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- Apr 22, 2004
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C'mon...admit it.
bananaface said:In high school I drove a 1979 ElCamino. It got noticed because a teacher who lived right next to school let me park in his assigned spot. One day in class one of the cheerleaders asked me "Hey, you drive an ElCamino, don't you?" and gave me a snotty look. One of my friends who was sitting near me said, "Don't worry about her. She judges a car by the the size of the backseat. And, your car doesn't have a backseat. So... (shrug)". The cheerleaders never were looked up to at my school. That's the benefit of having a losing football team.
Caverject said:perhaps you can explain what your riding since your the "spacecowgirl"
PharmDJen said:I drive a pos 90 Honda Accord. It has 285k miles on it and duct tape is holding the bumper onto the rest of the car. It's a stick shift car that always grinds when I shift to third gear, and when I make a turn, the wheel squeals like a pig, no matter how much wd40 I use. Paint is chipped and one of the back lights is out, but I can change that when I get a chance.
The interior's even better. Our classes are in the early morning, so I am always rushing out the door. I bring coffee along during the drive to school, and the interior is littered with coffee cups that I know I should take in when I get back home, but I am too lazy and too happy when I get home to remember to clean up.
Once, I had forgotten a Starbucks coffee cup under the passenger seat and there was residue curdling inside. My friend had accidently kicked it during an hour long drive, and we kept wondering wtf that smell was, insisting it smelled like nasty sweaty feet. We looked EVERYWHERE for the source of the smell, and accused each other of owning the sweaty feet, until I rolled to a stoplight and the curdling culprit rolled onto her foot. It was a little embarassing, to say the least.
There are piles of books and papers in the backseat, extra pieces of clothing I randomly forget to bring in, two umbrellas, a hair brush, and packaged snacks for the times I am stuck in traffic and I am ravenously hungry.
I'll spare you the details of the car's trunk...
I love my POS car - it's been with me through thick and thin, and it's the only car I've ever owned. If it breaks down, I just rip the part out, put in a new one, and it runs again. I like not having to worry about the fat lady parked next to me, trying to squeeze out of her car, because the dent will only even out the other ones. I love knowing the little nuances of this car, its exact dimensions, how it drifts to the left when I let the steering wheel go, and that weird whirling sound I hear when I accelerate.
I will never trade this car in just to impress my hoity-toity classmates in their BMWs and preppy Corollas. I figure the less money I owe on car payments, the more I can spend on those shoes I've been eyeing. See, I'm a practical person.
PharmDJen said:and when I make a turn, the wheel squeals like a pig, no matter how much wd40 I use.
karariki said:...and when I make a turn, the wheel squeals like a pig, no matter how much wd40 I use.
insipid1979 said:What did you spray with wd40? Your tires and the road it was on? I don't see how spraying anything on your car with wd40 could possibly stop the squealing
skeksis said:More than likely it's the wheel bearing - WD40 won't help it, but it should be replaced. It could become a safety issue at some point. It shouldn't cost much money for the fix, especially if you know the right people. The bearing itself should cost somewhere between $25 and $40, depending... If it happens to be the wheel hub, it will probably cost a little more.
Poland said:I can afford my new car alot more than a few hundred here and there on those Oldsmobile replacements. I was actually scared of the car, and you know there's a problem when that happens. I could be at school and the thing wouldn't have started at night for me to get home.
dgroulx said:I think that's a smart move. Having car trouble isn't an excuse for being late for an exam or required class. When you're out on rotations and driving all over the place, you'll need a reliable car.
I have enough left over from student loans to make my car payment every month. I know how much to budget for that payment and with the bumper-to-bumper warranty I know that I won't have any big out lays for any other repair.
Moxxie said:Plus, it's red The only thing I don't like about it right now is the gas mileage, but I knew that if I was going to buy a small SUV I wouldn't be getting 30 mpg.
Unless something substantial happens, I imagine that I'll still be driving the Escape after graduation. Anyways, I've promised my husband that I'll buy him a WRX STi when I get out.
dgroulx said:Mine's red, too! The Escape is cute SUV. I test drove one with a friend of mine.
The WRX STi is fast, but I think it is hideous. They need to do something to it's front end. The new Mitsu Evo redesign will be complete by the time your out of school. Tell him to look at that one. Also, I heard that the Nissan Skyline will finally get here, but under the Infinity nameplate if he wants a turbo AWD car.
Moxxie said:The Lancer Evo is the other one he's looking into right now. He mostly just wants a rally car (he plays too much gran turismo). I actually like the WRX, but I agree that the grill is weird. The evo has a nicer interior too. I figure that we'll wait until 2010 and see what's available - he deserves something nice for putting up with me throughout this whole process!
patmcd said:Your corolla will never die. Toyotas from the 80's were just about designed to surivive a nuclear attack
as of 3:30 PM today, I was driving a 2000 Honda Accord with 150K miles on it. Check engine light on, airbag lights on, abs lights on, maintenance lights on, AC doesn't work (that's hell on earth in texas), produce an oil drip mark when parked overnight, numerous cosmetic problems. Other than that, it has served me faithfully over 11 years, just did oil change, replaced the break pads, rotor and a fan belt. But it's time to retire the old puppy or it may be the death of me one day (can imagine plowing into something on the highway without abs or airbag).
Nice.
I like this thread. Buying a nice car with your earned income is stupid. The funds for a nice car should come only from investment income--ie, passive income from real estate, stock sale, etc...
What's the difference between spending money from passive income vs earned income?
my best deal was a 92 cavalier - paid $3500 for it in 1999. Drove it for 6 years, got totaled by a hail storm in 2002 - got $1600 for it, so essentially had $1900 in it with no major repairs, sold it for $50 in 2006 - so paid $22 a month over the life of the car.I'm still rocking a 20+ year old Honda. It's actually in pretty good shape and "only" has 170k miles on it. Every once and a while I think about getting a new car, but then I remember how nice it is to barely spend any money on a car. I bet it could go another 5-7+ years if necessary.
as of 3:30 PM today, I was driving a 2000 Honda Accord with 150K miles on it. Check engine light on, airbag lights on, abs lights on, maintenance lights on, AC doesn't work (that's hell on earth in texas), produce an oil drip mark when parked overnight, numerous cosmetic problems.