Open thread topic: I'm offering up my '06 Suburban to any ACF-er who's not afraid of a bit of mileage and worships at the altar of pre-AFM GM LS motors.
Basic Details:
Location: Indianapolis Indiana
Price: $3000
2006 Chevy Suburban 1500 LS 4WD 315k miles 5.3L
Auto/Part time 4WD with Low range. G80 Spin Locker
Runs down the road at 80+ straight and smooth with hot heat and meat locker AC. All accessories work.
I bought it from the previous owner who bought it as a 1yr old ex-Avis truck and drove 289k of the 315k miles in salt-free Colorado: basically zero rust, doubly so because I've been diligently undercoating the thing with Fluid Film and Wool Wax, and quite frankly the thing sits out most of the winter salt-road driving. He had rebuilt the transmission at 130k miles (the typical stock 4L60E lifespan), and it got rear end work at around 180k miles. When I bought the truck in 2020 I went through *ALL* the various wear items that needed doing: all new shocks all around, brakes front and rear, t-case encoder, full fluid service, water pump, belts and hoses, vent valve, oil pan gasket (oil pan was spotless inside thanks to the PO's diligent use of full synthetic). I dropped around $2k on it two springs ago to get the rear end redone (pinion bearing, axle bearings, brake backing plates) as well as the t-case serviced and rebuilt with a "case saver" for the NP 246. The truck is current rolling on studded General Altimax Arctics with lots of life left in them. Summer tires mounted on stock 16" alloys are Bridgestone Dueler LTH that will need to be replaced within 10k miles or so.
Minor annoyances:
-HVAC backlighting is out. Simple fix, I've simply been too lazy to go messing with it.
-"service tire monitor" message comes on every time you start the truck. Hit the cancel button on the steering wheel and forget all about it.
-A few dents and dings around the truck, most notably LH side of rear bumper. Can send photos to seriously interested parties
-minor drip from rear diff cover. This was resealed as part of the rebuild and I don't know if it's because I've been running it overfilled, could be solved with a new diff cover gasket presumably.
-Minor oil leak from back of the motor. Could this be the beginnings of a rear main seal leak? I dunno. I put a quart of Lucas Stop Leak in with every 5k synthetic oil change (Walmart supertech, AC Delco filter) and it stays dry and out of mind. Engine has excellent oil pressure, 30+ PSI hot idle running 5W-30.
I'd hop in and drive the thing to Alaska tomorrow given the chance. I trust it to haul my family down to the OBX from Indiana twice so I could drive it on the beach, out to Quebec last winter, countless trips out to NY and PA to visit family. Drive it like a granny on state highways and you will see an honest to god 20mpg out of this rig I kid you not. More typical highway speeds and mixed driving yields 17mpg or so.
Reason for sale is I simply never use the damn thing. Our minivan does fine with snow tires in our Indiana winters and now with a hitch will be able to handle occasional light motorcycle trailer duty, and that's about all I've used the Chevy for in the last several years. So it sits taking up space in the driveway and in the back of my mind, it's time to move on. Anyone seriously interested I think you can contact me through substack(?)
I plan on coming to the supercross race at Indy March 16th, if you still have it by then I’ll look you up. I’ve been on the hunt for a full size tow vehicle that’s not losing the battle to rust.
By midwestern standards this thing is surgically clean underneath. All of the usual concerns: brake and fuel lines, soft frames, shot rockers, etc all a non-issue.
Let me know if you're still interested in checking the Suburban out. I was still waffling on selling it, kind of pissed at the thought of letting go of such a nice driving functional 4wd SUV for "only" $3k to the general public, but for a fellow ACFer I feel like at least it'd be going to a deserving person.
I deliberated on it for weeks since finding something clean is so difficult, but ultimately I think I need the functionality of a pickup bed. Thank you for checking back though.
I keep trying to get mine to commute in the thing atleast through pothole season. I had put the "nicer" Monroe shocks on the front. Between that and the bigger than stock 265/75R16 snow tires it absolutely bombs through bad roads. And no worries about some uninsured illegal rear ending you in traffic you probably wouldn't even feel a thing.
What’s the closest airport? Or meet at the Baruth estate? And Jack how about a 2009 Ford Fusion SE six-speed stick, 148k miles, to sweeten/complicate/sour the deal?
Whoa, we're at most 2 counties apart. I'll ask the boss if we're in the market for a truck with a working transmission, as opposed to our fleet of disabled Fords and Toyotas. I prefer working out of pickups with open beds but right now that means cramming my surveying stuff in a single cab F350 XL 7.3 with a fuel tank taking up 30% of the bed.. If not I'm interested just buying it myself.
Fair enough. My dad is looking for a tow/road trip vehicle and this sounded up his alley. I didn't want to waste your/Jack's time if it wasn't something he was interested in.
It would handle that with ease. I’ve towed a few 3500lb ish cars on twin axle u haul trailers, two 500-600lb motorcycles at the same time with the larger twin axle uhaul utility trailer. Can barely tell it’s there. I put it into tow/haul mode in hilly areas and I like how it sets the shift points up.
TLDR: I’m out of the Suburban game so open to other bidders (but do have the Fusion; semi-detailed proposal to follow).
Checked with my mason friend who needed a replacement for his 2002 Chevy suburban 1500 5.3 L with a blown 4LE60 transmission, unbeknownst to me he’s getting another truck tomorrow, he’s been borrowing our beater Volvo wagon. We’re six hours to the East of Baruthland
Hey as long as Stellantis keeps fire saleing 4xes I’ll probably keep leasing the pieces of shit. Are they great, no, are they reliable and economical, also no, but they’re the most interesting you can lease for my (very little) money.
It’s a lease. Taxes/fees down + first month’s payment. Conventional wisdom is 1% of MSRP at $0 down is the target. My current 4xe is $60k sticker, $420/mo lease. On line I call the one I’m thinking of ordering at just over $70k, payment online is $515ish, I figure it will be that or a little less. Takes into account the $7500 tax credit, and the online calc wants a 10% down payment I assume as a discount.
Might need to call my old Ram sales guy about one for those kind of low low prices. I'm leasing a similar MSRP priced 22' f-150 also for $420/mo (nothing down) that's due back in late April. I don't really want a truck anymore, and have no passion for just about anything south of a 6 figure MSRP currently on the market new. Tempting even if stellantis reliability is hot garbage.
One of the main, and possibly the only, perks of living in the Midwest is knowing at least one person that will give up an Employee pin # for a nice steak dinner. Cheaper than a broker :D I have always liked GC's and can't beat the price to rinse and repeat after 2 years.
I’ve been toying with getting a Wrangler forever, but I’d rather have a 2 door and don’t really want the 4xe. But the 4xe is now the only way to get the full time transfer case, and availability is better in general.
Yeah. Early on had an issue which needed a software patch. Then I had a coolant heater pump go out which caused the EV system and the HVAC system to be inop for 2 months. Currently I’m under recall which means I can’t park the Jeep inside or charge it. Probably a nothingburger, but “unexplained fires are a matter for the courts.” Jeep has 26.6k miles on it. But it’s a first year Stellantis vehicle, I expected all of this. It’s a great least and a shitty buy, especially since IMO most people have no business buying a $60-70k+ vehicle if they aren’t over the income cap that makes them ineligibility for the tax credit.
You do you, I won’t try to talk anyone into one of these, but I’m part of a fairly small recall (32k vehicles) based on 6-8 actual fires, of which 4-5 might have been due to crappy aftermarket accessory wiring. I’m following the rules because it’s painless and the downside is catastrophic, but I have zero thought my Jeep is actually going to catch fire. But I for sure understand why others don’t want the potential headache.
Listen, my Mom had both the sedan Seville and the bustleback, both in metallic blue, so I can damn well drive my soulless Porsches now cause I did my time.
Back in the day I worked in an exclusive neighborhood gas station. I bought a lot of cars that the locals didn't think were worth fixing. I mean cars that were only 4 or 5 years old. I did much better on the resale of the busleback Sevilles by hundreds to almost thousands of dollars.
i think the funniest part about CDG is that he advocates for buying crappy used cars on his twitter page and actively chastises people who want to do anything other than drive a 15k used camry. its right in line with the inability of auto journalists to provide real car buying advice or opinions, except his preferred line of projection is to try and "bucket of crabs" everyone into driving the same 6-10 year old japanese appliances. i wonder if perhaps he stands to benefit from people buying old cars that may need constant replacement and service vs new ones.... hmmmm.....
The "it only makes sense to buy used" segment of the internet amuses me. Deprecation
with new car can surely be a mother fucker but with a used car the cost of parts and repairs as well as the subsequent possibly of not having a car for a few days because it's in the shop can be way way worse. For context, I should mention that in the past I have worked as car salesman for both new and used cars, a service advisor and as a counter person at an auto parts store so I do have slightly more than cursory knowledge on this subject.
"it only needs to get you reliably point A to point B!!!! anything else is throwing money away!!!!" riiiight reminds me of all the money i could save by eating gruel, rice, and insects for every meal as long as it hits all my macros
It’s scary how many people think having a diet consisting exclusively of beans and rice and driving a POS used car till the wheels falls off is the best way to become financially secure. I’d rather die penniless than live that way.
i think unfortunately it says more about the financial situation of an increasingly large subset of people where $300 of unexpected expenses in a month is a major problem. but agree.
Yeah but a lot of THOSE people are doing whatever they want, within reason. The performative savings stuff is the domain of people making middle class income but determined to retire at 55.
I’ve read a fair amount of stuff from the FIRE community. They tend to fall into one of two camps:
-People who have a serious hobby they are obsessed with and desperate to devote more time to, especially if it’s a free hobby like gardening or reading library books or bird watching or something
-people who are painfully socially awkward and/or on some kind of spectrum who find the very act of interacting with people horrible.
Me personally, all my hobbies are at least moderately expensive, and so retiring early would preclude my participating in them. Plus I’ve got the golden handcuffs of a very nice lifestyle that I’m committing to maintaining for myself and my family, so wage slave it is.
All that money and nothing to do with it. A lifetime of frugality isnt gonna turn the switch at fifty five. If you even see fifty five. Im more of a saver than a spender but im not living off beeans and rice
That's true, although any 15-year-old car is a gamble and could incur $300 (or much more) in expenses at a moment's notice. Just because it's a Camry doesn't mean it won't break. In particular, the 2007+ 2.4-liter Camry is prone to rampant oil-burning at higher mileages, and no one talks about it. I steered my cousin away from an overpriced 2009 Camry LE (and into a 2007 Buick Lucerne CXL with the 3800) for that very reason.
08-09 are the oil burning years for the Toyota 2.4s IIRC. 10-11 is a sweet spot of the new 2.5+6spd in the facelifted XV40 body (you could get that handsome dark forest green color too), but before the dumb "flex-lock" torque converter programming that can chew up 12-14 Camry transmissions on cars that see a lot of low speed driving (several TSBs and a quiet transmission warranty extension to 8yrs/150k miles). Toyota is starting to stumble with increasing frequency, unfortunately.
It's not bullshit to the adult-sized children who have 4 times their income in consumer debt. His advice is for the children too stupid to come home when the streetlights go on.
The big one here is that getting out of debt is not supposed to be some all-consuming, every-penny-counts quest. The modern economy runs on debt, and Ramsey's advice - well, his BRAND - is unrealistic much of the time.
I'm not a Dave Ramsey aficionado but if you're at the point you need Daves advice, you probably really need it. Some people just spend way too much money? My definition of "Way too much money" is "More than you make" Don't buy luxury items at 30% interest. Guys making 500k a year with huge credit card balances. Guy who gets a new job and spends his first paycheck before he gets it.
What galls me is that he got HIMSELF into trouble, decided it was the DEBT that did it rather than his ambition and went all evangelical on the notion that Debt Is Bad.
The people who give this sort of advice has never worked on their car all night just to make it to work the next morning and it shows.
I promised myself years ago that I’d never put myself in that sort of position. Even now, I’d love to sell my truck and daily a pre-emissions diesel but that’s too much of a headache to deal with.
For work alone, I drive like 20k + miles per year. I hesitate to own anything without a warranty that I have to depend on to make a living every day.
I don’t make smart choices in cars, but I’m also not trying to drive 20k miles up and down busy interstates in a 15 year old Camry just to save a buck.
For that reason alone, I’m probably selling my beloved Bronco for something less stupid instead of getting a “work beater.” Just no economical sense in it,
I drove fully depreciated used jaguars, paid cash. In hindsight I should have borrowed money for a manual C5 or C6. More reliable, more efficient, and lots of residual value.
Jack summed it up nicely in You Gotta Be Rich to Own a Cheap Car:
"On the Internet, everybody has a six-figure savings account and a seven-figure retirement account. Everybody pays cash for everything while simultaneously dumping massive amounts of money into investments. They’re all the Millionaires Next Door and they know more about money and investing and prudent decision-making than Warren Buffet and Sam Walton combined. In the real world, people are victimized by everything from economic downturns to poor decisions they made when they were too young to know any better. In the real world, most families are just getting by and the rainy-day money they’ve saved rarely measures up to the endless tide of rainy days.
For those families, a new-car payment is a burden — but it’s one they can predict and live with. It sucks to “throw away” $300 or $400 every month, but it’s never a surprise and in exchange they have freedom from surprises. They have freedom from the surprise of losing two days of work or being stuck with their children by the side of a fifteen-degree freeway all night or having to diagnose mechanical issues using a cellphone flash and whatever conventional wisdom their parents bothered to impart when they weren’t off doing their own thing. They know that every month they are exchanging a fixed sum of money for certainty and reliability."
Sincerely - a guy who spent all last night replacing the starter in a 2008 Ranger
Also, speaking of internet experts, this week I was pleased to read that annual equivalent returns on Cathie 'Tesla stock is a tech stock' Wood's Ark Invest are 2%. I am impressed by her commitment but just because you are prepared to back your babbling with money, doesn't make your babblings fact. Even Mary Barra is doing better than 2%!
I spent every college break/holiday in college repairing my (at the time) 20 year old car. Great, great lesson. Granted, since it was a 1974 Buick, had I had the money, I could have probably put it in an okay shape, and drive it for another 20 years. But being a broke college student, I could only repair what broke, when it broke. Not a great recipe for reliability, when you have to drive 70-80 miles/day. I walked the last few miles home more than once.
My Iphone 12 pairing with my Audi always had quirks. Work gave me a new Iphone 15 and those quirks disappeared. "Gave me..." I pay for it... At least it's deductible.
Here's people thinking computers are going to control us through 'AI' when they actually already control us with their limitations and their shortcomings.
Before the pandemic, when I purchased a new car, the problem I ran into was that I could finance a brand new car at 1 percent and a 3 year old car was at 5 percent. On the total life of the loan I might save 1K on buying used, but if I purchased new, I got the full manufacture warranty.
I was too young to go to that Olympia show in '75, but my friends older brother had an AMC Gremlin X that we rode around in listening to FM rock in Detroit. Good times.
I saw Tull at the State Fair Coliseum on their tour to support Aqualung, just as they were breaking big. Edger Winter's White Trash and a local band were the supporting acts. General admission, we got there straight from school so were able to stake out places right in front of the stage, near one of the PA columns. I couldn't hear in my right ear for three days after that show.
Open thread topic: I'm offering up my '06 Suburban to any ACF-er who's not afraid of a bit of mileage and worships at the altar of pre-AFM GM LS motors.
Basic Details:
Location: Indianapolis Indiana
Price: $3000
2006 Chevy Suburban 1500 LS 4WD 315k miles 5.3L
Auto/Part time 4WD with Low range. G80 Spin Locker
Runs down the road at 80+ straight and smooth with hot heat and meat locker AC. All accessories work.
I bought it from the previous owner who bought it as a 1yr old ex-Avis truck and drove 289k of the 315k miles in salt-free Colorado: basically zero rust, doubly so because I've been diligently undercoating the thing with Fluid Film and Wool Wax, and quite frankly the thing sits out most of the winter salt-road driving. He had rebuilt the transmission at 130k miles (the typical stock 4L60E lifespan), and it got rear end work at around 180k miles. When I bought the truck in 2020 I went through *ALL* the various wear items that needed doing: all new shocks all around, brakes front and rear, t-case encoder, full fluid service, water pump, belts and hoses, vent valve, oil pan gasket (oil pan was spotless inside thanks to the PO's diligent use of full synthetic). I dropped around $2k on it two springs ago to get the rear end redone (pinion bearing, axle bearings, brake backing plates) as well as the t-case serviced and rebuilt with a "case saver" for the NP 246. The truck is current rolling on studded General Altimax Arctics with lots of life left in them. Summer tires mounted on stock 16" alloys are Bridgestone Dueler LTH that will need to be replaced within 10k miles or so.
Minor annoyances:
-HVAC backlighting is out. Simple fix, I've simply been too lazy to go messing with it.
-"service tire monitor" message comes on every time you start the truck. Hit the cancel button on the steering wheel and forget all about it.
-A few dents and dings around the truck, most notably LH side of rear bumper. Can send photos to seriously interested parties
-minor drip from rear diff cover. This was resealed as part of the rebuild and I don't know if it's because I've been running it overfilled, could be solved with a new diff cover gasket presumably.
-Minor oil leak from back of the motor. Could this be the beginnings of a rear main seal leak? I dunno. I put a quart of Lucas Stop Leak in with every 5k synthetic oil change (Walmart supertech, AC Delco filter) and it stays dry and out of mind. Engine has excellent oil pressure, 30+ PSI hot idle running 5W-30.
I'd hop in and drive the thing to Alaska tomorrow given the chance. I trust it to haul my family down to the OBX from Indiana twice so I could drive it on the beach, out to Quebec last winter, countless trips out to NY and PA to visit family. Drive it like a granny on state highways and you will see an honest to god 20mpg out of this rig I kid you not. More typical highway speeds and mixed driving yields 17mpg or so.
Reason for sale is I simply never use the damn thing. Our minivan does fine with snow tires in our Indiana winters and now with a hitch will be able to handle occasional light motorcycle trailer duty, and that's about all I've used the Chevy for in the last several years. So it sits taking up space in the driveway and in the back of my mind, it's time to move on. Anyone seriously interested I think you can contact me through substack(?)
I'll also put you together with anyone who expresses interest in the comments.
Located in Indiana ?
Yep, NW suburbs of Indianapolis
I plan on coming to the supercross race at Indy March 16th, if you still have it by then I’ll look you up. I’ve been on the hunt for a full size tow vehicle that’s not losing the battle to rust.
By midwestern standards this thing is surgically clean underneath. All of the usual concerns: brake and fuel lines, soft frames, shot rockers, etc all a non-issue.
Let me know if you're still interested in checking the Suburban out. I was still waffling on selling it, kind of pissed at the thought of letting go of such a nice driving functional 4wd SUV for "only" $3k to the general public, but for a fellow ACFer I feel like at least it'd be going to a deserving person.
I deliberated on it for weeks since finding something clean is so difficult, but ultimately I think I need the functionality of a pickup bed. Thank you for checking back though.
No worries and understood!
I dont need a suburban but for 3k i kinda want a suburban. Wonder how mad the wife would be if this just replaced her almost brand new telluride…
I keep trying to get mine to commute in the thing atleast through pothole season. I had put the "nicer" Monroe shocks on the front. Between that and the bigger than stock 265/75R16 snow tires it absolutely bombs through bad roads. And no worries about some uninsured illegal rear ending you in traffic you probably wouldn't even feel a thing.
We probably wouldnt love them as much if they did what we wanted them to do. Thats what i tell myself at least.
Really disappointed that the timing is so completely wrong for me on this right now.
What’s the closest airport? Or meet at the Baruth estate? And Jack how about a 2009 Ford Fusion SE six-speed stick, 148k miles, to sweeten/complicate/sour the deal?
And does anyone involved need any quality masonry work done?
I could use some concrete and a little brick this summer, yeah! Let's talk.
I need some masonry work done. Doesn't have to be quality! My location probably doesn't make it a profitable job.
Swing by my place for some tuckpointing after you hit Scott’s, please.
You can fly right into Indy I'm on the NW side about a 30 minute drive away. Where has said Fusion lived its life (road salt wise)? Go on....
Baltimore, so . . . https://www.carid.com/2009-ford-fusion-rocker-panels-floors/replace-rocker-panel-591663708.html
I’m thinking Jack might want to give it this treatment https://avoidablecontact.substack.com/p/here-comes-the-singer-milan
And start his own spec series?
I'm just a wee bit North of Baltimore and could always stand to get yelled at by my girlfriend for buying something stupid.
Let's hear more about this Ford Fusion!
Let's hear the numbers on it!
Numbers, we don’t need no stinking numbers.
Me: "What do you want for it?"
Guy selling piece of junk (shrugging): "What'll you give me for it?"
Me (Scowling): "Buck fifty, dickhead."
Whoa, we're at most 2 counties apart. I'll ask the boss if we're in the market for a truck with a working transmission, as opposed to our fleet of disabled Fords and Toyotas. I prefer working out of pickups with open beds but right now that means cramming my surveying stuff in a single cab F350 XL 7.3 with a fuel tank taking up 30% of the bed.. If not I'm interested just buying it myself.
Would it be too much trouble to upload a few pictures to imgur or similar?
If it requires me to make a new account on some website I haven't used before... probably. I can email pics to seriously interested folks.
Fair enough. My dad is looking for a tow/road trip vehicle and this sounded up his alley. I didn't want to waste your/Jack's time if it wasn't something he was interested in.
The 5.3 will safely tow a camper at 90% GCVWR but most owners didn't like having to slow down on any rise on the highway due to a lack of grunt.
All he has is an ATV and a 6x12 trailer. Maybe two on my 18’ open in a pinch. This is more than enough.
It would handle that with ease. I’ve towed a few 3500lb ish cars on twin axle u haul trailers, two 500-600lb motorcycles at the same time with the larger twin axle uhaul utility trailer. Can barely tell it’s there. I put it into tow/haul mode in hilly areas and I like how it sets the shift points up.
Well give him the basic specs/price/miles and if it sounds like something up his alley we can coordinate on pics
TLDR: I’m out of the Suburban game so open to other bidders (but do have the Fusion; semi-detailed proposal to follow).
Checked with my mason friend who needed a replacement for his 2002 Chevy suburban 1500 5.3 L with a blown 4LE60 transmission, unbeknownst to me he’s getting another truck tomorrow, he’s been borrowing our beater Volvo wagon. We’re six hours to the East of Baruthland
Hey as long as Stellantis keeps fire saleing 4xes I’ll probably keep leasing the pieces of shit. Are they great, no, are they reliable and economical, also no, but they’re the most interesting you can lease for my (very little) money.
so .... what exactly is a "fire sale" lease payment? and how much does one also have to put down up front?
anything listing for $60k and not selling for $20k+ off that isn't "fire sale" in my book.
It’s a lease. Taxes/fees down + first month’s payment. Conventional wisdom is 1% of MSRP at $0 down is the target. My current 4xe is $60k sticker, $420/mo lease. On line I call the one I’m thinking of ordering at just over $70k, payment online is $515ish, I figure it will be that or a little less. Takes into account the $7500 tax credit, and the online calc wants a 10% down payment I assume as a discount.
Might need to call my old Ram sales guy about one for those kind of low low prices. I'm leasing a similar MSRP priced 22' f-150 also for $420/mo (nothing down) that's due back in late April. I don't really want a truck anymore, and have no passion for just about anything south of a 6 figure MSRP currently on the market new. Tempting even if stellantis reliability is hot garbage.
Check leasehackr if your local dealer doesn’t want to play ball, lots won’t. I used a broker for $400, Clutch. He’s on leasehackr.
One of the main, and possibly the only, perks of living in the Midwest is knowing at least one person that will give up an Employee pin # for a nice steak dinner. Cheaper than a broker :D I have always liked GC's and can't beat the price to rinse and repeat after 2 years.
"The Stellantis company is not happy with me. That's okay, I'll still keep leasing that garbage."
I’ve been toying with getting a Wrangler forever, but I’d rather have a 2 door and don’t really want the 4xe. But the 4xe is now the only way to get the full time transfer case, and availability is better in general.
Have you had many 4xe specific issues with yours?
Yeah. Early on had an issue which needed a software patch. Then I had a coolant heater pump go out which caused the EV system and the HVAC system to be inop for 2 months. Currently I’m under recall which means I can’t park the Jeep inside or charge it. Probably a nothingburger, but “unexplained fires are a matter for the courts.” Jeep has 26.6k miles on it. But it’s a first year Stellantis vehicle, I expected all of this. It’s a great least and a shitty buy, especially since IMO most people have no business buying a $60-70k+ vehicle if they aren’t over the income cap that makes them ineligibility for the tax credit.
“Can’t park the Jeep inside or charge it”
Fuck that. I’ll stick to the gas model or not bother altogether. That hassle isn’t worth the savings.
You do you, I won’t try to talk anyone into one of these, but I’m part of a fairly small recall (32k vehicles) based on 6-8 actual fires, of which 4-5 might have been due to crappy aftermarket accessory wiring. I’m following the rules because it’s painless and the downside is catastrophic, but I have zero thought my Jeep is actually going to catch fire. But I for sure understand why others don’t want the potential headache.
Listen, my Mom had both the sedan Seville and the bustleback, both in metallic blue, so I can damn well drive my soulless Porsches now cause I did my time.
Now THAT is what I call street cred!
Back in the day I worked in an exclusive neighborhood gas station. I bought a lot of cars that the locals didn't think were worth fixing. I mean cars that were only 4 or 5 years old. I did much better on the resale of the busleback Sevilles by hundreds to almost thousands of dollars.
Because people love them, and always HAVE loved them.
They made everything else look timid.
i think the funniest part about CDG is that he advocates for buying crappy used cars on his twitter page and actively chastises people who want to do anything other than drive a 15k used camry. its right in line with the inability of auto journalists to provide real car buying advice or opinions, except his preferred line of projection is to try and "bucket of crabs" everyone into driving the same 6-10 year old japanese appliances. i wonder if perhaps he stands to benefit from people buying old cars that may need constant replacement and service vs new ones.... hmmmm.....
The "it only makes sense to buy used" segment of the internet amuses me. Deprecation
with new car can surely be a mother fucker but with a used car the cost of parts and repairs as well as the subsequent possibly of not having a car for a few days because it's in the shop can be way way worse. For context, I should mention that in the past I have worked as car salesman for both new and used cars, a service advisor and as a counter person at an auto parts store so I do have slightly more than cursory knowledge on this subject.
"it only needs to get you reliably point A to point B!!!! anything else is throwing money away!!!!" riiiight reminds me of all the money i could save by eating gruel, rice, and insects for every meal as long as it hits all my macros
It’s scary how many people think having a diet consisting exclusively of beans and rice and driving a POS used car till the wheels falls off is the best way to become financially secure. I’d rather die penniless than live that way.
i think unfortunately it says more about the financial situation of an increasingly large subset of people where $300 of unexpected expenses in a month is a major problem. but agree.
Yeah but a lot of THOSE people are doing whatever they want, within reason. The performative savings stuff is the domain of people making middle class income but determined to retire at 55.
And wtf are they going to do with those 30 years? Even if you are dull enough to like golf, it's surely got to pall after a while...
I’ve read a fair amount of stuff from the FIRE community. They tend to fall into one of two camps:
-People who have a serious hobby they are obsessed with and desperate to devote more time to, especially if it’s a free hobby like gardening or reading library books or bird watching or something
-people who are painfully socially awkward and/or on some kind of spectrum who find the very act of interacting with people horrible.
Me personally, all my hobbies are at least moderately expensive, and so retiring early would preclude my participating in them. Plus I’ve got the golden handcuffs of a very nice lifestyle that I’m committing to maintaining for myself and my family, so wage slave it is.
All that money and nothing to do with it. A lifetime of frugality isnt gonna turn the switch at fifty five. If you even see fifty five. Im more of a saver than a spender but im not living off beeans and rice
I want to "retire" to running a used motorcycle shop and/or driving a pre-EDL big rig as an owner operator by the time I'm 45.
That's true, although any 15-year-old car is a gamble and could incur $300 (or much more) in expenses at a moment's notice. Just because it's a Camry doesn't mean it won't break. In particular, the 2007+ 2.4-liter Camry is prone to rampant oil-burning at higher mileages, and no one talks about it. I steered my cousin away from an overpriced 2009 Camry LE (and into a 2007 Buick Lucerne CXL with the 3800) for that very reason.
I imagine that the Lucerne would be smoother and quieter as well, so long as the build quality is good and squeaks and rattles are at a minimum.
08-09 are the oil burning years for the Toyota 2.4s IIRC. 10-11 is a sweet spot of the new 2.5+6spd in the facelifted XV40 body (you could get that handsome dark forest green color too), but before the dumb "flex-lock" torque converter programming that can chew up 12-14 Camry transmissions on cars that see a lot of low speed driving (several TSBs and a quiet transmission warranty extension to 8yrs/150k miles). Toyota is starting to stumble with increasing frequency, unfortunately.
Beaters are Russian roulette, especially on long commutes.
I've lost jobs to absence playing that game.
Dave Ramsey's bullshit.
Live on instant ramen & rainwater and work three jobs till you go to the ER with a life-threatening nutritional deficiency.
You DO want to get out of debt, RIGHT?
It's not bullshit to the adult-sized children who have 4 times their income in consumer debt. His advice is for the children too stupid to come home when the streetlights go on.
Life is all about tradeoffs. Its not bullshit if it works, when not taken to the extreme like your example.
You're right. Life is about tradeoffs.
The big one here is that getting out of debt is not supposed to be some all-consuming, every-penny-counts quest. The modern economy runs on debt, and Ramsey's advice - well, his BRAND - is unrealistic much of the time.
I'm not a Dave Ramsey aficionado but if you're at the point you need Daves advice, you probably really need it. Some people just spend way too much money? My definition of "Way too much money" is "More than you make" Don't buy luxury items at 30% interest. Guys making 500k a year with huge credit card balances. Guy who gets a new job and spends his first paycheck before he gets it.
What galls me is that he got HIMSELF into trouble, decided it was the DEBT that did it rather than his ambition and went all evangelical on the notion that Debt Is Bad.
The people who give this sort of advice has never worked on their car all night just to make it to work the next morning and it shows.
I promised myself years ago that I’d never put myself in that sort of position. Even now, I’d love to sell my truck and daily a pre-emissions diesel but that’s too much of a headache to deal with.
My solution is to run two cars and one of them MUST be Japanese. And if all else fails, nick the wife's car.
Yep.
For work alone, I drive like 20k + miles per year. I hesitate to own anything without a warranty that I have to depend on to make a living every day.
I don’t make smart choices in cars, but I’m also not trying to drive 20k miles up and down busy interstates in a 15 year old Camry just to save a buck.
For that reason alone, I’m probably selling my beloved Bronco for something less stupid instead of getting a “work beater.” Just no economical sense in it,
I used to commute ~80 miles per day. There was no way I was suffering through that in some cramped beater and spending my weekends working on it.
The truck is paid off now. My commute 1/3 of what
It used to be. I figured in two more years I’ll have ~120k on it and it’ll be time for a new one.
I drove fully depreciated used jaguars, paid cash. In hindsight I should have borrowed money for a manual C5 or C6. More reliable, more efficient, and lots of residual value.
Yeah, but you got to drive Jaguars. That's a win in my book.
The seats are very nice. Truly needed back in the day when I was obsessed with squatting 400
And the supercharged cars are very fast
Jack summed it up nicely in You Gotta Be Rich to Own a Cheap Car:
"On the Internet, everybody has a six-figure savings account and a seven-figure retirement account. Everybody pays cash for everything while simultaneously dumping massive amounts of money into investments. They’re all the Millionaires Next Door and they know more about money and investing and prudent decision-making than Warren Buffet and Sam Walton combined. In the real world, people are victimized by everything from economic downturns to poor decisions they made when they were too young to know any better. In the real world, most families are just getting by and the rainy-day money they’ve saved rarely measures up to the endless tide of rainy days.
For those families, a new-car payment is a burden — but it’s one they can predict and live with. It sucks to “throw away” $300 or $400 every month, but it’s never a surprise and in exchange they have freedom from surprises. They have freedom from the surprise of losing two days of work or being stuck with their children by the side of a fifteen-degree freeway all night or having to diagnose mechanical issues using a cellphone flash and whatever conventional wisdom their parents bothered to impart when they weren’t off doing their own thing. They know that every month they are exchanging a fixed sum of money for certainty and reliability."
Sincerely - a guy who spent all last night replacing the starter in a 2008 Ranger
We may think David Tracey is cool but he doesn't have kids!
Also, speaking of internet experts, this week I was pleased to read that annual equivalent returns on Cathie 'Tesla stock is a tech stock' Wood's Ark Invest are 2%. I am impressed by her commitment but just because you are prepared to back your babbling with money, doesn't make your babblings fact. Even Mary Barra is doing better than 2%!
I spent every college break/holiday in college repairing my (at the time) 20 year old car. Great, great lesson. Granted, since it was a 1974 Buick, had I had the money, I could have probably put it in an okay shape, and drive it for another 20 years. But being a broke college student, I could only repair what broke, when it broke. Not a great recipe for reliability, when you have to drive 70-80 miles/day. I walked the last few miles home more than once.
I know it's a typo but modern cars unironically have features that deprecated and obsolete.
My Highlander's 3G cell connection comes to mind.
The bluetooth stereo in my '13 CX-5 doesn't communicate properly with my phone anymore. The shuffle setting is only set at a whim. I have no control.
My Iphone 12 pairing with my Audi always had quirks. Work gave me a new Iphone 15 and those quirks disappeared. "Gave me..." I pay for it... At least it's deductible.
Here's people thinking computers are going to control us through 'AI' when they actually already control us with their limitations and their shortcomings.
Before the pandemic, when I purchased a new car, the problem I ran into was that I could finance a brand new car at 1 percent and a 3 year old car was at 5 percent. On the total life of the loan I might save 1K on buying used, but if I purchased new, I got the full manufacture warranty.
The math is different now, but appreciate the memories.
I was too young to go to that Olympia show in '75, but my friends older brother had an AMC Gremlin X that we rode around in listening to FM rock in Detroit. Good times.
Ashamed to admit, but a whole later I was old enough and took a date to see Emerson, Lake and Palmer at Cobo. Prog rock, that was me then.
saw ELO in the Silverdome in 1979.
Nice, get a little Roundabout.
Jethro Tull at Cobo about then.
I saw Tull at the State Fair Coliseum on their tour to support Aqualung, just as they were breaking big. Edger Winter's White Trash and a local band were the supporting acts. General admission, we got there straight from school so were able to stake out places right in front of the stage, near one of the PA columns. I couldn't hear in my right ear for three days after that show.
Queen for “The Game” tour. Still the best concert I’ve ever been to. Never got to see Zep unfortunately…
That must have been a hell of a show.
It was and I’m still surprised I was allowed to go!
The 70s sucked mostly but some bands knew how to put on a show without a dozen dancers and lasers.
Not including Parliament/Funkadelic