would I???

 

[rexus31]

I bought my Fit brand new in 2008 with 13 miles on it. I didn't even know how to drive a stick at the time. But that said, it'd be the only Honda I would buy currently as they are all ugly pigs. I did go through several 88-91 Civics since then. As a daily driver (I commute through city traffic to work, about 40 minutes on average) I should have just bought an early 90's car. I didn't even know how to change my own oil back then. Since then, I've done engine swaps, ECU wiring, and just about any maintenance outside of head gasket that my Civic needed. I only bought new because my logic at the time was "I'm tired of putting repair money into my car! I could just buy a new one with all this repair money!" and I think a lot of people who don't know how to wrench think that. And then as soon as they pay the car off, it needs repairs so you're really just slaving away at work to put money in an automakers pocket endlessly like that.

I still have my 91 Civic 5 speed, my auto 08 Fit and now my 66 Newport. I drive the Newport at least 4 days a week, drive the Fit to work and the Civic is just sitting as a back up (needs a new dizzy I think as sometimes it has a random misfire really bad even after new rotor, cap, plugs and wires). But man, every time I get in someone else's "new" car now I hate it. Just hate being surrounded by the cheap plastic, hearing all the beeps and buzzes at every little thing, lights for sensors that people should be doing them damn selves. Even my GF learned to check her fluids and tire pressure at ever fill up now thanks to me helping her learn to wrench! Gotta pass on what others have taught me

It all depends on which car you buy. The fit and finish of my '12 Charger R/T is very nice as was that of the '07 R/T I traded in. There really isn't much cheap plastic at all. With the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and the 100,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty I purchased, I really don't care if something breaks and I doubt it will. I had over 120K on the '07 when I traded it in. All I had to do was routine maintenance and new tires. Let me ask you this. If you were me and were in outside sales, would you rather drive extended mileage in a loaded '12 Charger R/T or a used car from the '60's or '70's? You are lying to yourself if you choose the latter.

 

[rexus31]

At the end of the day, it is personal preference and weighs heavily on one's economic situation, what they use their car for and how much it's driven.

 

[Edison]

It all depends on which car you buy. The fit and finish of my '12 Charger R/T is very nice as was that of the '07 R/T I traded in. There really isn't much cheap plastic at all. With the 100,000 mile powertrain warranty and the 100,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty I purchased, I really don't care if something breaks and I doubt it will. I had over 120K on the '07 when I traded it in. All I had to do was routine maintenance and new tires. Let me ask you this. If you were me and were in outside sales, would you rather drive extended mileage in a loaded '12 Charger R/T or a used car from the '60's or '70's? You are lying to yourself if you choose the latter.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying EVERYONE should drive old cars. Like you, your car is a big part of your work especially in sales. You couldn't pull up in a hoopty and expect to make a sale I'm sure. But for me, I drove my sweat box rattling Civic for a couple years even through the summers to work, and my 91 CRX before that. I just went back to the Fit when the Civic started having its random misfire (plus I couldn't park all the cars at my house for a while due to GF having her two cars here as well). I much preferred driving the Civic and CRX over the Fit. I put 145000 miles on the Fit in 6 years, and that's not counting the 15K I put on the CRX before selling it, the 10K I put on the Civic in 4 years, and the miles I put on a 93 Mustang and 89 Accord before selling those.

I love driving my Civic when I find some curvy back roads. Its slow, but responsive and handles great. Four wheel disc brakes, adjustable rate struts and springs, close ratio 5 speed, variable valve timing and no AC and a manual steering rack. I've been driving my c-body every chance I get but I still have a spot in my heart for my rusty s*** box Civic that I put a lot of elbow grease into

 

[kellycom]

You drive an older car and you ride in a modern car. The experience of both are quite different and each have their merits. The styling of most older cars will never be equaled. This is why resto-mod is so popular. Add modern touches with the styling of the classics. However, you will still drive that car. When i say drive I mean you are in touch with the car. You use all of your senses, you feel the car, the road. You know when something is amiss with your classic. I know after I driven my 66 Charger for the day. I'm tired and I like it. But there are times when i want to jump in vehicle and not have to think or feel tired after driving it. So I hop in my 05 Ram Daytona for that.

 

[Edison]

You drive an older car and you ride in a modern car. The experience of both are quite different and each have their merits. The styling of most older cars will never be equaled. This is why resto-mod is so popular. Add modern touches with the styling of the classics. However, you will still drive that car. When i say drive I mean you are in touch with the car. You use all of your senses, you feel the car, the road. You know when something is amiss with your classic. I know after I driven my 66 Charger for the day. I'm tired and I like it. But there are times when i want to jump in vehicle and not have to think or feel tired after driving it. So I hop in my 05 Ram Daytona for that.

Well said.

 

[john66ny]

Agreeing with kellycom's well-stated post.

Interesting, the OP was querying opinions on old iron vs. 2004+. Based on my experiences, I can honestly say that some of my favorites for a DD would actually be more from the 90's, before electronics started taking over everything in the quest for CAFE compliance. Those ones seem to be highly reliable (given their age) and parts are available and relatively inexpensive. I had a '98 Maxima that was a great car, a '92 Integra that was pretty good too. My folks are holding on to their '94 Taurus wagon for much the same reasoning. My current DD is an '05 Legacy GT and frankly I can't see anything newer that I'm loving enough to replace it. And, as somebody said, if I want to drive then I'll take the New Yorker.

 

[Wildaugust]

Well, the new cars are way more convenient. They have keyless entry, some have remote start, ect. Nice to have. They have all of the nav stuff, GPS, On-star, which is stuff that I don't want anyway. The older cars had everything that they needed, IMO and nothing that they didn't need. I mean, we could get power windows, power door locks, power seats, cruise control, A/C, time delay lighting and needless to say, power steering and power brakes in cars that are now considered classic cars.

I've owned my daily driver, a 2005, for a little over two and a half years now and it does a pretty good job of getting me back and forth to work and shopping, but I am hesitant to drive it any farther than 25 or 30 miles. In the two and a half years that I've owned it, I've needed a tow truck twice. Yeah, it always started, no matter how cold it was, so it wasn't because it needed a boost. The first time it was because the camshaft position sensor failed and the second time it was because the timing belt broke. Luckily, pistons did not hit valves. :whew:

I drove my full-size '70 Mercury as my daily driver for seventeen years, and in all of that time, I only needed a tow truck four times. Two of those times it was because she was parked on the street too long at temps of -30, not plugged in and wouldn't start without a boost. One time was because she wouldn't start and I thought it needed a boost, but it turned out that the starter cable was loose at the starter motor. The other time was because the starter drive disintegrated inside of my bell housing, so my starter couldn't crank my engine.

I still have the Mercury and use it as my spare driver. I wouldn't hesitate to drive that car anywhere, because I trust it and I know that it won't leave me stranded. One problem with using a classic as a driver though, is that they are getting hard to find parts for and there could be a couple weeks downtime if you have to order parts and wait for them to arrive.

Because I do all of my own work on my Mercury, my Newport and my truck, I know if something is starting to fail or no longer working right. With the '05, unless something is making noise, like a bad alternator bearing, for example or unless the car displays a code, I have no way of knowing if some part is getting ready to fail. I'll find out when I'm driving along and the car suddenly dies. I don't want that to happen when I'm four hundred miles away from home.

 

[saforwardlook]

Any new car these days except maybe a VW should get you easily over 100K miles of trouble free use and even to 150K miles in most cases with regular maintenance, which is usually very little (including changing the timing belt if it still has one (many are chains again) around 100K miles). After that, throw it away and get a new one.

 

[tbm3fan]

Agreeing with kellycom's well-stated post.

Interesting, the OP was querying opinions on old iron vs. 2004+. Based on my experiences, I can honestly say that some of my favorites for a DD would actually be more from the 90's, before electronics started taking over everything in the quest for CAFE compliance. Those ones seem to be highly reliable (given their age) and parts are available and relatively inexpensive. I had a '98 Maxima that was a great car, a '92 Integra that was pretty good too. My folks are holding on to their '94 Taurus wagon for much the same reasoning. My current DD is an '05 Legacy GT and frankly I can't see anything newer that I'm loving enough to replace it. And, as somebody said, if I want to drive then I'll take the New Yorker.

As to the original question I felt it was dealing with 2004+ and our cars from the 60's and 70's only. I wouldn't have considered putting my 91 Mazda 626 nor my wife's 1998 Sable wagon in the mix. Yet you are right about the 90's so much so that I want to stock up on one or two more cars from the 90's to see me through all of my final years. Always keeping my eye open for 1991 Mazda 626 sticks as they were the best of a great bunch. Easy to work on and I know them very well besides being worth no more than $1200 in good clean condition. My DD is the 2004 Focus ZTS with the 2.3L engine and stick. Wouldn't buy a Focus after 2006 as they tamed down the suspension which is a no no with me.

 

[commando1]

Extremely interesting to see all these cars come out of the closet that we use as DDs. Really covers the spectrum.

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[mr. fix it]

Bob, new cars have a purpose - to provide transportation needs to people who do not want, nor wish to own old cars. Not everyone (thankfully) likes old cars and trucks. One big advantage to a new vehicle is a warranty - an a pretty damn good one, too! The disadvantages are - they are NOT designed in any way to be worked on by the owner. Not even so much as a damn oil change on many of them. Plus, a basic car with few options is going to cost $15K. I can buy a pretty damn nice old car or truck for that and have change in my pocket.

I rented a '12 Nissan Sentra to drive on a trip to Colorado recently, and put 2,450 miles on it. Got 37 mpg for a trip average, too! Pretty impressive, but would I go buy a new Sentra? No. When I need to do a road trip, I'll happily spend $300 to rent someone elses car and put the wear and tear on IT and not my vehicles. The new cars are good for what they are designed to do - haul people around. Will people restore 2014 Mustangs and Challengers forty years from now? The answer is "yes", but they'd better be very well-versed in today's electronics, because with an average of eight separate computers in new vehicles, there is a LOT to go wrong. You think finding a working LeanBurn computer is bad? At least, a guy can easily work around a failed LB and bypass it. Nothing in today's cars is designed to be bypassed, or even repaired! Most warranty work is remove the old and replace with new. No "repair" work is done.

So, yes, I'll continue to drive my 28-year-old Ford wagon on a daily basis. And at $3.75/gallon @ 17 mpg, I'm still spending FAR less than the guy who just bought a 2014 Whatever, with his high car payment, insurance, 35 mpg, and overall cost-per-mile. Oh, and the eight to 20 airbags to spontaneously deploy, and then total an otherwise-undamaged vehicle. Pass.

And, there is NO way I can justify spending $40K on a Mustang, Challenger, or a Camaro (and that is not even the top-end cars!), nor the same on a mid-level half-ton gas pickup. Insanity rules these days.

I have to agree with all of the above comments...

Especially affordability.. the Stealerships alll push leasing!!

I can't afford to even buy a used one that is a few years old without payments...

 

[cld]

I love all old cars that I see out and about, and I love my '68 Fast Top, but good lord I don't want to drive her to work every day. I will come out of the closet and admit to having a bulletproof mid-2000s Toyota Corolla that is just a fantastic daily driver. Paid off, 110k+ miles, utterly dependable, with a squirt of Lucas fuel additive it will touch 40 mpg! Since it's long since paid off and with such good fuel mileage it feels like a free car.I've been in a few accidents and they caused me no emotional pain at all, like I would've had with an older or cooler car. Just "ok, GEICO, are you going to total or fix it? Fine." And then the bucks I save here and there by driving the Corolla I can put towards the weekend warrior Fury... new tires, lead additive, new Vanillaroma, etc...

 

[Samplingman]

I love all old cars that I see out and about, and I love my '68 Fast Top, but good lord I don't want to drive her to work every day. I will come out of the closet and admit to having a bulletproof mid-2000s Toyota Corolla that is just a fantastic daily driver. Paid off, 110k+ miles, utterly dependable, with a squirt of Lucas fuel additive it will touch 40 mpg! Since it's long since paid off and with such good fuel mileage it feels like a free car.I've been in a few accidents and they caused me no emotional pain at all, like I would've had with an older or cooler car. Just "ok, GEICO, are you going to total or fix it? Fine." And then the bucks I save here and there by driving the Corolla I can put towards the weekend warrior Fury... new tires, lead additive, new Vanillaroma, etc...

I have an '02 with 210,000. Hell, I bought it with 108,000, and other than brakes and tires it's been very reliable for my 80+ mile per day commute. Only now I am thinking of giving it up so my 18 year old can get to work and school, but I'm looking for a high mileage 2000's light truck to haul stuff and still give me some MPG's. Yeah, I could get my 300 HT running and use that, but it just doesn't seem smart on the PA Turnpike with the crazy Beamers and Blonds in Lexus SUV's, just not enough maneuverability. I think the commuting back in the 1960's and 1970's was very different, I don't think the older cars are really made for the current commuter environment.

James

 

[saforwardlook]

I have an '02 with 210,000. Hell, I bought it with 108,000, and other than brakes and tires it's been very reliable for my 80+ mile per day commute. Only now I am thinking of giving it up so my 18 year old can get to work and school, but I'm looking for a high mileage 2000's light truck to haul stuff and still give me some MPG's. Yeah, I could get my 300 HT running and use that, but it just doesn't seem smart on the PA Turnpike with the crazy Beamers and Blonds in Lexus SUV's, just not enough maneuverability. I think the commuting back in the 1960's and 1970's was very different, I don't think the older cars are really made for the current commuter environment.

James

What brand of 2002 vehicle do you have? Toyota Corolla too?

 

[Samplingman]

What brand of 2002 vehicle do you have? Toyota Corolla too?

Sorry, yes it's a corolla.

 

[Edison]

For all my trash talk, my Fit has 144,000 miles on it (ALL of them from me) and all I've done so far are:

Brake pads
ATF change
COP packs
Spark plugs
Oil pressure sensor
Valve Lash adjustment (most expensive so far)

and of course all the oil changes.

Some issues it has are that the two front door locks won't open with the key outside. I've lubed them with lock spray but no dice. I just don't keep valuables in my car and just don't lock the doors

 

[Samplingman]

My corolla drinks a quart of oil a week. I've run it dry for days, I couldn't kill it if I wanted to.

 

[cm23uoc]

200 k miles on the old Container with only minor issues, some rust, some electrical. Good for another 23 years I guess.

 

[68Nwprt]

My 2003 Silverado has 254K on the clock., and I drive it 100 miles a day,every day for the past four years. Excluding week ends. Replaced, alternator,battery, and fuel pump, to date. Now could I have done that with my 68 Satellite? Not so sure. IMO newer models all look the same, lack of styling effort. I just wish they would get the hell out of my way, so I could get home.