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Maybe older cars are just better??

Indus

Indus

Lifer
Everywhere you look.. cost of newer car maintenance and repair is through the roof.

But I came across this yesterday:


Maybe.. just maybe all the newest smart tech isn't your friend!
 
I never wanted anything to do with all the gadgets they put in new cars. My pickup is the perfect vehicle for me, everything I need, nothing I don't. Though it did come with an am/fm radio, I didn't need that.
 
Its not the cars or the tech that are the problem its greedy corporations run by psychopaths and the lack of consumer protections due to a government refusing to do anything about it in order to help intelligence agencies to monitor us (but not in ways that actually help Americans) that is to blame.
 
I myself am very skeptical and unenthused about "self-driving" vehicles.

Whattaya buy a Logitech joystick or even an Oculus Rift for?! so you can DRIVE, even by just "waving your arms"!!!

I don't trust much of it. I -- MYSELF -- brought my 1995 Trooper into the 21st century, with gadgets which I carefully chose and integrated together.

I don't think so little of myself that I follow along like a Lemming for every trick devised by Elon Musk.
 
Older cars were less computerized. They were often designed to be easier to repair. They were the cool thing you wanted when you were 16.

They weren't necessarily more reliable on a failures-per-miles-driven basis. They often are less fuel efficient. They often have poorer emissions standards.

Depends what you value in a car, I guess.
 
dave_the_nerd said:
Older cars were less computerized. They were often designed to be easier to repair. They were the cool thing you wanted when you were 16.

They weren't necessarily more reliable on a failures-per-miles-driven basis. They often are less fuel efficient. They often have poorer emissions standards.

Depends what you value in a car, I guess.
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And depending on how old the car is...probably far less safe than modern cars. Seat belts, air bags, crumple zones, lighter materials interiors that are designed to be much safer in a crash...
 
Cars are a lot better now. Getting to 100k+ miles with nothing but routine maintenance is expected now, even with cheap cars. Getting to 300k+ miles on the original engine and transmission is also expected.
 
IronWing said:
Cars are a lot better now. Getting to 100k+ miles with nothing but routine maintenance is expected now, even with cheap cars. Getting to 300k+ miles on the original engine and transmission is also expected.
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A 100k with only routine maintenance was common 30 years ago.
The old Ford straight six engines were bullet proof. 250k miles on one wouldn't raise an eyebrow. 350k was "pretty good". I've seen 500K on one.
 
I like my old cars, but that’s because they’re toys and if they need maintenance or are down I can work from home, walk, bike, or take my wife’s nice new reliable Mazda that never needs anything.
 
Greenman said:
A 100k with only routine maintenance was common 30 years ago.
The old Ford straight six engines were bullet proof. 250k miles on one wouldn't raise an eyebrow. 350k was "pretty good". I've seen 500K on one.
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The same Ford that trapped water inside the doors and were completely rusted out before they hit 150k? The engines were the only things that worked.

Maybe if you lived in Arizona.
 
Greenman said:
I've never owned a Ford that had a rust issue. Been driving them for fifty years.
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My parents owned a '92 Aerostar and '95 Ranger when I was a kid. Both models were well known for the bottoms of the doors rusting out. We could hear the water sloshing around in the doors after a rain.

I think it was something specific to those models and their related light trucks.
 
I don't think older vehicles are better I think they are just easier to work on. Factor in the nostalgia and next thing you know a lot of people think older vehicles are better. I suspect that a decade or two from now people will be saying the same thing about vehicles manufactured now.

It's just the way it is.
 
bbhaag said:
I don't think older vehicles are better I think they are just easier to work on. Factor in the nostalgia and next thing you know a lot of people think older vehicles are better. I suspect that a decade or two from now people will be saying the same thing about vehicles manufactured now.

It's just the way it is.
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Less complicated is generally a good thing. Simple design, simple systems, simple repairs. The tradeoff is performance and fuel economy. My fathers F250 had enough room in the engine bay that I could stand on the ground next to the engine to tune it every 10k miles. It got 8 mpg and produced around 100 HP.
 
Greenman said:
Less complicated is generally a good thing. Simple design, simple systems, simple repairs. The tradeoff is performance and fuel economy. My fathers F250 had enough room in the engine bay that I could stand on the ground next to the engine to tune it every 10k miles. It got 8 mpg and produced around 100 HP.
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Oh yeah don't get me wrong I love older vehicles to for this same reason. Simple design and simple systems make it a lot easier for the end user to repair them when they break.

All I'm saying is that with those simpler designs also comes some drawbacks. Newer vehicles are safer, more fuel efficient, more emissions friendly, etcetera. Anyway, it's probably safe to say that both have their own set of pluses and minuses.🙂
 
I hate that all the new cars basically are cloud connected now too. They keep a record of every single place you go or everything you do. You can even call the dealer to ask for that record if you want to and it's very granular. I wish they would still make cars simple, like in the 90's. And with 90's pricing to go with it.
 
I had a couple of 80s Fords and Mercs that had rust/rocker panel issues. I have a 95 now that does not, but it's rarely driven and never in snow.

I see all kinds of horror stories of new $100K vehicles where the engine eats itself in a coupld of thousand miles with no warning. Also where transmissions die and go into limp mode long enough for you to find a place to park it. Electrical issues too. Remote software updates that get corrupted and disable the vehicle. Dealers can't even get the system rebooted to factory and have to buy the owner out.
 
late 2000's cars for me are the sweet spot... my 2008 TSX has everything i need. Heated seats, AC and a place to stick my phone to use my nav. and i added bluetooth for the tunes
 
Favorite car I've ever driven was a 1997 Lexus ES300. Wife got it for $5000 cause some old lady that couldn't drive anymore had it sitting in her driveway.

Magnificent 3L V6 with 200HP, plenty of power and get-to.

Nice clean simple dash without a billion screens blinding you at night. Old enough to have a tape deck so you still got to use an MP3 player or iPod to listen to music while driving.

Nice looking car in that ghetto-money kind of way.
 
GodisanAtheist said:
Favorite car I've ever driven was a 1997 Lexus ES300. Wife got it for $5000 cause some old lady that couldn't drive anymore had it sitting in her driveway.

Magnificent 3L V6 with 200HP, plenty of power and get-to.

Nice clean simple dash without a billion screens blinding you at night. Old enough to have a tape deck so you still got to use an MP3 player or iPod to listen to music while driving.

Nice looking car in that ghetto-money kind of way.
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ES vehicles are nice and bulletproof in general. not the most interesting vehicle but they are very respectable and trouble free. RX's are similar in that way too for an SUV.
 
My 1965 F100 has around 3 or 4 hundred K miles on it, I rebuilt the engine, trans and rear end around 25 years ago
Runs great, added front disk brakes, front and rear sway bars, dual master cylinder ... paid cash for it

2001 3.8 Mustang, 78,257 or so miles on it runs great ... paid cash for it

2009 4.6 F150 4 door runs great, bought it around 6 months old .. paid cash
Close to 200,000 miles on it... only thing crapped out was # 8 coil and power steering cooler
Motorcraft coil was $200.00, power steering cooler was around $35.00

I flush cooling system around 4 years, change trans fluid around 40,000 miles, rear end grease around 90,000 miles
Power steering fluid around 50 or 60 thousand miles ...... the additives in the lubricating fluids go away and the antifreeze can become harmful


Ricky.
 
I take my vehicles in for oil changes etc. and have been for a decade. Much easier to throw them $45 when they hit all the grease zirks and inspect stuff when it's up in the air. When I do it it takes my time and I have to dispose of the oil etc.

I had a 69 Camaro with a straight 6 that was so easy to work on. My dad had a Buick with a V6 that I literally could not reach the back sparkplugs on to save my life. I forget the specific engine, but it was carbureted and would foul the plugs when it was -30F and taking out and drying the plugs or replacing them happened at least twice a year. Don't get me started on having to drop the gas tank to replace a fuel pump.

I don't mind doing easy work on my vehicles, like swapping summer/winter wheels or brake jobs. But routine maintenance I'd rather drink coffee on my lunch break and watch Faux news with the other old farts than do it myself.
 
Red Squirrel said:
I hate that all the new cars basically are cloud connected now too. They keep a record of every single place you go or everything you do. You can even call the dealer to ask for that record if you want to and it's very granular. I wish they would still make cars simple, like in the 90's. And with 90's pricing to go with it.
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My complaint with my 1997 Mazda LX626 2.0L 4 cylinder is the mileage, 18-21 mpg depending on my driving habits. I haven't been driving it much but would like to to see nature, explore, etc. LESS THAN 36K on this machine! I found a shop who says they'll work on it. My former guy retired and then the shop I found to fix the AC folded too 🙁. It isn't easy to find shops to work on <2000 cars around here.

Was told I'm not really reducing my carbon footprint by getting an electric vehicle, so may just keep the Mazda. If I can convince myself that 20mpg is OK... The only issue I know of right now is water under the car after I drive it, I guess there's a leaking hose or something. Gonna take it to that shop for an inspection. I had it smogged the other day and it passed with flying colors, as always. Got complements on how clean it is.

There are a few dents because bricks fell from my chimney during a violent wind event a few months ago. Estimates to repair the damage plus some rust at the seams with the front and back windows exceed $4000. One shop said just ignore that stuff. I'm contemplating having it fixed, dunno. Depends a lot on my ideas about keeping the car "indefinitely."
 
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Muse said:
My complaint with my 1997 Mazda LX626 2.0L 4 cylinder is the mileage, 18-21 mpg depending on my driving habits. I haven't been driving it much but would like to to see nature, explore, etc. LESS THAN 36K on this machine! I found a shop who says they'll work on it. My former guy retired and then the shop I found to fix the AC folded too 🙁. It isn't easy to find shops to work on <2000 cars around here.

Was told I'm not really reducing my carbon footprint by getting an electric vehicle, so may just keep the Mazda. If I can convince myself that 20mpg is OK... The only issue I know of right now is water under the car after I drive it, I guess there's a leaking hose or something. Gonna take it to that shop for an inspection. I had it smogged the other day and it passed with flying colors, as always. Got complements on how clean it is.

There are a few dents because bricks fell from my chimney during a violent wind event a few months ago. Estimates to repair the damage plus some rust at the seams with the front and back windows exceed $4000. One shop said just ignore that stuff. I'm contemplating having it fixed, dunno. Depends a lot on my ideas about keeping the car "indefinitely."
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I applaud you for trying to do your part while you can, but you're being ridiculous. Just drive more while you can, and buy some carbon offsets.

And no reason to repair $4k cosmetic damage if the car is worth $2k at best.

I used Complete Auto Works in Concord once for a PPI, and the mechanic was a pleasure to work with. You can inquire if he'd work on your old car (I have no idea). Reviews are impeccable:

 
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