POPSCI: Why you can't sell me a car,

[Jasen]

Originally Posted by HydroJim

Nobody in my generation has tangible skills or any sort of desire to do anything with life. They just want to constantly party and have fun but don't want to work for it.

I just don't know...

They'll graduate and "real" life will knock on the door

I wouldn't say it's just your generation, I see it pretty much across the board. I call it "the lack of accountability society" It's always someone else's fault, job or responsibility.

I can't do my job w/o a car, or rather a gas guzzling truck or van. Believe me, if I could take the bus, ride share or carpool, I would, but that doesn't work when you have to haul around 1,200 lbs of tool's.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by t vago

Also take into account the cost of workable beaters of at least $1000, and that would all-but-require a trip to a relatively expensive auto mechanic for repairs. Combine that with what I perceive to be an aversion to getting one's hands dirty/injured in the process of fixing said beater by one's self in order to avoid the trip to that auto mechanic. Factor in gasoline at $3+ per gallon.

Except that $1000 isn't all that much different, in terms of hours worked, from the $200 I paid for my first car. And $3.50/gal gas isn't much different from $0.70.

I do somewhat agree about the hands-dirty thing, but the flip side of it is that there is just so much less to go wrong with today's cars - or maybe I should say the 10-20 year old cars of today - at least as long as you stick to Hondas, Toyotas, &c. With my first cars, you had to adjust points, carbs, valves, clean spark plugs and change them every 10K miles or so, and it wasn't unusual to burn and/or leak a quart of oil every thousand miles. My current Honda (2000 Insight) is pushing 175K miles, doesn't leak or burn a drop of oil, doesn't have points or a carb, and I've changed plugs & adjusted the valves once, at the recommended 100K miles.

[t vago]

Originally Posted by jamesqf

Except that $1000 isn't all that much different, in terms of hours worked, from the $200 I paid for my first car. And $3.50/gal gas isn't much different from $0.70.

This is true. Frank and nemo both brought up a good point, too. Something about spending one's money on bare necessities (sic), like wireless internet and the latest and greatest "smart" phone and video games. Suddenly, one has to cut back on luxuries, like cars.

Originally Posted by jamesqf

I do somewhat agree about the hands-dirty thing, but the flip side of it is that there is just so much less to go wrong with today's cars - or maybe I should say the 10-20 year old cars of today - at least as long as you stick to Hondas, Toyotas, &c.

Yah, but when something does go wrong with today's beaters, the beater usually stops running altogether. Back when I was a kid, the beater would run like garbage (due to the wearing out of those things you mentioned), but it would still run. As for the CEL - hey, the car still seems to run great, so let's just drive it into the ground! Heh... points. My first car was the last car I owned that had a rebuildable carb. And manually adjustable valves!

[War_Wagon]

I see decent beaters sell for scrap all the time. 1998 Saturn SL1 with 200k KMs (120k miles), had a cracked fender and needed 2 used tires. Sold to the scrap guy for $125. It wasn't pretty but it drove fine. If someone was looking for a cheap car, it would have been a good choice. But it seems like no one is even trying to find one. There is almost zero demand for cheapo beaters around here, the people that would have bought that stuff 10 years ago don't even have licenses today. I don't have a swimming pool, but I learned how to swim anyway, just in case I ever needed to. To me a driver's license is the same thing, just because you don't want a car doesn't mean you shouldn't at least know how to use one if you had/wanted to. And don't even get me started on how many people I deal with that can't drive standard ha ha.

[gone-ot]

Simple/cheap to repair carburetors have given way to impossible/expensive to repair fuel injection systems.

Carburetors worked on physics of air...fuel injection systems work on computer mappings.

[Occasionally6]

There are barriers to fixing "newer" (like from ~2000) cars too. Often you need a service tool to disconnect and reconnect (electronically) the various electronic modules - like instrument clusters, body control modules, anti-theft modules, SRS modules, powertrain control modules - so that they will work in another vehicle. It's an anti-theft measure. Even if cheap used parts are available, fitting them may not be easy.

That a "cheap" car may require a repair that exceeds its market value and that there's not always a DIY option, even if you are so inclined, encourages the purchase of higher value, newer vehicles. It's not just entitlement that encourages that; there an economic rationale.

[user removed]

My first car was a 57 Chevy, bought it at the Newport News abandoned car auction for $52. What a POS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.

Floors rusted out Bad.
Some checken wire, newspaper and bondo.

No oil to the rocker arms.
Crap, just slap some axle grease all over them

Not enough money to buy a battery.
Ah just jump it and hold THE CABLES TOGETHER!!!!!! Hmmmm small problem, all the light bulbs turned into flash bulbs and blew out. Spent a few days in the junk yard buying USED light bulbs, but I learned to never hold the battery termianls together.

Ah no gas guage since battery termninal issue.
Learn to coast yer arse off and carry a gallon the the trunk, hoping it did not fall through the rusty arse floor!!!!!

This is not a tale, it is factually accurate. Hope you ain't drinking any soda while reading this story.

That car was not even 10 years old when I got it. Now the average car is older than that, and in a heck of a lot better shape!

regards
Mech

[Frank Lee]

That a "cheap" car may require a repair that exceeds its market value and that there's not always a DIY option, even if you are so inclined, encourages the purchase of higher value, newer vehicles. It's not just entitlement that encourages that; there an economic rationale.

We bring all this onto ourselves by demanding all new vehicles be loaded down with every available gizmo, and by nobody- from the car ceo down to the buyer- giving any priority to end user serviceability.

If only we could get Tata Nanos here.

[user removed]

LOL, my step granddaughter insisted on riding to the Dairy Shack in my Echo. She had never been in a car that had roll up windows in her 11 year lifetime. That two miles was hilarious, trying to drive while watching her roll the window, up, down, up, down, up down.

regards
Mech

[t vago]

Originally Posted by Occasionally6

It's an anti-theft measure.

I would disagree with that. It's more of a "force the average car owner into getting the car repaired only at a costly dealership" issue.