I hate my car....hate it hate it hate it

[Deeko]

If you recall, a few weeks ago I posted about my Grand Am and how its alternator blew, and how I was sick of everything going wrong with it and was considering getting a new car. Well, I got it back with a fresh new alternator. Drove it for the first time thursday....guess what!!! After about 20 miles, temp starts going up....a hose assembly is leaking coolant, back to the shop it goes....I LOVE this automobile.

 

[JC]

Like they say, it's always something!

 

[BCYL]

Go ahead and get a new car before the repair bills really start piling up... Over the long run it will be cheaper if you just get a new car now...

 

[N8Magic]

How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

 

[d33pt]

it's never cheaper to get a new car... let's say he spends a couple hundred bucks this month on it... well if he had gotten a new car.. he'd have to spend at least $300 a month..guaranteed.. for the next 3-5 years. how is that cheaper? i doubt his car needs $2-300 worth of service every month..

 

[Ornery]

"...a hose assembly is leaking coolant, back to the shop it goes...."

Back to the shop? A hose and clamp would be about $15.00. Do you take your PC to the shop every time a part dies? I'd spend less time learning how to OC my processor, and more time learning how to repair the car!

 

[Zenmervolt]

Originally posted by: d33pt
it's never cheaper to get a new car... let's say he spends a couple hundred bucks this month on it... well if he had gotten a new car.. he'd have to spend at least $300 a month..guaranteed.. for the next 3-5 years. how is that cheaper? i doubt his car needs $2-300 worth of service every month..

Of course, he could probably fix the Grand Am for now, sell it for $4,000 or so, and then buy a Civic DX for $3,500, have fewer mechanical problems, and come out $500 ahead.

ZV

EDIT: By "new car", Deeko meant a "new to him", not brand new.

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: d33pt
it's never cheaper to get a new car... let's say he spends a couple hundred bucks this month on it... well if he had gotten a new car.. he'd have to spend at least $300 a month..guaranteed.. for the next 3-5 years. how is that cheaper? i doubt his car needs $2-300 worth of service every month..

True, but he also has the satisfaction of owning a brand new car.

That, and he doesn't have to worry about the time aspect of taking the car into the shop every month.

 

[freakflag]

Set it on fire...you'll feel better.

 

[SuperTool]

Originally posted by: Ornery
"...a hose assembly is leaking coolant, back to the shop it goes...."

Back to the shop? A hose and clamp would be about $15.00. Do you take your PC to the shop every time a part dies? I'd spend less time learning how to OC my processor, and more time learning how to repair the car!

Seriously. Get a hayes or chilton's repair manual, and stop being a sissy. If you can pinpoint the problem and it's not a major component of drivetrain, there is probably an easy fix. I mean clamps, hoses, and belts should not be too expensive.

 

[Deeko]

How many miles are on it?

113K

Back to the shop? A hose and clamp would be about $15.00. Do you take your PC to the shop every time a part dies? I'd spend less time learning how to OC my processor, and more time learning how to repair the car!

The entire assembly had to be replaced, $60 just for that. And I don't know the first thing about repairing cars, and have no desire to learn.

Set it on fire...you'll feel better.

lol, I certainly thought about it.

 

[NutBucket]

Originally posted by: Deeko

Back to the shop? A hose and clamp would be about $15.00. Do you take your PC to the shop every time a part dies? I'd spend less time learning how to OC my processor, and more time learning how to repair the car!

The entire assembly had to be replaced, $60 just for that. And I don't know the first thing about repairing cars, and have no desire to learn.

So you don't get hosed the same way you don't get hosed on PC stuff.

 

[Tominator]

Originally posted by: N8Magic
How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

My neighbor has a 'low end' Cavalier with 165,000 miles on it. Never a problem and a daily driver.

 

[The Dancing Peacock]

Originally posted by: Tominator

Originally posted by: N8Magic
How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

My neighbor has a 'low end' Cavalier with 165,000 miles on it. Never a problem and a daily driver.

He get's a cookie. Just because he hasn't had a problem, doesn't mean they all roll off the line like that. Some people say Accords are bulletproof, and there are plenty of people who have nightmares with them. 1 person doesn't make OR break a car's reputation.

 

[CraigRT]

GM's have terrible charging systems.. if anything breaks, alot of the time it's the alternator. This happened on my celebrity 3 times before I had to replace the alternator once on my LeBaron.. the LeBaron went 260,000 kms before the original unit needed replacing.. the celebrity's broke in the first year after it was brand new.. booo.

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: Tominator

Originally posted by: N8Magic
How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

My neighbor has a 'low end' Cavalier with 165,000 miles on it. Never a problem and a daily driver.

Hey, it's my personal experience (and 3 of my friends have/had Grand Am's and Cavaliers) that they all tended to start shedding parts around 160,000-175,000km. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad cars but you can't expect them to last forever.

 

[slag]

116k on my gtp

stock alternator, running like a champ.

There are some who have replaced their alternators, but in all, this being my 3rd gm vehicle, I think their charging systems are just fine.

 

[zCypher]

Originally posted by: N8Magic

Originally posted by: Tominator

Originally posted by: N8Magic
How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

My neighbor has a 'low end' Cavalier with 165,000 miles on it. Never a problem and a daily driver.

Hey, it's my personal experience (and 3 of my friends have/had Grand Am's and Cavaliers) that they all tended to start shedding parts around 160,000-175,000km. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad cars but you can't expect them to last forever.

Everyone ALWAYS says that, "it's not a bad car" or "they aren't bad cars". Well wtf is a bad car then?

 

[Deeko]

Everyone ALWAYS says that, "it's not a bad car" or "they aren't bad cars". Well wtf is a bad car then?

My car. My car is a bad, bad car. flasher went, bad gas gauge made me run out of gas while driving when I first got it, motor mount, alternator, now some hoses...oh yea and did I mention it has a 0-60 time of 18 seconds?

 

[Dudd]

Originally posted by: zCypher

Hey, it's my personal experience (and 3 of my friends have/had Grand Am's and Cavaliers) that they all tended to start shedding parts around 160,000-175,000km. Don't get me wrong, they aren't bad cars but you can't expect them to last forever. Everyone ALWAYS says that, "it's not a bad car" or "they aren't bad cars". Well wtf is a bad car then?

One word: Yugo.

 

[StageLeft]

Clearly keeping a used car is almost always cheaper than a new one. In a new car you're paying for nothing but the new car smell.

If you're really sick of your car although chances are it won't continue to cost you large amounts every month (hang in there and you'll realize that the repairs are much cheaper than gauranteed monthly payments on a car loan), the most responsible thing to do from a money standpoint is buy a newer used car. If you want the piece of mind of a warranty and a reliable vehicle you get a late model that is pretty good on the miles - say a 2000. Grab a late model car with less than 40k miles and a nice extended warranty and it will cost a fraction of what the same car would cost new, but you've got what really amounts to a slightly used new car. Nice and reliable!

 

[godmare]

Originally posted by: N8Magic
How many miles are on it?

Most lower end GM cars have a "danger mileage" where everything starts to fall apart. It is at that point you want to get rid of it.

I went through this with my Z24 Cavalier, so I know how much its pissing you off right now.

Yeah, about 3000 miles

 

[Hamburgerpimp]

I bought a new car 3 years ago. I'm gonna buy another one (Toyota Tundra) next spring. Why? Because my time is more valuable than taking a used car in for repairs when it breaks. It pisses me off when I have to take it for service at the Dealership.

 

[Deeko]

I would love a new car, like a 2003 Mazda 6 specifically, and while I could probably afford it, its not worth taking all of my money. I could sell this thing, get an older, but more reliable car(like an early 90's civic or something), or, what I will probably end up doing, is getting something a little newer, like a '97 or '98. I loved my 626, might spring for one of them.

 

[N8Magic]

Originally posted by: zCypher
Everyone ALWAYS says that, "it's not a bad car" or "they aren't bad cars". Well wtf is a bad car then?

Ok, fine.

CAVALIERS AND GRAND AMS ARE PIECES OF JUNK. (i'm speaking the truth now.)