Does ever make you think?

[Pstar1978]

That our cars mean so much to us in terms of socially and economically we would take care of our vehicles better? Granted I've leased my last 4 vehicles and the wife has leased her last 3. Our current vehicles are a 16 Equinox 4 cyl. and a 16 Silverado 4x4 6 cyl. With every lease I've always changed the oil every 3 to 5k miles and I've always rotated the tires every 5 to 6k miles. I've never had to pay for replacement tires or excessive wear and tear. I've seen this while working at a quick lube franchise for 10 years where people would deny a tire rotation because it was a lease but then you would see them in a few months when the bad weather hit with the same tires on the front axle that have 2/32 on the tread. It just seems to me that people are cheap or careless with vehicle maintenance. The reason why I'm posting this is because we need to take better care of our vehicles so while we're out with our families and don't we get run into by one of these "schmucks". Lol. Anyone have any thoughts on this?

[billyhandsomeface]

I am 35 and have owned 3 vehicles in my life: a 67 Chevrolet C10, a 2002 Chevy Silverado (single cab, 5 speed, V6), and a 2014 Ford Focus SE. My grandpa always changed the oil in all his engines regularly. My Dad never did. My grandpa's stuff always lasted way longer than my Dad's. I do the same. I change the oil every 4,000 miles. My Chevy Silverado is still running with 250,000 miles. I gave it to my dad who probably won't change the oil. I rotate my tires regularly as well. Easy way to avoid extra money and time spent on a donut. I also enjoy doing my own maintenance.

[highergr0und]

People are notoriously bad at figuring out long term costs vs short term, and when there's an attitude that it's "just a lease" then it amplifies that.

 

Maintaining a car is not rocket science. The manual lists exactly what you need to do and when, and generally speaking, if you do that, it'll last you a very long time. Add in the occasional wash and vacuum and you're in business....

 

I'm not a lease person, so I pay a lot of attention to maintenance. I expect my vehicles to last 10+ years and look good the whole time.

[dan360]

Cars are tools and toys for me. Some I use strictly as a tool. Commuting, hauling, etc. No need to look pretty, but needs to run right. The toys, heck, they all start, run, steer, and stop. Just not always on the same day. But they look cool.

 

I'd say never buy new, but....I've made a profit on ordering a new car and selling it later.

 

Maintenance is key for longevity. There are always outliers but by n large, maintain it, it will benefit you.

[bladehunter]

Had the upper intake and halve covers off my 2000 f150 last month. ( gasket issue ) oil change every 3000 with synthetic valvoline and it's just turned 312000 miles. Inside the valve covers and top of heads looked as if you just rebuilt it. Clean as a whistle. That's all i need to know. It costs more to maintain. But ive hauled countless cars on my trailer , and who knows how many road trips since buyin it new. I generally get 65000 or more miles out of a set of brake pads and I didn't change rotors until 270000 ( true story ) as they were within spec still then. I also get 60000 miles out of a set of tires ( BFG long trail ta ) it's so easy yet nobody sees it as necessary. I have friends and relatives who can't keep a new car in one piece long enough to pay for it. And they know better than to ask to borrow mine. Lol. I'll haul anything they want. But they aren't driving.

The 2000 is retired to trash hauling duty and yard work on the farm. I've got a 2012 f150 now and I expect to be driving it at 300000 too.

[Petethreeput]

To the OP,

 

And, as it pertains to maintenance you are correct, though I don't necessarily practice what I know to be true.

 

But to say cars are a socially and economically significant is a stretch. Unless one accrues the loss associated with vehicles, the economic significance is a stretch, and I think you have to have an awful lot of money to not care about the inherent loss (payments) for a vehicle. When you add in additional insurance, interest, fuel, upkeep, and other costs associated with vehicles, it makes absolutely no sense to buy at the top of a person's ability.

 

I pull into my golf course, am careful not to ding the $75K car next to me, and play golf with the guy. No one cares that I drive a $22K car. No one cares that I paid it off in 3 years. No one cares that the money I am saving by not making a car payment is going toward the car I buy when this one dies. I don't care what it looks like, in fact I washed it for the first time this year (and it did look awesome for a couple of days, by the way). I also don't care if it up and dies today or tomorrow, because I haven't put a dime into it except oil changes for over 3 years.

 

I would never lease a vehicle unless I could write the whole thing off as a business expense, this is the only time (IMO) leasing makes any sense. Any other time, it is essentially a glorified rental car that looks nicer than what I would feel comfortable paying for. Now this is just my opinion of course, but if you took the double payments you have paid for 9 years, and let's ballpark it at $500/ month, that is $54,000 with no equity, just the opportunity to do it again for three more years. Just think what a nice reliable vehicle you (I don't want to sound accusatory here) could be driving now with no payments?

 

I don't mean to a buzzkill on this, but take this from an old guy who bought his first Mercedes at 29 and then realized it was dumb, and now navigates in a sweet inexpensive hybrid. Generally only one entity wins in a lease and it isn't the lessor.

[Pstar1978]

Petethreeputt you make some valid points about leasing. I can never make the argument of saying leasing is better but it initially saved us "some" money by doing so. Case in point:

 

Wife's 2008 Malibu: She leased this to get out of an 03 Impala that needed some work. It needed an intake gasket(common on early dexcool vehicles), needed tires, rear brakes, rack and pinion work. I worked in the automotive industry as a quick lube manager and I'm a NYS vehicle inspector so I could do somethings but we figured it was around 1500 for the work.

 

Wife's 2013 Equinox: She drives on a stretch of highway that's not plowed regularly and needed more ground clearance. We also travel to my in laws property which is on a back country road.

 

Wife's 2016 Equinox: She got offered a pull ahead and thought it would be an improvement but it's just the same unfortunately. She'll be looking into something else when the time comes.

 

2009 Camry: I had a Honda Civic HX coupe with the first gen cvt. I bought this car used and the tranny was rebuilt but not done right. It had developed a thump at highway speeds which meant it was a 4k ticking time bomb.

 

2012 Highlander: I was working downtown Buffalo where they don't plow and I needed 4 wheel drive. Also the Camry needed tires since I had 32k miles on them. That was an easy 800 dollar bill and I didn't have a payment for that month. Savings around 1200 or so.

 

2014 Accord: This was a great car with great mpg(almost 500 miles per tank) but I wanted my truck to be able to do more with my family. Plus I got it for a steal since I worked at the dealership at the time.

 

2016 Silverado: I picked this up this year and with the rebates of around 10k, it was a no brainer. I got the V6 All Star edition 4x4 and they ate most of my upside down value on the Accord(own more than it's worth). When I go to the cabin or when we went to Alleghany State Park, I was getting 31 mpg because the 6 cylinder cuts down to 4 when cruising.

 

Having said this I know leasing is a waste of money but it also saved us some money in the process. I'm on pace to have this truck to be worth more than I owe at the end of the lease and if that's the case, I will be buying it. We also get zero percent interest when we lease. As far as being important to us economically and socially, who wants to hang out with someone or date someone who doesn't have wheels? Also most employers I know of in my area require a vehicle to be able to get to and from work.