OT: Talking Cars Tuesday - Car Advice
I thought we had a real good thread last week on brands. There was (mostly) well informed discussion on the global-ness of the Auto Industry, as well as lots people explaining why they like the cars they like. I find it interesting too that not one person said "I like Brand X because they make the best cars." There was lots of "I had one, it was reliable, I got another" or "My family's worked for Brand X" etc.... but no one claimed "Best".
Anyway, on to this week. What's the best piece of car advice you've ever gotten? Maybe you ignored it and have a good story to tell. Maybe your parents told you something specific about the family ride and it never treated you wrong. Did someone recommend buying a car you never would have thought of? Maybe you got horrible advice like "oil doesn't need changing". Maybe you want the MGoBoard's advice on something? Let's hear about that friend/parent/significant other who gave you great advice or steered (sorry) you wrong.
That's a pretty good range. I just wouldn't let it run up to 17,000 - 20,000 in between. I guess my main point with these post is how crazy some people are when they say, "I don't have <insert "time" or "money"> for an oil change." And yes, I have heard both.
Whatever that is - 3,000/3 months, or whatever it says. Do that. It's $50 and cheaper than a new car.
Mine is year/10K, with built in diagnostics/timer that tells me "Go get your oil changed"
but with synthetic oil now you can go 10K between changes. The old days of you need to change every 3K is actually too often. You should be able to go 5K between changes. I did know a guy who also blew out his engine, because he drove it over 30K without every changing the oil. He said no one told me I had to get it changed. I just shook my head.
Kind of an Arts-focused person, father died when he was a kid and had ZERO experience with cars.
Bought a brand new car after college and drove it, put gas in it, drove it, put gas in it, etc. etc.
NEVER CHANGED THE OIL! Thought that was just an easy way for mechanics to do it if the car was having problems.
I can't remember, but i think he said he drove it for about 2 1/2 years before it just died on the highway one day.
I mean, if you have no experience with cars, wouldn't you take 30 minutes and at least scan over the recommended maintainence plan?
but i guess this was back in the late 70's or so, and there were no such things as Uncle Ed's, Jiffy Lube, etc. to remind you.
You either did it at home (learned from Dad, neighbor, etc.) or took it to a mechanic.
I still laughed at him however.
I really want a new car, but my current one has been paid in full for almost four years and the wife's for around two years. It's beautiful not having a car payment.
car payments. Just paid off one of our cars last month and going to apply a lot more to my other cars loan to get it paid off in the next year and then hopefully go a long time without payments. My wife is as bad as me when it comes to liking new cars and it seems we have always had a payment. Can't wait until I don't have one.
until the maintenance on the old car started to add up to more than a car payment (it was an '06 after all)...
So I bit the bullet yesterday and leased a new one (my first lease in over 20 years too). Got more car for less money...so far, so good, but it is only the first day
to never buy a new car because they depreciate by thousands of dollars as soon as you drive it off the lot. I like to get cars that are 3-5 years old.
....used cars and drive them to scrap metal....
If you have decent credit, interest rates on vehicle loans are incredibly low right now. You'd be better off investing your money rather than using it as down payment on a vehicle.
Many car manufacturers have these deals every once in a while.
Even if the math doesn't work out perfectly, it still FEELS GREAT to drive a car off the lot without a payment.
My old mans advice for driving in the snow - you need to have "soft hands".
Every person needs to own at least one shit car for a while to understand how to take care of it/keep it running and how to appreciate a nice one.
Don't be the parents that buy your 16-year-old a brand new luxury SUV.
Kids always hate/resent whatever car you give them until they drive for a bit and realize the freedom it allows. It may not be a "cool" car, but all it takes is one of their friends to say they like it.
so they have skin in the game and they get to pick what they think is cool. If they pick something they like, hopefully they will treat it better. I had a lot of friends who trashed their hand me down cars because they got them for free and didn't like them.
It is weird to hear that there is a lot of kids who are waiting to get their license. Not having a phone call last more than 1 minute with any of my friends growing up (usually just to see where we were going to meet), the only way to hang out with my friends was to hike it on my bike on roads people were constantly going 70-80 miles an hour (back roads in Holland). I could not wait for the freedom a car allowed me. Getting places quicker and opening up the places I could get was a godsend.
It's a long ways off, but they love their cars now.
I was able to use my moms pontiac lemans (winter car) during the summer of when I wsa 16 to save money to buy a car before I was 17 (with a little help from grandparents). Each of my brothers had the same deal. It's hard to earn money for a car without a car.
Avoid hitting your brakes when the roads are really slick, especially when you are about to come to stop in a few hundred feet. Works for an automatic or a stick and can slow you down quickly even on ice.
Also, pop your hood and check your fluids (especially coolant) every other trip to the gas station. That dash light isn't always functioning properly...
In slippery conditions I agree, and have used it for that, but I had a disagreement with a coworker who thought I was stupid for not downshifting all the time when coming to a stop in normal conditions. I told him I thought it was stupid to put undue wear on my clutch, trans, and motor when my brakes are actually much better at slowing me down and bringing me to a stop and are much cheaper to replace.
Sure, let's get rid of the cool '66 Pontiac Catalina convertible with the power top, leather interior and AM-FM stereo and take the turd-brown '70 Duster with the tinny AM radio that my mom was getting rid of.
I still don't know what the fuck I was thinking.
You were probably high. Lot's of weird shit seems like a good idea when you're on LSD.
that's an anti drug message way stronger than the frying eggs.
Pump your brakes in the winter...saved me from the ditch several times when I was 16 (and a few times since).
And never buy a new car. Thanks Dad.
If you have a car with ABS. ABS will 'pump' your breaks far faster than you can. If you manually pump them you just increase your stopping distance.
I'll sit by and see if any engineers can confirm though.
ABS pumps for you. ABS? Slam the pedal.
No ABS? Pump!
My jeeps? Pump & Downshift! Good way to keep the wheels from locking.
Good to test traction though. I like pumping my brakes after a fresh snowfall just so I know where the limits of grip are so I can avoid it.
heels in the dirt!
Before you ever take it to a mechanic, google the problem you're having along with make and year and then watch a youtube video and see if you can fix it yourself. I have saved thousands of dollars over the last few years by doing that, and I am far from mechanically inclined.
Youtube is beyond amazing! One of the coolest things going on in the entire world IMO
Especially brake pads and rotors, one of the biggest rip-offs out there. Most garages will overcharge you and use cheap pads. Buy good pads online, they're very easy to install. Rotors are pretty easy too. Don't mess with calipers unless you really know what you're doing.
Best piece of advice: There is no such thing as a blind spot.
Really. There isn't, not if you adjust your mirrors correctly. You should be able to track a car from your rearview mirror to the side mirrors to your peripheral vision. You're doing it right if one headlight is in the rearview and one is in the side. You're doing it completely fucking wrong if you can see the side of your own car in the side mirror - which is how I seem to find every rental car I ever drive.
Second best piece of advice: When going around a constant curve, like a cloverleaf exit ramp, focus on the outer line. It works like magic to keep your car in the middle of the lane and not drift to the inner shoulder (or worse, lane next door) like 75% of the population.
- Only put money down on a car if it's 0% interest and you're buying it.
- Never put money down on a lease.
- Always try to warm up your car before you drive it.
- Don't ever WOT (wide open throttle) when it isn't warmed up
- Always check your tire pressure before long road trips, refer to the numbers on the label that's usually placed in your door jamb.
- "Additives" in gasoline are a marketing ploy, the only thing that counts are octane levels and if the gas station isn't lying about that. Some do.
- In the snow never brake while you're turning the wheel; brake before, when you're going straight.
- Always read your owner's manual when you get a new car (new to you)
- Always have a set of jumper cables for emergency, you could even extend that to a gas can if you usually run the car until it's low on gas
- Try not to drive until your gas tank is empty, fill before it gets low
- If you want to learn a lot about your car, wax it by hand. You'll learn a lot about the look of your car and the little nuances you maybe never noticed before
- With a lease, don't go call the insurance company to fix every little scratch, save it until you're about to turn it in.
- If you have a beater, learn to fix rust and bubbling in the paint before it gets out of control, or have the dealer fix it before it gets out of control
- Learn to drive a manual, you'll learn a lot about cars
- Find a dealership you like and stick with them even if you travel a little far
- Never buy the "extras" from the dealership (undercoating and so on)
- If you know a thing or two about cars, offer your help when someone you know goes to buy one. Odds are they will likely fall into every trap laid out by the salesman
- "Cars" is an animated movie for kids and not about cars in real life
- "Top Gear" is a gear head's wet dream, and the American version is funny as well
question your judgment and taste. UK Top Gear is (was) outstanding. US Top Gear is crap.
Haha, I wouldn't say that every episode was crap. I've definitely had my laughs with that show. In no way is it on the same level as Top Gear (UK). Don't get me wrong there. I'm not comparing the two, or that wasn't what I was trying to do.
I thought maybe you had a stroke or something.
/yes the US version has been good for a few laughs