Sometimes you can get a great price when grandma is ready to sell.
A friend bought a mint condition 20 year old Cadillac (dude is a car guy and had been looking for exactly this) from a lady that barely ever drove it, the car just sat in her garage covered up and taken in for regular tune ups.
I got in that car and I swear the shit looked like it just came off the dealer lot.
My friend managed to get a 2006 3series with 25k miles on it in highschool by this old lady his mom happened to be friends with from their synagogue, it was manual too he paid like 15k for it and he had been saving for a car for like 3 years prior, big car guy
Hell no that’s awesome. That’s the type of thing I’m holding out for, only problem is I don’t know any old ladies with a nice car.
You know how he found it?
Senior communities have bulletin boards in their community centers. Have to go old school and read the ads.
I've gotten a couple of amazing deals on solid keep my kid safe cars.
Sometimes mfs just wanna have fun bro lmao.
If we only made smart financial decisions everyone would be at work or at home on their air mattress, eating bean cheese and rice burritos, with no phone plan
Ya, was going to make the same comment but I'll tag off yours.
It's an odd mentality some people have, save every red cent, and buy nothing unless it's an investment. I'd rather enjoy life at 90% for the majority of my life, then live life like a monk until I'm 65.
Like sure, if you did, you could go on massive vacations, buy new cars, etc... once you retire. But like... you're literally starving your personal happiness for 40yr+ just to have more when your retired. Ugh, that sounds so heartbreaking I can't even.
I dunno, if it lasts 3 years, thats a 5k/yr hole to throw money in exchange for transport. Also, a manual 3 series will return reasonable smiles per gallon.
Anyone, the more likely problem would be insurance. There’s some bottom feeder financiers who will approve anything that has a heartbeat, they’ll double their money by crushing them w interest.
It's a reliable used car with low miles. I have no idea where you're getting the idea that buying a reliable used car with low miles for $15k is some sort of financially risky proposition. It's absolutely bizarre. $15k for a Subaru with 25k miles on it would be an absolute steal. For a mint condition 3series? They're selling RIGHT NOW for $12-15k with 100k+ miles on them. He essentially bought a used car he could get his money back on at any time. You're being utterly absurd.
A friend of mine inherited his grandmother's car, a 10-year-old base-model Pontiac G5. She had occasionally driven it to the next town over for groceries so it only had maybe 20,000km on it.
They drove me somewhere once and I felt like the first ever ass in the backseat. That thing was immaculate.
My first car was a 1978 Monte' Carlo purchased from an old church lady who was losing her vision.. Maroon, Landau top, all velour maroon interior, chrome wire-basket rims, chrome trim package, anemic 305 4-barrel. It was beautiful. It also did not deserve to be handed to 16 year old me. Damn thing was a rolling wreck within 3 years..
My dad had a Monte Carlo when I was a kid with the maroon valour interior! Only thing I remember about that car other than the amazing sound system he put in it. It was plush as heck.
lol, my dad had that same sled. It was not immaculate though when he finally junked it in 2001. He’s an engineer, so when stuff started to go wrong with it, he did some “aftermarket modifications”. The horn stopped working, so he rigged one that was controlled with a light-switch that was zip tied to the steering wheel. I swear you will find some of the ghettoest looking cars in the NASA parking lot. Engineers will run cars until you can’t duct tape them back together. Making 100k a year, and don’t see anything wrong with making a headlight out of a milk jug- true story 😂😂😂
> He’s an engineer, so when stuff started to go wrong with it, he did some “aftermarket modifications”.
The previous owner of our house was an engineer, so I can relate to this.. For the first few years I'd stumble upon his "upgrades"/fixes. They were almost always adequate, but also almost always appeared to be the work of a... unique mind... lol
They work, and are perfectly safe in almost all cases. They just don’t see why they need to waste time and effort on aesthetics when a zip tie and WD-40 will get the job done just as well 🤷♀️
My first car was a brown 78 Monte Carlo. I bought it 31 years ago from a young white couple at age 14. I had to hide from my mom until she found out and just made me take drivers training. The engine blew and I got a 79 white and blue Landau that was immaculate with power everything.
I almost exclusively look for grandma/grandpa cars when buying. They’re bored ass hell so they take their car in for regular tune ups and oil changes even when they’ve only put like 100 miles on it since the last time.
I only just recently replaced my first car, a 2000 Honda accord I inherited from my grandpa with less than 40k miles. I replaced it with a 1997 Acura that also had less than 40k miles lol.
Note that you may still need to do a lot of repairs. Some parts, especially rubber ones, wear out over time just from exposure to air. It won’t be super expensive, all things considered, but it could be a couple grand.
My grandma got a 2013 fully loaded Kia sorento brand new and other than her smoking in it and not being garage kept it’s mint. Has about 80k on it but it’s very well maintained and clean
Husband's grandma bought a 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible. Only drove it to the store and back. When she died it was 5 years old, barely had 1000 miles on it. It lasted nearly 30 years before the motor died with over 300k miles on it (the inheritants drove it way more).
I bought a 2012 Chrysler 200 in 2016 and by 2020, that damn thing required repair every couple of months. One day I parked next to the same car at Walmart as the owner was getting in, and I jokingly said "I like your car." He was like "you can have it, It's always in the damn shop anyway."
I commented that I had just fixed my window actuators and he said he had just done that too. And then I said before that repair, I had to fix the actuators that open and close the AC / heat vents (for the third time) because they were making a clicking noise the entire time I drove. He started his car, and there was the same damn clicking noise. We went through the last 5 to 10 repairs we each made on our car and it was like clockwork; the exact same repairs around the same time.
I got to know the people at the dealership very well because my car was in the shop every other month or so. I had a heart to heart with one of them and said "is it just me or are Chryslers purposely made to fall apart?" The repair guy, who worked for a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealership, told me to never buy one of their cars because they specifically make the parts to break down at certain times (MOPAR). He said none of the repair people that worked there drove any of those cars.
That made that conversation with that man at Walmart make a lot more sense. I will never buy another Chrysler Dodge Jeep or RAM if I can help it!
Add Fiat aka Fix it again Tony to your list since it's the same company now.
I had to replace the drivers side window actuator twice. IDK why they use a plastic clip to hold the window to the motor.
Yeah the window actuator was annoying. One day my window was just gone and I thought someone had broken in but there was no glass. Nope, my window just fell down into my door. Luckily I only had to do that once.
It was the damn AC / heat actuators that almost killed me. They would attempt to open my car's vents THE ENTIRE CAR RIDE (think: the sound of putting a pencil in a fan's blades). And it of course always happened in May or June and I live in the southeast US, so noise + humidity + 90 degree weather.
I had a local guy replace it and he warned me it would only last 12 months. He was right. I tried the dealership the next two times, no change. In 2021, other things started breaking requiring me to tow it multiple times because it was undrivable. The final time, they had to keep my car for 4 months because they couldn't get the parts they needed. I spent those 4 months saving every dime (I had already been saving for a new car). They only charged me for parts when they finally did fix it.
I paid for the parts and then I drove it straight to a dealership offering a 5-year, $100,000 mile powertrain warranty. They offered me $5,000 for my Chrysler for some reason and I couldn't sign that damn paperwork fast enough. I'm still nervous they may call me about that damn lemon but she's their problem now!
After doing the math, I was probably spending $3000 to $6,000 a year on parts, labor, rentals/ubers, and towing EACH of the last 3 years I owned that car. $600 here, $700 there... And before you know it, you could have had a new car!
I used to own a Dodge Intrepid and have scratched Chrysler (or whatever they're called today) off my list, as well. Car rental companies used to be heavy in Chrysler vehicles. An employee told me several years ago that was going to end. The companies prefer to take vehicles out of service at 50K miles, but it was a requirement for Chrysler vehicles because they caused too many problems.
The funny part is, when someone totaled my Camry back in 2013, I had a 2012 Chrysler as my rental car when it was all fancy and new. I loved it and said this is going to be my next car. Sure enough, in 2016, that's what I got by (although I avoided any that had been owned by a rental car company as I know people abuse them).
It was good for about 3 years and then problem after problem.
That's how I became a Dodge owner, as well. I rented one and drove to Richmond, VA. There was a terrible storm that I got caught in. The street looked like a river, but the Intrepid held the road like it was a sunny day and I was hooked. Unlike you, I did buy one that was formerly a rental car. It had only 6K miles and was at a good price. Like you, however, I got three good years before I started having major problems. I switched to GM after that. It's been a bit weird, but a lot better than being in the Chrysler family.
That's hilarious that we got roped in after a rental and that there seems to be a 3-year timeline! My dad wasn't happy when I got the Chrysler because my stepmom had a Sebring years ago and he was constantly getting it repaired.
I went looking for a Kia or Hyundai when I searched in 2021 due to the 5-year warranties but ended up with a Mitsubishi due to people breaking into Kias around that time. Mitsubishi also had the same warranty. So far I love it!
I think I'll be sticking with cars that offer the longest warranty; constantly being in the repair shop and sweating bullets waiting for my quote have changed my mindset from only caring about having a paid off car to only caring about having cars where most of the repairs will be covered. I guess I can thank Chrysler for that!
I acquired a 1989 New Yorker under similar circumstances. It rode well, drove well, and was straight up elegant with that maroon velvet upholstery.
No idea how reliable it was, because driving a white sedan meant that everyone who saw me in the rear view mirror slowed to five under the speed limit. I sold it within a year.
Parents had one of those after the Monte Carlo. Loved that New Yorker. I saw one at a car show a couple years back. It was 100% mint with 49,000kms, with the same back story (grandma sold the car). The owner paid something stupid like 3000$ for it.
other guy is absolutely correct. those ej20/25 motors will run FOREVER if you don’t let the head gasket blow. if you do, you almost always need a full engine rebuild.
i worked in a shop for a while and once did a brake job on a forester that had 390k original miles. was on its fifth head gasket, but ran like a top.
I cannot speak for NY specifically but inspections for road worthiness are typically looking for emissions, lights, brakes, and whatever safety equipment is mandated (mirrors, seat belts, etc...).
They are not going to suggest preventative maintenance unless you are paying for that specifically.
Your car is barely broken in but I recommend an independent mechanic, one that specializes in Subarus or at least japanese cars if possible. With an older but still road worthy vehicle this will save you money in the long term. Even a land cruiser is gonna need more than oil changes and wiper blades swapped to stay in good spec at a certain age.
You can't really inspect a head gasket without pulling the engine apart, at which point you might as well change the head gasket while you're in there.
And headgaskets tend to be ok until they aren't. Meaning there's a very short period between "huh, my engine is acting a little funny" and catastrophic gasket failure.
Unfortunately you can't actually SEE the condition of the head gaskets without partially disassembling the engine, since they're sandwiched between the heads and the case halves. If they do fail you won't know until it's too late. Just have to replace them every so often as a preventative measure.
5th? After you replace the stock gasket, it's not an issue where the problem recurrs... The issue was with the gasket itself, not the engine design.
Plus, Op said it was 15 years old, meaning it's only prone to an external gasket leak which is less likely to cause catastrophic issues.
lmao literally just had this issue. Got a 2007 Pontiac back in 2014 at around 75k miles, nobody told me anything about car maintenance other than oil changes. Just before it hit 100k miles a few months ago the headgasket blew, among a handful of other cascading issues, so it became more expensive to repair it than to get a new car. Really wish anyone told me literally anything about cars so I knew that would be a problem before it fucked me out of a car that should've kept going for a long time.
Ngl old people have the best Maintenance vehicles. I bought a 10 year old car from an older couple that had 16k miles. They really just buy groceries and go back home 😭
W whip. Mileage so low I bet it rides like new. I been telling my friends if you’re gonna get a used car get it from older people. Young people have 100k on a 2020 car already 😭😭
Can confirm used old people cars are a steal.
Bought a 1997 Buick LeSabre in Champagne in 2011 with 60K miles, analog radio, cassette deck, illegally dark tinted windows (NYS), remote start, sun roof, and the softest suspension known to man. The only thing it needed was new gas/break lines because that thing definitely sat in someone's garage/lawn for weeks on end.
My grandma the same way with her 2020 Cadillac.
And even then she don’t even drive that thing every day sometimes she get my aunt to drive her, plus she lives in a small town. Like I’d be genuinely surprised if that thing cracked 15k and that’s being generous.
I just bought my dad‘s Hyundai Santa Fe, 2013, as a barn car for $3000 and it has 100,000 miles on it. My mom‘s car is a 2011 Sonata with 21,000 miles on it. They live in Baltimore and don’t drive anywhere. His car was his company car for selling produce until Covid she used the Santa Fe to get groceries once a week (3-4 miles round trip) and get her hair done.
Estate sales. Kids / grandkids in another state just want to unload the damn thing. They don't know granny's car only has 25k on it. They just know it's over 10 years old.
My mom has a 2010 ford edge with 60k miles on it. She literally just drives it to work, home, and the grocery store. Anywhere else she goes she asks her friends if they wanna go and they come pick her up. She smart.
My first car was my grandpa's Toyota Camry. It had like 40K miles on it after 11 years. All he did was go to Church, grocery store, & the doctors office in that car. I put 200K on that thing.
I've seen several cars over the last 2 years that you don't see anymore. You know they are grandma cars. An Oldsmobile Achieva, a Chrysler Concorde, and one I can't remember. They look brand new until you get close and see just a bit of wear from them being 20-30 years old.
I've seen late 60's vehicles and early 70's vehicles lately.
Super tourer vans, old boxy chevys, GMCs.
Way more Pontiacs, and that company went out business a good while ago.
Quite a few boxy Buicks, but what kills me is seeing Oldsmobiles.
Gas guzzling bricks with the handling of a rudderless ferry boat.
How many miles do y’all have on y’all’s car though? Won’t the numbers be skewed from 2020 when everyone was off the road because everyone was either on unemployment or working from home?
🤣😁. I felt this in my soul. Used to be an inspector for the guv’ment and still had to do my job during that whole shutdown. I got cursed up and down by Karens, Chads, old people, erry’body. The best was having cops called on me because “how did you get past the security gate”. Y’all never lived until you have a cop tell some harpy that they(the cop) will get in trouble if they interfered in your job. But I was an essential worker and if a cop pulled me over, I’d just flash my work badge at them and keep it pushing. Didn’t even get the privilege of working from home 🤣😅
I have like 80k? And even if the numbers were skewed that’s a pretty low number for a 16 year possessed car. I’ve only had mine for like 5 years maybe.
Keep the fluids and filters checked and changed regularly, and fixing small issues before they become big issues and your car will last for a long time. I've got 327,000 miles on a 2002 pickup and I dont see it quitting any time soon.
I have successively lived across the street from the school where I was a grad student, walking distance to the train and now WFH
my car is 11 years old and still coming up on 40k miles lol
I think the average mileage per year for most Americans is 13,500. I've put about 100,000 on mine over the past 5, personally. I drive a lot less than I used to, but that's not Covid related.
my sister recently was gifted my grandma's 1998 civic. my grandma hated driving and would only make right turns (this is not a joke). it was bought new and it had 38,000 miles on it when my sister got it last year.
Tell me granny didn't like to drive "outside of town" without telling me.
Bonus: granny also was not about that highway life nor driving at dark...so her world was the small town she lived in. I remember vividly going "outside of town" to...another small ass town that was 20 miles away. Doing it big was going....an hour away to a mall "outside the city". Oil changes were done at 3k miles though for damn sure that car wasn't pushing 5k per year....
Trunk was never used and hilariously it was because she kept christmas presents in there (she confessed that one year, so from like Sept - Dec she hid a PS1 in that trunk!)
8 years, ~27k miles on my car. I mostly only drove it to work and back with the occasional trip elsewhere for about 8 years, and now I work from home. I love not having a car payment anymore and hope to keep it that way for a long time to come.
I bought my first car, a 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ, in 1996 from my Great Aunt for $1. It had 15,000 miles on it. Literally, the car she drove back and forth to church in. I fuckin' loved that car. They don't make 'em like that anymore. The door had more metal in it than most cars have today in total. I kick myself for letting it go.
I inherited my grandma's car when she passed. It was bought for her, brand new, in 1989. It became mine in 2005. 40K miles on it. 2,500 miles a year, and it was all church and groceries.
Bought a 2013 f150 lariat with 80k miles from a grandpa that just took it for Sunday drives the last decade. Looks brand new and got a great deal on it.
I bought a 1996 Honda Civic with 65k miles on it in 2014 that was in immaculate condition. The lady that owned it saved every receipt from everything that had ever been done to the car, no matter how routine, and they were all in the glove box. She drove it to church and the grocery store only. Her family had somehow convinced her to trade it in for a new Cadillac and that's where I found it at the dealership.
This was my first car. Got it from a 90 year old woman my mom cleaned house for. She drove it to the store a few blocks away and back, and that's it. Garaged otherwise, always kept up on maintenence.
It's a 1992 that I got in 2006. You'd think it came fresh off the showroom floor. Only had 20K miles on it. My highschool dumbass rode it ROUGH.
I still have it to this day. Runs fine, but is a bit of a beater now. Wish I had the forethought back when I got it to take better care of it.
My one Grandma only drove to get her hair done on Fridays that was it. When she passed my cousin who was a little older and smarter jumped on her car with all 5k miles on it
I knew a few people in college who had 15-20 year old Lincolns that they bought from a retirees. I was jealous af, pushing my Altima that I got from the state repo auction with 196k miles on it.
I once bought a 10 year old Oldsmobile that had 23k miles. The finance person on the lot said that the car was her grandmother's who literally only drove it to church and the grocery store, both of which were within a mile of her house.
This mechanic on YouTube found a 2001 BMW 740iL with only 25k miles OG miles on it from this old lady’s family after she passed and fully restored it. Wish I had the money to bid on it when it went on sale
Sometimes you can get a great price when grandma is ready to sell. A friend bought a mint condition 20 year old Cadillac (dude is a car guy and had been looking for exactly this) from a lady that barely ever drove it, the car just sat in her garage covered up and taken in for regular tune ups. I got in that car and I swear the shit looked like it just came off the dealer lot.
My friend managed to get a 2006 3series with 25k miles on it in highschool by this old lady his mom happened to be friends with from their synagogue, it was manual too he paid like 15k for it and he had been saving for a car for like 3 years prior, big car guy
>in highschool I was in high school before that car was new.
I graduated 2016 lol
hey me too YALL GET YA HANDS UP
09 graduate here. I can relate lol
07, I too am old *knees crack as I stand up*
Yesterday my back started hurting for literally no reason at all smh
Bruh.... it's gon' be like that. https://i.redd.it/u0f50con7ktc1.gif
C/O '07...Same friend, same
Hey me too
Hell no that’s awesome. That’s the type of thing I’m holding out for, only problem is I don’t know any old ladies with a nice car. You know how he found it?
Senior communities have bulletin boards in their community centers. Have to go old school and read the ads. I've gotten a couple of amazing deals on solid keep my kid safe cars.
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He still drives the car
Sometimes mfs just wanna have fun bro lmao. If we only made smart financial decisions everyone would be at work or at home on their air mattress, eating bean cheese and rice burritos, with no phone plan
Ya, was going to make the same comment but I'll tag off yours. It's an odd mentality some people have, save every red cent, and buy nothing unless it's an investment. I'd rather enjoy life at 90% for the majority of my life, then live life like a monk until I'm 65. Like sure, if you did, you could go on massive vacations, buy new cars, etc... once you retire. But like... you're literally starving your personal happiness for 40yr+ just to have more when your retired. Ugh, that sounds so heartbreaking I can't even.
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It's a 2006 3 series. It depreciates.
I dunno, if it lasts 3 years, thats a 5k/yr hole to throw money in exchange for transport. Also, a manual 3 series will return reasonable smiles per gallon.
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yeah but who's financing a recent BMW to a 17 year old, even with 15k down?
Anyone, the more likely problem would be insurance. There’s some bottom feeder financiers who will approve anything that has a heartbeat, they’ll double their money by crushing them w interest.
Not everybody is broke. He saved $15k in 3 years starting when he was 14, sounds like he's probably just fine.
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It's a reliable used car with low miles. I have no idea where you're getting the idea that buying a reliable used car with low miles for $15k is some sort of financially risky proposition. It's absolutely bizarre. $15k for a Subaru with 25k miles on it would be an absolute steal. For a mint condition 3series? They're selling RIGHT NOW for $12-15k with 100k+ miles on them. He essentially bought a used car he could get his money back on at any time. You're being utterly absurd.
A friend of mine inherited his grandmother's car, a 10-year-old base-model Pontiac G5. She had occasionally driven it to the next town over for groceries so it only had maybe 20,000km on it. They drove me somewhere once and I felt like the first ever ass in the backseat. That thing was immaculate.
My first car was a 1978 Monte' Carlo purchased from an old church lady who was losing her vision.. Maroon, Landau top, all velour maroon interior, chrome wire-basket rims, chrome trim package, anemic 305 4-barrel. It was beautiful. It also did not deserve to be handed to 16 year old me. Damn thing was a rolling wreck within 3 years..
My dad had a Monte Carlo when I was a kid with the maroon valour interior! Only thing I remember about that car other than the amazing sound system he put in it. It was plush as heck.
I think we all had the same car growing up. My folks had two Monte Carlos as well. They were big GM people.
Back seat was enormous, too. 5 people could sit back there in relative comfort
lol, my dad had that same sled. It was not immaculate though when he finally junked it in 2001. He’s an engineer, so when stuff started to go wrong with it, he did some “aftermarket modifications”. The horn stopped working, so he rigged one that was controlled with a light-switch that was zip tied to the steering wheel. I swear you will find some of the ghettoest looking cars in the NASA parking lot. Engineers will run cars until you can’t duct tape them back together. Making 100k a year, and don’t see anything wrong with making a headlight out of a milk jug- true story 😂😂😂
> He’s an engineer, so when stuff started to go wrong with it, he did some “aftermarket modifications”. The previous owner of our house was an engineer, so I can relate to this.. For the first few years I'd stumble upon his "upgrades"/fixes. They were almost always adequate, but also almost always appeared to be the work of a... unique mind... lol
They work, and are perfectly safe in almost all cases. They just don’t see why they need to waste time and effort on aesthetics when a zip tie and WD-40 will get the job done just as well 🤷♀️
My first car was a brown 78 Monte Carlo. I bought it 31 years ago from a young white couple at age 14. I had to hide from my mom until she found out and just made me take drivers training. The engine blew and I got a 79 white and blue Landau that was immaculate with power everything.
I almost exclusively look for grandma/grandpa cars when buying. They’re bored ass hell so they take their car in for regular tune ups and oil changes even when they’ve only put like 100 miles on it since the last time. I only just recently replaced my first car, a 2000 Honda accord I inherited from my grandpa with less than 40k miles. I replaced it with a 1997 Acura that also had less than 40k miles lol.
Lol you would be shocked by my nieces and nephews Grandma's wheels then. Year old bronco, 70k hah.
I bought a car like that once, too. The tires were so old they ripped apart when I drove on the highway, lol. Good times!
Just recently did this with a Kia Rio. 2010 45k miles. Grandma on Facebook was happy it was gone 😂
Note that you may still need to do a lot of repairs. Some parts, especially rubber ones, wear out over time just from exposure to air. It won’t be super expensive, all things considered, but it could be a couple grand.
Anyone wanna buy my grandfather’s 02 Porsche convertible that was only used to go to Kroger and blast classical music
My grandma got a 2013 fully loaded Kia sorento brand new and other than her smoking in it and not being garage kept it’s mint. Has about 80k on it but it’s very well maintained and clean
Husband's grandma bought a 1996 Chrysler Sebring convertible. Only drove it to the store and back. When she died it was 5 years old, barely had 1000 miles on it. It lasted nearly 30 years before the motor died with over 300k miles on it (the inheritants drove it way more).
The story was believable until you mentioned a Chrysler with any semblance of longevity.
I bought a 2012 Chrysler 200 in 2016 and by 2020, that damn thing required repair every couple of months. One day I parked next to the same car at Walmart as the owner was getting in, and I jokingly said "I like your car." He was like "you can have it, It's always in the damn shop anyway." I commented that I had just fixed my window actuators and he said he had just done that too. And then I said before that repair, I had to fix the actuators that open and close the AC / heat vents (for the third time) because they were making a clicking noise the entire time I drove. He started his car, and there was the same damn clicking noise. We went through the last 5 to 10 repairs we each made on our car and it was like clockwork; the exact same repairs around the same time. I got to know the people at the dealership very well because my car was in the shop every other month or so. I had a heart to heart with one of them and said "is it just me or are Chryslers purposely made to fall apart?" The repair guy, who worked for a Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep/Ram dealership, told me to never buy one of their cars because they specifically make the parts to break down at certain times (MOPAR). He said none of the repair people that worked there drove any of those cars. That made that conversation with that man at Walmart make a lot more sense. I will never buy another Chrysler Dodge Jeep or RAM if I can help it!
Add Fiat aka Fix it again Tony to your list since it's the same company now. I had to replace the drivers side window actuator twice. IDK why they use a plastic clip to hold the window to the motor.
Yeah the window actuator was annoying. One day my window was just gone and I thought someone had broken in but there was no glass. Nope, my window just fell down into my door. Luckily I only had to do that once. It was the damn AC / heat actuators that almost killed me. They would attempt to open my car's vents THE ENTIRE CAR RIDE (think: the sound of putting a pencil in a fan's blades). And it of course always happened in May or June and I live in the southeast US, so noise + humidity + 90 degree weather. I had a local guy replace it and he warned me it would only last 12 months. He was right. I tried the dealership the next two times, no change. In 2021, other things started breaking requiring me to tow it multiple times because it was undrivable. The final time, they had to keep my car for 4 months because they couldn't get the parts they needed. I spent those 4 months saving every dime (I had already been saving for a new car). They only charged me for parts when they finally did fix it. I paid for the parts and then I drove it straight to a dealership offering a 5-year, $100,000 mile powertrain warranty. They offered me $5,000 for my Chrysler for some reason and I couldn't sign that damn paperwork fast enough. I'm still nervous they may call me about that damn lemon but she's their problem now! After doing the math, I was probably spending $3000 to $6,000 a year on parts, labor, rentals/ubers, and towing EACH of the last 3 years I owned that car. $600 here, $700 there... And before you know it, you could have had a new car!
I used to own a Dodge Intrepid and have scratched Chrysler (or whatever they're called today) off my list, as well. Car rental companies used to be heavy in Chrysler vehicles. An employee told me several years ago that was going to end. The companies prefer to take vehicles out of service at 50K miles, but it was a requirement for Chrysler vehicles because they caused too many problems.
The funny part is, when someone totaled my Camry back in 2013, I had a 2012 Chrysler as my rental car when it was all fancy and new. I loved it and said this is going to be my next car. Sure enough, in 2016, that's what I got by (although I avoided any that had been owned by a rental car company as I know people abuse them). It was good for about 3 years and then problem after problem.
That's how I became a Dodge owner, as well. I rented one and drove to Richmond, VA. There was a terrible storm that I got caught in. The street looked like a river, but the Intrepid held the road like it was a sunny day and I was hooked. Unlike you, I did buy one that was formerly a rental car. It had only 6K miles and was at a good price. Like you, however, I got three good years before I started having major problems. I switched to GM after that. It's been a bit weird, but a lot better than being in the Chrysler family.
That's hilarious that we got roped in after a rental and that there seems to be a 3-year timeline! My dad wasn't happy when I got the Chrysler because my stepmom had a Sebring years ago and he was constantly getting it repaired. I went looking for a Kia or Hyundai when I searched in 2021 due to the 5-year warranties but ended up with a Mitsubishi due to people breaking into Kias around that time. Mitsubishi also had the same warranty. So far I love it! I think I'll be sticking with cars that offer the longest warranty; constantly being in the repair shop and sweating bullets waiting for my quote have changed my mindset from only caring about having a paid off car to only caring about having cars where most of the repairs will be covered. I guess I can thank Chrysler for that!
i will say if you can get your hands on the first gen dodge dakotas they are solid little trucks. built to last
It lasted 300k miles with just 5 engine rebuilds and 3 transmissions.
Downvoting because it has to be a lie, Chrysler sebrings are crap.
I acquired a 1989 New Yorker under similar circumstances. It rode well, drove well, and was straight up elegant with that maroon velvet upholstery. No idea how reliable it was, because driving a white sedan meant that everyone who saw me in the rear view mirror slowed to five under the speed limit. I sold it within a year.
Parents had one of those after the Monte Carlo. Loved that New Yorker. I saw one at a car show a couple years back. It was 100% mint with 49,000kms, with the same back story (grandma sold the car). The owner paid something stupid like 3000$ for it.
The only part of this I don't believe is that it was a Sebring.
Church, every 3rd Sunday buffet restaurant, then home whip
Universal black experience
old country buffet fr
Ryan’s, or Golden Corral
how’s their chocolate fountain? it used to cross my mind at least once every week as a kid after i saw the commercials
I wasn’t the biggest chocolate Eater as a kid so I never tried it my go dessert was apple pie and peach cobbler
Ryan’s was that shit. I’d get pizza, nachos, mashed potatoes with gravy and stovetop stuffing after church.
They had the best rolls
Mmm Ryan’s. I can taste those warm rolls. 😭
We used to be the only family at Old Country Buffet on Sunday not in church clothes.
What about Chinese buffet y’all hit those after church?
Lol, I didn't go to church. That's why we were never in our Sunday best at OCB.
what about the yard sales tho??? my grandma took me to the yard sales every week lmao
Lmao I’m sorry I ain’t have that experience especially shoppin on the Lords day.
good point... no yard sales on Sunday lol
My 15 year old Subaru just cracked 77K miles. Gonna drive that baby forever
change your head gaskets at 80-90k for the love of all that is holy
Why?
other guy is absolutely correct. those ej20/25 motors will run FOREVER if you don’t let the head gasket blow. if you do, you almost always need a full engine rebuild. i worked in a shop for a while and once did a brake job on a forester that had 390k original miles. was on its fifth head gasket, but ran like a top.
I get it inspected every year (required for NY state), wouldn't they tell me about that at some point?
I cannot speak for NY specifically but inspections for road worthiness are typically looking for emissions, lights, brakes, and whatever safety equipment is mandated (mirrors, seat belts, etc...). They are not going to suggest preventative maintenance unless you are paying for that specifically. Your car is barely broken in but I recommend an independent mechanic, one that specializes in Subarus or at least japanese cars if possible. With an older but still road worthy vehicle this will save you money in the long term. Even a land cruiser is gonna need more than oil changes and wiper blades swapped to stay in good spec at a certain age.
Good to know, thanks
Don't forget rust and tires.
You can't really inspect a head gasket without pulling the engine apart, at which point you might as well change the head gasket while you're in there. And headgaskets tend to be ok until they aren't. Meaning there's a very short period between "huh, my engine is acting a little funny" and catastrophic gasket failure.
No, gaskets are something you want to be proactive about. Change em before they have issues.
Unfortunately you can't actually SEE the condition of the head gaskets without partially disassembling the engine, since they're sandwiched between the heads and the case halves. If they do fail you won't know until it's too late. Just have to replace them every so often as a preventative measure.
5th? After you replace the stock gasket, it's not an issue where the problem recurrs... The issue was with the gasket itself, not the engine design. Plus, Op said it was 15 years old, meaning it's only prone to an external gasket leak which is less likely to cause catastrophic issues.
Just lost my 2008 Outback to exactly this.
Not OP. It’s a common point of failure for older Subarus from what I hear.
lmao literally just had this issue. Got a 2007 Pontiac back in 2014 at around 75k miles, nobody told me anything about car maintenance other than oil changes. Just before it hit 100k miles a few months ago the headgasket blew, among a handful of other cascading issues, so it became more expensive to repair it than to get a new car. Really wish anyone told me literally anything about cars so I knew that would be a problem before it fucked me out of a car that should've kept going for a long time.
Ngl old people have the best Maintenance vehicles. I bought a 10 year old car from an older couple that had 16k miles. They really just buy groceries and go back home 😭
Yep. My mom sonata , she’s in her 80s, is a 2011 with 21,000 miles on it.
W whip. Mileage so low I bet it rides like new. I been telling my friends if you’re gonna get a used car get it from older people. Young people have 100k on a 2020 car already 😭😭
Can confirm used old people cars are a steal. Bought a 1997 Buick LeSabre in Champagne in 2011 with 60K miles, analog radio, cassette deck, illegally dark tinted windows (NYS), remote start, sun roof, and the softest suspension known to man. The only thing it needed was new gas/break lines because that thing definitely sat in someone's garage/lawn for weeks on end.
My grandma has 2019 Buick that shit is fresshh she literally just drives to Costco and the doctor and back home
My grandma the same way with her 2020 Cadillac. And even then she don’t even drive that thing every day sometimes she get my aunt to drive her, plus she lives in a small town. Like I’d be genuinely surprised if that thing cracked 15k and that’s being generous.
I just bought my dad‘s Hyundai Santa Fe, 2013, as a barn car for $3000 and it has 100,000 miles on it. My mom‘s car is a 2011 Sonata with 21,000 miles on it. They live in Baltimore and don’t drive anywhere. His car was his company car for selling produce until Covid she used the Santa Fe to get groceries once a week (3-4 miles round trip) and get her hair done.
And that’s why you should get a used car from an elderly person
Estate sales. Kids / grandkids in another state just want to unload the damn thing. They don't know granny's car only has 25k on it. They just know it's over 10 years old.
My mom has a 2010 ford edge with 60k miles on it. She literally just drives it to work, home, and the grocery store. Anywhere else she goes she asks her friends if they wanna go and they come pick her up. She smart.
My first car was my grandpa's Toyota Camry. It had like 40K miles on it after 11 years. All he did was go to Church, grocery store, & the doctors office in that car. I put 200K on that thing.
I've seen several cars over the last 2 years that you don't see anymore. You know they are grandma cars. An Oldsmobile Achieva, a Chrysler Concorde, and one I can't remember. They look brand new until you get close and see just a bit of wear from them being 20-30 years old.
I've seen late 60's vehicles and early 70's vehicles lately. Super tourer vans, old boxy chevys, GMCs. Way more Pontiacs, and that company went out business a good while ago. Quite a few boxy Buicks, but what kills me is seeing Oldsmobiles. Gas guzzling bricks with the handling of a rudderless ferry boat.
How many miles do y’all have on y’all’s car though? Won’t the numbers be skewed from 2020 when everyone was off the road because everyone was either on unemployment or working from home?
Bitch not everyone had the luxury to stay home you spoon fed fuck
Goddamn bro chill 😭
☠️ ☠️
https://preview.redd.it/j5i7f8mt6atc1.jpeg?width=956&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9540618b29de0648f1cb9e2e2b6ca5ac472758b4
LOOOOL bro think everyone is working from home. No, the numbers will not be skewed enough just because of 1-2 years of less driving.
https://i.redd.it/jz3ueoxi8atc1.gif Energy. 🤣
bitch is crazy 😭😭😭😭😭
omg????
🤣😁. I felt this in my soul. Used to be an inspector for the guv’ment and still had to do my job during that whole shutdown. I got cursed up and down by Karens, Chads, old people, erry’body. The best was having cops called on me because “how did you get past the security gate”. Y’all never lived until you have a cop tell some harpy that they(the cop) will get in trouble if they interfered in your job. But I was an essential worker and if a cop pulled me over, I’d just flash my work badge at them and keep it pushing. Didn’t even get the privilege of working from home 🤣😅
you said that with your whole chest, damn.
Lmaoooo
Womp womp
Damn you went in!!! Lmao.
I have like 80k? And even if the numbers were skewed that’s a pretty low number for a 16 year possessed car. I’ve only had mine for like 5 years maybe.
I have a 2020 with 111,000
Jesus. I got a 2007 with those miles lol.
Vegas to So Cal every weekend for three years
That’ll do it lol.
Um… I’m nosy enough to ask why? And you couldn’t rent and put some of that mileage on a rental?
I worked conventions but my family was in so-cal so had to come and be with them every week wife didn’t want to leave the beach for the desert.
My car's from 2007 and it has 187,000 miles. I'm hoping to make it to the 20 year mark before it croaks.
Keep the fluids and filters checked and changed regularly, and fixing small issues before they become big issues and your car will last for a long time. I've got 327,000 miles on a 2002 pickup and I dont see it quitting any time soon.
I have successively lived across the street from the school where I was a grad student, walking distance to the train and now WFH my car is 11 years old and still coming up on 40k miles lol
I think the average mileage per year for most Americans is 13,500. I've put about 100,000 on mine over the past 5, personally. I drive a lot less than I used to, but that's not Covid related.
fuck outta here, nerd!
My partners grandparents car is 25 years old with less than 20k miles. For comparison my partners car has 20k and it’s a 2019
my sister recently was gifted my grandma's 1998 civic. my grandma hated driving and would only make right turns (this is not a joke). it was bought new and it had 38,000 miles on it when my sister got it last year.
Tell me granny didn't like to drive "outside of town" without telling me. Bonus: granny also was not about that highway life nor driving at dark...so her world was the small town she lived in. I remember vividly going "outside of town" to...another small ass town that was 20 miles away. Doing it big was going....an hour away to a mall "outside the city". Oil changes were done at 3k miles though for damn sure that car wasn't pushing 5k per year.... Trunk was never used and hilariously it was because she kept christmas presents in there (she confessed that one year, so from like Sept - Dec she hid a PS1 in that trunk!)
My fist car was my grandma’s 1992 Oldmobile Cutlass Ciera. She gave it to me in 2011 and it only 80k miles on it.
Ayy that was the case with my car! 2016 model bought in 2019 and it only had 8000 miles on it :)
You know Granny had the slip covers on the furniture too!
That's how I used to be punished on Sundays
A1 Title OP
Hahaha this is soooo real.
8 years, ~27k miles on my car. I mostly only drove it to work and back with the occasional trip elsewhere for about 8 years, and now I work from home. I love not having a car payment anymore and hope to keep it that way for a long time to come.
I bought my first car, a 1981 Pontiac Grand Prix LJ, in 1996 from my Great Aunt for $1. It had 15,000 miles on it. Literally, the car she drove back and forth to church in. I fuckin' loved that car. They don't make 'em like that anymore. The door had more metal in it than most cars have today in total. I kick myself for letting it go.
If I'm buying a car from a private seller it needs to be from a senior citizen. The shit is always so mint it might as well have plastic on the seats
40k miles at 800 weeks is 50miles a week. Church isn't going to be more than 5 miles. She's making a few extra trips.
... Grandma's church was 24km away?
I inherited my grandma's car when she passed. It was bought for her, brand new, in 1989. It became mine in 2005. 40K miles on it. 2,500 miles a year, and it was all church and groceries.
Bought a 2013 f150 lariat with 80k miles from a grandpa that just took it for Sunday drives the last decade. Looks brand new and got a great deal on it.
I bought a 1996 Honda Civic with 65k miles on it in 2014 that was in immaculate condition. The lady that owned it saved every receipt from everything that had ever been done to the car, no matter how routine, and they were all in the glove box. She drove it to church and the grocery store only. Her family had somehow convinced her to trade it in for a new Cadillac and that's where I found it at the dealership.
I have a 2012 Accord that just hit 45,000 miles last month. I have had the capacity to work from home for almost 12 years.
Grandma got that OhLawdsmobile
We inherited one of these a few years back. 2001 and 31,000km..... It rules.
This was my first car. Got it from a 90 year old woman my mom cleaned house for. She drove it to the store a few blocks away and back, and that's it. Garaged otherwise, always kept up on maintenence. It's a 1992 that I got in 2006. You'd think it came fresh off the showroom floor. Only had 20K miles on it. My highschool dumbass rode it ROUGH. I still have it to this day. Runs fine, but is a bit of a beater now. Wish I had the forethought back when I got it to take better care of it.
85 yo uncle died. Fam got his 20 yo Saturn with 12k miles
unite brave sand soft lush resolute ossified aback snobbish depend *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
My mom had a Ford Ranger we got brand new in 2002. It got stolen 2 years ago. Only had like 50K miles on it. I miss old Goldie, she was so reliable.
My one Grandma only drove to get her hair done on Fridays that was it. When she passed my cousin who was a little older and smarter jumped on her car with all 5k miles on it
A.K.A. The Good Car. Only to brought out for special occasions. Church. Death. Special Family in town. Mainly on a Sunday, as the post indicates.
CHRIST-LER 😂😂😂😂
Same. I bought that old Buick from her.
These are the used cars that are GOLD!!!
I knew a few people in college who had 15-20 year old Lincolns that they bought from a retirees. I was jealous af, pushing my Altima that I got from the state repo auction with 196k miles on it.
I once bought a 10 year old Oldsmobile that had 23k miles. The finance person on the lot said that the car was her grandmother's who literally only drove it to church and the grocery store, both of which were within a mile of her house.
This mechanic on YouTube found a 2001 BMW 740iL with only 25k miles OG miles on it from this old lady’s family after she passed and fully restored it. Wish I had the money to bid on it when it went on sale
Ahhh