I hate car shopping

[SC Tiger]

I absolutely hate car shopping!

It appears Little Sorrow (my Civic) is getting near the end of her useful life.  The AC is out and it's having a few other issues.  My wife is on me to not get it fixed but to get rid of it.  Apparently she's heard me cuss it a few too many times.

So now I'm shopping for cars.  And there are a LOT of used cars out there.  For prices that seem pretty crazy.  I've seen several Nissan Altimas for under $15K with around 50K miles on them.  Camrys too for around that.  Wonder why?  Some of these Nissan's are pretty fancy too.

Is there something I should know?

Trucks - not so much.  I mention this because some of you may remember that I have a 2000 Silverado that has an engine problem.  I'm considering trading that in and then selling Little Sorrow.  The logic is that I won't get crap on the independent market for a truck with a bad engine, but may have better luck on a car with no working AC.  I'd love to get a truck but I don't want to pay what they want for one - even used.

So anyway - this sucks.  But I guess there's nothing to it but to do it.  I will probably look around a bit tomorrow but may wait until I can get Little Sorrow to the actual shop before buying something.  It could be something stupid like the Compressor pressure switch.  I already tried replacing the relay.  Plus we're getting into the time of year where no AC is not a big deal.

And bonus points if you can figure out where the name "Little Sorrow" came from.

Edited September 19, 2019 by SC Tiger

[tous]

Is Little Sorrow paid for?

Consider, you are contemplating spending $15,000.00 to replace it.

Can you repair the Civic for less than that?

You could conceivably replace an engine or transmission for less, no?

As long as Little Sorrow has good bones (body is solid,) decide whether you need another automobile or just ant another automobile.

[SC Tiger]

4 minutes ago, tous said:

Is Little Sorrow paid for?

Consider, you are contemplating spending $15,000.00 to replace it.

Can you repair the Civic for less than that?

You could conceivably replace an engine or transmission for less, no?

As long as Little Sorrow has good bones (body is solid,) decide whether you need another automobile or just ant another automobile.

The numbers will almost certainly favor fixing Little Sorrow.  Some Hondas are strange and can require up to $3000 to fix the AC compressor (they have to gut the entire system).  Depends on who made the compressor.  I ain't paying that much.

One thing I will not do is put an engine or trans in this thing (she's showing no signs of needing either).  That never seems to go right long-term.  Biggest issue besides the AC is the paint is coming off.  Looks like garbage right now.  Doesn't bother me too much but part of me does want something else.

Need vs want - well I definitely want something else.  But I don't want a payment on something else.  And I don't want "I told you so" from the wife if Little Sorrow takes a dump right after I get it back.  

Gonna look around and may test drive a few things.  Want to see what I would want since right now I have no flipping idea.  Would be good to have zoned in on something.  But there is a risk there.

[tous]

To my mind, they really haven't made a bad car in the last ten ears -- except Fiat and they don't sell them here anymore.

Mebbe Chrysler is not a good choice these days.

Just wander the lots.

Like animal rescue shelters, when your next automobile sees you, you'll know it.

Good luck.

 

Keep in mind that Eric can weld the back half of a Maxima to whatever you choose.

And, paint it orange.

 

[deputy tom]

I'm afraid I'm going to be in the same situation very shortly. I'm not looking forward to it. Good luck, OP.  tom.

[SC Tiger]

5 minutes ago, deputy tom said:

I'm afraid I'm going to be in the same situation very shortly. I'm not looking forward to it. Good luck, OP.  tom.

Yeah.  The bad part is that we are working at reducing expenses.  Cut off DirecTV today, for instance.  I'd hate to lose that and more to get a car payment.

I trust my mechanic, so I may have him look the car over and see if he feels it has enough life left in it to justify the repair.  If it's just a compressor (estimate about $800 repair bill) that's less than three payments so it would probably be worth saving.

What has me concerned also is that the mileage is going down.  Not sure what is happening there.  Not drastically but it was 33 mpg until I put new tires and plugs on/in it.  Now it's 28-30.

Plus once I set my mind to wanting something new, it becomes hard to be content with what I have.  Even though both the Bible and common sense say I should be content.

Edited September 19, 2019 by SC Tiger

[Zonny]

Twice, I’ve gone to the dealership for an oil change/ service and bought a new car instead. 

You think you hate shopping?  

[gwalchmai]

15 minutes ago, Zonny said:

Twice, I’ve gone to the dealership for an oil change/ service and bought a new car instead.

Obviously, you intuitively discerned underlying inherent economies that many of us would have missed.

Or perhaps you need to re-evaluate your oil-change interval.

[tadbart]

18 minutes ago, Zonny said:

Twice, I’ve gone to the dealership for an oil change/ service and bought a new car instead. 

You think you hate shopping?  

I did that once, too! THAT vehicle is now paid off, and I hope to get another 125k miles out of it! I keep looking online at cars that fit my new budget, but then I think about how much land I could buy for the same price. Keeps me motivated to stay away from the car dealership.

[Huski92]

Buying a new vehicle sucks. Having a new one is awesome. Hopefully I get several more years out of my 11 year old truck.


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[SC Tiger]

1 hour ago, Zonny said:

Twice, I’ve gone to the dealership for an oil change/ service and bought a new car instead. 

You think you hate shopping?  

Friend of mine took his truck for a service and replaced it with a new truck.  His wife was not amused.

[janice6]

I change my cars every 3 years when the warranty is up.  I'm old and pee on it.  You people have to save for your old age.  I'm so old I'm spending it all now.

Anyway I took the 3 year old car in for an oil change and while waiting, I figured F'it and bought a replacement.  It's time was up and I was there, so it seemed a simple thing to do.

The dealers rep asked if he could look at my car to see if they could resell it.  I said sure, it's in your maintenance bay now.

He asked what the mileage was, I told him around 10 K.  I think he was drooling!

I bought the new car and called my wife.  I told her I was coming home with a new car and not to be worried that it was the same color as the last one.  No, I didn't buy the old one over again.  My wife said, "OK". and I hung up.

The sales woman was completely confused about my conversation with the wife.  I had borrowed the sales woman's phone.

I got the sales pitch from the woman and I kept telling her that it was the same as my old one, but she felt she had to sell me the car I was already buying.

Finally she told me just how great the color was.  I asked her if I could pull my car alongside the new one to change my crap out. 

I pulled the cars side by side and you damn near couldn't tell the difference.  They were the same model and the same color.

I did suffer for my impulsive purchase though.  I had to reprogram the garage door opener on the new car.  

It's now one year old and has almost 3,000 miles on it.  I am getting inundated by ads from the dealer trying to get me to sell it and buy a new one.

No way.  The warranty isn't up yet.

 

 

Edited September 19, 2019 by janice6

[SC Tiger]

5 minutes ago, janice6 said:

I change my cars every 3 years when the warranty is up.  I'm old and pee on it.  You people have to save for your old age.  I'm so old I'm spending it all now.

Anyway I took the 3 year old car in for an oil change and while waiting, I figured F'it and bought a replacement.  It's time was up and I was there, so it seemed a simple thing to do.

The dealers rep asked if he could look at my car to see if they could resell it.  I said sure, it's in your maintenance bay now.

He asked what the mileage was, I told him around 10 K.  I think he was drooling!

I bought the new car and called my wife.  I told her I was coming home with a new car and not to be worried that it was the same color as the last one.  No, I didn't buy the old one over again.  My wife said, "OK". and I hung up.

The sales woman was completely confused about my conversation with the wife.  I had borrowed the sales woman's phone.

I got the sales pitch from the woman and I kept telling her that it was the same as my old one, but she felt she had to sell me the car I was already buying.

Finally she told me just how great the color was.  I asked her if I could pull my car alongside the new one to change my crap out. 

I pulled the cars side by side and you damn near couldn't tell the difference.  They were the same model and the same color.

I did suffer for my impulsive purchase though.  I had to reprogram the garage door opener on the new car.  

It's now one year old and has almost 3,000 miles on it.  I am getting inundated by ads from the dealer trying to get me to sell it and buy a new one.

No way.  The warranty isn't up yet.

 

 

I love guys like you.  Usually cars like you sell are the cars I buy!

[janice6]

3 minutes ago, SC Tiger said:

I love guys like you.  Usually cars like you sell are the cars I buy!

I wonder why I don't get private calls just for that reason.

It's no secret that my cars are the best deal going.  I don't even get the floor mats dirty.

I have to change oil before any change intervals simply because they threaten me with loss of the warranty if I don't.  Then, when I come it for an oil change the people ask me why?  It's OK.  I'm old and grumpy so it gives me a chance to be pissy in public.

[norton]

I enjoyed buying my Chevy Colorado this year.  I had a 15 year old Jeep, and just got tired of struggling to haul my stuff to the gun range in what little space it had. 

Called my son, told him what I was looking for.  Price range, options etc.  He found a Colorado for me in Ohio, they brought it to the dealership where he works I signed some papers gave them a check and drove it home.

No car payments either. 

 

 

[SC Tiger]

Well, Civic is at the shop getting the AC looked at.  Depending on what the issue is, I'll probably fix it.

BUT - with the civic out of comission I decided to drive my truck today.  I get to the end of my road when I hear a God-awful noise and the battery voltage dips.  Alternator died.  

So I head to the auto parts store and get a replacement.  Let the boss know I would be late (alternator change on this thing takes about 20 minutes) and get home to pop it on when I notice a large puddle under the truck.  

Water pump.

Crap

New pump ordered.  Another $130.

Wife not happy.

Probably will trade the truck when it comes time for something else.  It's falling apart just sitting there.  Part of the water pump problem may be that I was just adding water and not 50/50 mix.

Edited September 23, 2019 by SC Tiger

[janice6]

I used to really love working on my cars.  I took pride in the fact that they performed the best they could.  I liked getting my hands dirty and the feeling of accomplishment fixing them gave me.

I found that preventative maintenance prevented breakdowns on the highway.  That I could forestall many problems by discovering symptoms early and repairing at my convenience in my garage, with all the tools I could ever want, and heat if necessary.

Then age caught up with me.  Everything got harder to do.  Getting up and down on the creeper was damn near a killer when the body hurt and the joints ached, I couldn't bend over for any length of time without pain, and the threat when the creeper shot out from under me at the most inopportune time caused falls on the concrete.

I decided the hell with it.  I didn't get the enjoyment from it anymore and now it was a means of torture not enjoyment.

So I gave in to the demands of an older body and bought new.  I left the fun and enjoyment of hunting down problems to the younger guys at the dealership. 

Now, the warranty period is the most important part of the vehicle to me.  Pee on it!  If it breaks down I call the dealer and tell him to fix it!

 

Edited September 23, 2019 by janice6

[SC Tiger]

25 minutes ago, janice6 said:

I used to really love working on my cars.  I took pride in the fact that they performed the best they could.  I liked getting my hands dirty and the feeling of accomplishment fixing them gave me.

I found that preventative maintenance prevented breakdowns on the highway.  That I could forestall many problems by discovering symptoms early and repairing at my convenience in my garage, with all the tools I could ever want, and heat if necessary.

Then age caught up with me.  Everything got harder to do.  Getting up and down on the creeper was damn near a killer when the body hurt and the joints ached, I couldn't bend over for any length of time without pain, and the threat when the creeper shot out from under me at the most inopportune time caused falls on the concrete.

I decided the hell with it.  I didn't get the enjoyment from it anymore and now it was a means of torture not enjoyment.

So I gave in to the demands of an older body and bought new.  I left the fun and enjoyment of hunting down problems to the younger guys at the dealership. 

Now, the warranty period is the most important part of the vehicle to me.  Pee on it!  If it breaks down I call the dealer and tell him to fix it!

 

Water pump never really gave any symptom.  Just sploosh - gone.

Alternator should have been done years ago but it was still making good charge.  Oh well.

[janice6]

1 minute ago, SC Tiger said:

Water pump never really gave any symptom.  Just sploosh - gone.

Alternator should have been done years ago but it was still making good charge.  Oh well.

One of the side benefits I learned from changing water pumps, is that when lifting the radiator out, you could tell by the weight when it would be a good time to replace it.

I was always surprised at just how heavy they got from sediment over the years.  It was a warning of the impending overheating in congested traffic.

[SC Tiger]

6 minutes ago, janice6 said:

One of the side benefits I learned from changing water pumps, is that when lifting the radiator out, you could tell by the weight when it would be a good time to replace it.

I was always surprised at just how heavy they got from sediment over the years.  It was a warning of the impending overheating in congested traffic.

On this truck, the rad doesn't have to come out to do the water pump.  Getting the fan off is a bear though - it comes off the front of the pump but there's no good way to grab the pump pulley with normal hand tools.  I bought a tool to do it, though I expect I will have to modify it to work.  I always give them a good flush with the garden hose when doing the job anyway.  I've made non-functional heater cores start working again that way.

Wife thinks I'm too attached to the truck to sell it.  If anything I'm getting towards the opposite.  If anything it's like I'd imagine someone with a favorite gun that for whatever reason they can no longer shoot.  They hate to get rid of it, but better to let it go to someone who can use it to it's fullest.  

Edited September 23, 2019 by SC Tiger

[janice6]

3 minutes ago, SC Tiger said:

On this truck, the rad doesn't have to come out to do the water pump.  Getting the fan off is a bear though - it comes off the front of the pump but there's no good way to grab the pump pulley with normal hand tools.  I bought a tool to do it, though I expect I will have to modify it to work.  I always give them a good flush with the garden hose when doing the job anyway.  I've made non-functional heater cores start working again that way.

I routinely back flushed my cooling systems since I spent a good portion of my day commuting. 

However, there came a point when cooling still suffered, and the heater core  suffered from a lack of heat.  So replacement was in order.

I even had one radiator where the rough ride of the 4X4 had fractured the all the solder joints holding the core to the frame and it started collapsing.

I took the radiator out since it was so easy, and that it was a good time to evaluate it's condition.

[railfancwb]

The numbers will almost certainly favor fixing Little Sorrow.  Some Hondas are strange and can require up to $3000 to fix the AC compressor (they have to gut the entire system).  Depends on who made the compressor.  I ain't paying that much.
One thing I will not do is put an engine or trans in this thing (she's showing no signs of needing either).  That never seems to go right long-term.  Biggest issue besides the AC is the paint is coming off.  Looks like garbage right now.  Doesn't bother me too much but part of me does want something else.
Need vs want - well I definitely want something else.  But I don't want a payment on something else.  And I don't want "I told you so" from the wife if Little Sorrow takes a dump right after I get it back.  
Gonna look around and may test drive a few things.  Want to see what I would want since right now I have no flipping idea.  Would be good to have zoned in on something.  But there is a risk there.

I just “traded” a 2000 Nissan Quest Van with AC out, quarter million miles, and a few lessor problems for a 2014 four door F150 sold originally as a work truck with minimal gewgaws. Was reluctant to do so because of payments and increased insurance, but was slightly more reluctant to repair the van and count on it for road trips.


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[RenoF250]

20 hours ago, janice6 said:

I routinely back flushed my cooling systems since I spent a good portion of my day commuting. 

However, there came a point when cooling still suffered, and the heater core  suffered from a lack of heat.  So replacement was in order.

I even had one radiator where the rough ride of the 4X4 had fractured the all the solder joints holding the core to the frame and it started collapsing.

I took the radiator out since it was so easy, and that it was a good time to evaluate it's condition.

 

What were you using for water?  Mud?  I fill with lifetime coolant and never have coolant issues.  It only gets changed if there is an issue like the water pump etc.

I am a few years ahead of you, I have all the tools and still do all the work on my cars but bending over and getting up is getting to be a real pain.  I will walk a decent distance so I can set something on a table rather than set it on the ground and have to pick it up later.

[SC Tiger]

1 hour ago, RenoF250 said:

 

What were you using for water?  Mud?  I fill with lifetime coolant and never have coolant issues.  It only gets changed if there is an issue like the water pump etc.

I am a few years ahead of you, I have all the tools and still do all the work on my cars but bending over and getting up is getting to be a real pain.  I will walk a decent distance so I can set something on a table rather than set it on the ground and have to pick it up later.

Tap water can have minerals that can build up over time.  Plus you get corrosion.  

Most cars recommend distilled water anymore.  But without enough coolant you can eventually fry a water pump.  I think that's what I did.

[janice6]

2 hours ago, RenoF250 said:

 

What were you using for water?  Mud?  I fill with lifetime coolant and never have coolant issues.  It only gets changed if there is an issue like the water pump etc.

I am a few years ahead of you, I have all the tools and still do all the work on my cars but bending over and getting up is getting to be a real pain.  I will walk a decent distance so I can set something on a table rather than set it on the ground and have to pick it up later.

Come on now.  I use brand name coolants recommended by the automobile manufacturer for his vehicle.  I put 200000 miles on all my vehicles before I replaced them with new. 

I commuted many miles, and through two metropolitan cities between work and home.  I went through full sized 4 X 4's regularly.  I never missed work for weather reasons.

I am very meticulous about vehicle maintenance and don't skip or compromise on anything.  Now that I'm retired I quit all that.

You say you are a few years ahead of me, does that mean your in your 90's.  Yes physical labor is difficult as you age. 

You also change your priorities and I spend more time enjoying the simple things and my dog, than I used to.