The Iron Horse

I did not expect, when I got into my car to drive home this morning, that my ride home would be quite so suspenseful, or that it would come to an end not at home but, instead, at a local auto repair shop.

The news that it would need a new radiator was, by that point, not surprising, but I hadn't expected it would also need a new catalytic converter and several other pricey parts that I didn't really hear because by the time he got to Page 2 of the list it had all become a kind of dull, undifferentiated buzzing noise. I know the list didn't include struts or emissions sensors, because I just bought those two months ago. And it couldn't have included the battery or alternator, because those are only three months old.

After a bit of negotiation, we settled on a figure somewhat smaller than what a new radiator would have cost. That figure is what I agreed to sell the car for to Sam. Sam is the oldest mechanic there and, as such, one of the few people I could sell that car to with a clean conscience at this point.

Treat it kindly, Sam, it served me well for almost 12 years.

That car, a '96 Honda Civic, went more than 230,000 miles before maintenance and repair even started to become an issue. I could have driven it to the Moon but, alas, it wouldn't have made it back.

It turns out to have been the Lou Gehrig of automobiles -- performing spectacularly day after day, year after year for longer than any previous car I'd ever owned. And then, suddenly, a steep and irreversible final decline.

After all those years and all those miles, I can't complain. I consider my self (... self ... self) the luckiest ...

Comments

[Geds]

Been there, done that, feel your pain Fred...

Word of advice: whatever you do, don't by a Chrysler. Or a Volkswagen (unless you like screwed up electrical systems, and who doesn't?). Hyundai's are pretty sweet these days, as are Hondas, of course. And GM doesn't suck nearly as much as it used to (well, except for Pontiac)...

[SMGT]

When I was a senior in high school, I bought a 12 year old Oldsmobile for $1,400. I drove that car for five years without trouble, and then it died. I feel your pain.

[cjmr]

We spent over $1K on car issues so far this month between our two vehicles. And they want to do another $2.5K on husband's. And I don't have a functional rear wiper any more because two parts have corroded together and they can't guarantee they can remove the wiper arm (a $50 job) without snapping the motor shaft (replacing the motor is a $400 job).

I am not liking cars this month.

[MikhailBorg]

Been driving a 2001 Hyundai since new. To my great surprise, I've loved it; though I sort of miss the 1978 Ford LTD III I was driving in '99. Nobody cut me off while I drove that behemoth. (I really didn't drive it so much as set course and speed.)

[Lee Ratner]

I live in NYC, so I use the subway to get around. I thought this would be a thread about the need to fund trains because of rising oil prices. I'm a little bit disapointed.

More on point, the first car I ever drove on a regular basis was a Lincoln. It was an old car, from the early 1990s, but was good and gave me no trouble.

[Thalia]

I had two Saturns that both gave me very good service. The one finally wasn't really dead, it just wasn't running well enough to pass the emissions. The other got totaled out in a black-ice incident. I'm driving a Taurus now because beggars couldn't be choosers, but I'm still a member of the "cult."

[Keith]

We bought a new Honda Civic last year and it's great. Highly recommend it. The Hybrid version is a tad more expensive but has a bit of a waiting list.

Before that we had not one but 2 Dodge Stratuses (Strati? Strata?). I had to replace the break pads on the second one three times in two years. The rear break system, two passenger side windows the engine bearings ... the first one was totaled in an accident not long after we had to borrow money form my folks to repair a cracked engine casing. So, Dodge's suck, in other words.

[B-W]

I, too, have been very pleased with my 1999 Saturn. Got it used about 6 years ago, and still runs just fine, needing only the usual periodic service.

[Lauren]

I drive a '92 Subaru Legacy. Got it from my aunt in 1998. Replaced the alternator last year, but other than that... *fingers crossed*

Subarus are good cars, and you can't shake a stick without hitting one out here (Western WA). I hear they are less common elsewhere.

[eavesdropper]

1997 VW, 118K miles: $1500 in the last two months in repairs.

[mike timonin]

When car repairs reach page 2, it is time to ditch the car.

My car, an outrageous 97 Oldsmobile LSS, has these funky tires that are extra wide. And need replacing about every 6 months, due to the deplorable state of the roads here. I regularly speculate at what point buying new tires is less economical than buying a new (to me) car.

[Selcaby]

So you're temporarily carless. How are you managing?

I've never taken my driving test (partly for medical reasons, partly because I don't really like cars, and partly because I suspect I have terrible road sense) and I manage with public transport and on foot, but it means I had to choose to live in a place where that was feasible.

[Rosina]

I had a Peugeot 205 GTi for 19 years, so that it was like a second pair of legs. By the end it needed repairs to the floor to stop the rain coming in, but the estimate was more than the car would be worth, so it was a merciful relief when someone in a Land Rover ran into the back of it at the lights and wrote it off. I now have a Beetle.

[PK]

You see, of course, if you’re not a dunce,
How it went to pieces all at once, —
All at once, and nothing first, —
Just as bubbles do when they burst.

End of the wonderful one-hoss shay.
Logic is logic. That’s all I say.

http://holyjoe.org/poetry/holmes1.htm

[Jacob Davies]

The Fit & Yaris are pretty great cars. I'm driving my girlfriend's Yaris since my Subaru has taken up permanent residence at the shop, apparently, and it's pretty fun to drive, has a very practical and surprisingly nice interior, and will probably last forever (although it's a lease so it's going back in a couple of years). The Fit, while being a bit more expensive, has four doors and a better folding-seat arrangement in the cargo area so if I was choosing between those for myself I'd probably get the Fit.

I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy wagon which they don't make any more - you have to get an Outback to get a wagon, although it's pretty much the same car - which has been great and trouble-free right up until the clutch failed completely with no warning at 36k miles, which kind of sucked, especially as it looks like I'm going to wind up paying $700 of the repair costs myself - Subaru covering the other $1200, and yes, $1900 sounds like a lot for a clutch replacement to me too. And it has taken forever to get it repaired because of some apparent knock-on effects to the AWD system that also needed to be fixed, thankfully under warranty there. But, in general I am quite pro-Subaru still. The non-turbo versions get decent gas mileage for an AWD car and they all handle well; the turbo versions get kind of crappy mileage (I average about 20mpg, and it requires premium...) but are wickedly fast, even the Forester & Outback models that look more like SUVs. And the interiors are pretty decent for the price.

If I was buying now I'd get a Prius though. They're comfortable and quiet and not that expensive.

The appliance-like reliability of modern cars (especially Japanese cars) is a very nice development, isn't it?

[Jesurgislac]

I've never owned a car, for similar reasons to Selcaby's, but I feel your pain, Fred: it's always damn annoying when something that just worked suddenly just doesn't.

I had a solid little Toshiba laptop I bought in 2000 - reconditioned when I got it, cheap for a laptop back then - and it served me with utter reliability for 7 years until suddenly, well, not. I really should try to recycle it - sell it for scrap to a computer reconditioning shop - but what I really want to do is bury it.

(And my new laptop is marvellously better than my old, and cost me half what my old one cost me 7 years ago. What's that old joke about computers and cars?)

[Jim]

I've owned two cars in my life--a Mazda 626 and a Honda Civic. Both were typical Japanese cars--reliable, pretty staid.

I've never really shared the American fascination with the automobile and am currently carless, mostly to avoid the hassle and expense of keeping a car in the city. (I live on the north side of Chicago.) My commute has turned from the worst part of my own time (I work in a northern suburb) to my favorite part of the work day. (I have a laptop and broadband internet access, so I can work on the train/bus. In fact, I'm typing this on the bus now. Did I say I worked on the bus, well, usually I do...)

[nekouken]

Hey, I just bought a used '98 Honda Civic with half those miles on it, Fred. Your story is yet another step towards my being completely convinced that I made the right decision.

[Jeff]

My previous car was a Honda Civic that ran and ran and ran. It was still going pretty strong after about 12 years when I decided to get a Hybrid. The new one if a Civic Hybrid (actual gas milage over 58,000 miles of mixed driving is just under 40 mpg).

I'll buy Honda until I have a REAL good reason not to.

[Nina]

I learned to drive on a 1980 Honda Civic - what a great car! My parents bought it new in 1980 right after they were married and finally sold it 21 years and some 300,000 miles later. Yes, they sold it - it still ran! You wouldn't want to take it on really long trips, but it got great gas mileage and was perfect for driving around town. The new owner was buying it for his daughter, who had apparently totaled her last two cars. I wonder what happened to it...

My husband and I have a 2004 Saturn Ion now, which we bought used. It is also a great car - runs reliably, and isn't in danger of the body rusting off when they salt the roads in the winter. Actually, I've found that one of the big benefits of having a Saturn is the service...our local Saturn dealership has always been really helpful.

[MouseJunior]

Honda == love

I had a 98 Civic that I put 120k+ miles on before I accidentally rolled it a few years ago - and then walked away with only minor superficial damage. Reliable, great gas milage, rock solid when it counted most.

They're definitely worth what they charge as a premium over piece o' crud US designed cars. Or VWs for that matter - my parents' seems to be in the shop at least every couple of months.

[Narya]

I do have a driver's license, but, as I tell my friends, you wouldn't want me to use it, as I have not driven any vehicle at all for probably 10+ years (and, hey, I too, live on the n. side of chi-town!). I've had a license for, let's see, 34 years? and I've never owned a car.

[Karen]

I drive an '05 Buick minivan which my sons named Herbie, after the movie. I love Herbie and have had no problems at all. (One warranty repair due to a road hazard, which doesn't really count.) I totally endorse Buicks.

Let me recommend that, whatever brand you choose, consider buying a certified used car from a dealer. All the factories have programs through which they sell the best lease-returns and company cars. The manufacturers will check out the vehicles and provide a warranty, generally in the 30,000 mile range. These cars sell for much less than new. GM has a good program like this, and so does Honda.

[ctate]

1997 4-door Honda Civic LX, retired in August 2006 at around 225k miles because there was starting to be a teeny niggling hitch in the (still original!) automatic transmission. That would have cost more than the book value of the car to fix, and I couldn't afford to be stranded somewhere if it chose to give out on the job.

I traded it in for a 2006 Civic 4-door. Why mess with success?

[Ryan]

Hm, how about that Kia?

[Anna]

I consider my self (... self ... self) the luckiest ...

Is this a reference to the Ben Folds song? Because I love that song!

[thirstygirl]

Today I am also suddenly car-less! But that's because I sold my super-reliable aphid-green 1999 Toyota Starlet and handed over the keys today. When you are driving less than 1000km in six months- it's time to think "Do I really need this?" and then sell it to someone who will drive it and love it the way it deserves.

Toyota Starlets: cute, tiny, reliable.

[niner]

I'm surprised there's not more love for Toyota here. Specifically, I hear a lot of good things about the Corolla in general. I bought a Yaris last year - the price tag and the 40-mile-commute-on-a-gallon won me over. I really wanted to look at the Fit as well (the folding rear seats and the hatchback were more attractive than the sedan Yaris) but they were going within hours of arriving at local Honda dealerships. High demand + low availablility = dealer profit. The thing I really like about the new breed of economy cars is they seem to be aimed at young, first time buyers - which means that options on other cars (like MP3 stereos or audio jacks) are standard. Thus far, I've put about 16k on it and can't complain.

My parents bought a VW GTI back in '99 to replace an aging minivan, as part of their "kids are moving out" move. It's been nothing but trouble for them - I think it's up to $4000 abnormal repairs. My dad hates to get rid of it, but he hates to drive it, so he supplements it with a Toyota Matrix. In the summer my mom drives a Miata, and the GTI gets driven every other week so the brake pads stop rusting to the discs.

[Scott]

I love my Hummer, even if I did have to get my indentured servants to widen one of the doors to my garage. I felt generous so I only had them widen 1 and not all 6.

[twig]

Niner;

I drove a Toyota Echo in Austin, TX. One day, the parking lot was full up, but two extended-cab 4x4's had parked so badly that there was enough space for my little Echo to park in between them.

I sold the car to a friend when I moved to a place with better public transportation, but man I loved that car.

[dbomp]

Is this a reference to the Ben Folds song?

Naw, it's a really clever Lou Gehrig-at-Yankee-Stadium reference.

[Dorothy]

Aw, Scott, it's so cute when you attempt humor. But given the title of this thread, you really should have gone more for irony instead of sarcasm. For example "Fred, I see you left a message for me asking if I could give you a lift. Unfortunately, I did not hear the phone ring. There was too much noise from all the construction, as my indentured servants are busy widening the garage door for my new Hummer. Sorry about your Civic."

[indifferent children]

Cute post Scott, but really committed Libertarians don't indenture servants, they buy slaves. If you don't have the freedom to sell yourself into slavery, then you're not really FREE!

[Kristina]

I have a Fit, and I love it. It feels like I am driving a sports car, but there's all this room inside. People are often surprised at how big and comfortable it is from the inside. We folded down all the seats and used our Fit to move our entire apartment (an in town move) except for the really big furniture. It was impressive how much stuff we could easily load into it. They also have really high environmental ratings.

We are not quite getting the gas mileage they advertise, but in all other respects its a great car.

We also own a 1996 saturn, which didn't need a major repair for 140000 miles, when the transmission went out. The guy at the transmission shop said he thought the engine would go for another 100,000 miles, based on his experience with saturns - then again, he might have just been selling us the transmission rebuild.

[Jeff]

The thing I really like about the new breed of economy cars is they seem to be aimed at young, first time buyers - which means that options on other cars (like MP3 stereos or audio jacks) are standard.

Actually, that's what sold me on the Civic Hybrid over the Prius. The Prius has a lot of "gosh-wow" stuff (much of it built in to the console that takes up the center of the car) that I really didn't want, and certainly didn't want to pay for. The CH looks and drives just like a regular Civic. I turn on Jack FM and I'm happy.

[Linkmeister]

1997 Geo Metro 4-door. Bought used with 14K from Budget Rent-a-Car in 1998. Still runs fine, but then it's only got 48K on it. This is a small island.

[cjmr]

We also own a 1996 saturn, which didn't need a major repair for 140000 miles, when the transmission went out.

Our '97 Saturn is at 138800, but the transmission is still going strong. It's had other major repairs, though, mostly involving electrical system parts. It needs to last until at least July. *crosses fingers*

[Zzyzx]

God I love my Prius. Of course having my first 50+ mpg tank of the year helps :)

The girl drives my old 97 Saturn. 11 years, 150+K miles, still running just fine (knock on wood)

[mmack]

Word of advice: whatever you do, don't by a Chrysler.

So, Dodge's suck, in other words.

After having the truly awful experience of owning two Chrysler products (A Sundance Duster and a Neon) built in Geds and my home state, I third the recommendation. There's a reason Mother Mopar cyclicly runs itself to near extinction every ten to fifteen years. Pretty styling only takes you so far in life. Perhaps someday Chrysler will learn this, but given their past history (once is an anomoly, twice is a coincidence, three times is a pattern) I wouldn't bet on it.

Even though I don't currently own a Japanese made car (I have owned two, built by Mitsubishi), were I to buy one, I'd get a Honda. What impressed me about Honda first was my high school friend who drove his 1980 Accord sedan like a cross between a road rallyer and a panzer commander, and that little Accord kept running! I personally did major body work TWICE on that little beige Honda for him, but the mechanicals never failed, which is stunning for a kid who changed the oil every semester, if that. Another friend bought a used 1992 Accord sedan from a friend of his. He bought it in 2000 with 150K miles because the seller wanted to buy a new car and knew he'd get a terrible trade in value. At the same time I had a 1996 Neon with 90K miles. His car was four years older than mine with 60K+ more miles and damned if that thing wasn't quieter AND more solidly built than my Neon! Last time I saw him in '04 he still had that Accord as his every day driver.

I'd also pick Honda because they kicked Toyota square in the ASS in the Indy Racing League and sent them running crying over to NASCAR. (Not that I'm bitter about Toyota leaving TWO racing series they claimed they'd support in five years, but still . . .)

So Fred, get yourself another "Honder", and barring any accidents, we'll be seeing another post like this in 2020.

Good luck with any new car you buy Fred.

P.S. I have a dandy "Shaking Sequined Elvis" dashboard bobbler that would be the ultimate accessory for your new ride when you get it. Hit me off the board to discuss :^)

[Grey Duck]

I, too, have had good luck with a Kia, so I'll second Ryan. Of course, I say that now, but ours seems about to die an early death than I was expecting, so maybe I should hold off...

Then again, we've really abused the poor thing, so it's not entirely the car's fault.

[Geds]

Pretty styling only takes you so far in life.

Funny, that. I'm currently paying approximately $70 a month on the remaining balance for a 1996 Concorde I haven't seen since some guy agreed to take it off my hands for 1/10th of what was left on the loan about four years ago. It was one of the greatest possible cars to drive, but it was absolute hell to own. Every six months something gave out and the bill came to four figures before I finally decided to stop throwing good money after bad. (The worst one was when the lower crank shaft bearings went. Those things aren't supposed to break.)

However, the 2004 Cavalier I replaced it with runs like a champ and has saved me that 70 bucks/month several times over in fuel economy and repair bills. I've already got 73,000 miles on that puppy and my only problem was a sensor that went out at about 50k. Oh, and the factory tires were crap and started cupping horribly so I replaced them at 30k with a fine set of Bridgestones. I don't blame that on Chevy, though. I blame it on Goodyear...

(That said, my next car will be a Hyundai, a Honda or an Acura unless I can afford one of the coming generation Cadillac CTS-Vs by the time that happens.)

I know of exactly one person who had a Chrysler/Dodge that wasn't complete junk. That's not exactly a good statistic.

[cjmr's husband]

My 95 Neon was fun to drive -- problem was the major maintenance with every oil change.

04 Mini Cooper going great, only one major disaster so far (electrical failure, fixed under warranty last year). But I'm never going back to that dealer for service again. Things I didn't let them do last week: $150 to flush the coolant? $1200 for new brakes???? And $900 for a leaky water pump that by some miracle had healed by the time I got home?

97 Saturn for the win. The mechanic there offered to replace my brakes for only $800.

[Cowboy Diva]

I try not to have mechanical problems with cars, although to be honest, I try desperately to change cars every 5-7 years to stay ahead of the repair game.
As for chryslers, as pretty and innovative as they try to be, I really think its best to wait for at least the 3rd model year to let them work out the kinks. My father drove a Chrysler LeBaron in the mid-80s for 118K; he never once changed the oil.

[mmack]

My father drove a Chrysler LeBaron in the mid-80s for 118K; he never once changed the oil.

Diva, I don't want to dis your dad, but if that's true I hope he added oil as the level ran down. Otherwise I could imagine a ride with your father in the LeBaron always featuring the sentence "Where in the HELL is that burnt metal smell coming from?!?" =:^O

That reminds me of a true story from my college days. A friend of mine worked over the summer break as a used car salesman. He proudly told us of the time he sold a Chrysler LeBaron convertible with a terrible connecting rod knock to "a sucker" (his words, NOT mine). A connecting rod is a forged part that holds the piston to the crankshaft and transfers the up and down motion of the piston to the crankshaft to spin it. When the bearings that hold the connecting rod to the crankshaft or piston wear out and the connecting rod starts banging around in the engine, really bad cases make a gasoline powered car sound like a clattering diesel. To keep it simple, that is a Not Very Good At All condition to have in an engine, a sort of "It's 3 AM and the car is dead at the side of the road with smoke coming out of it and it needs a tow" type of condition. Knowing that, I asked him "Hector, how in the hell could you sell someone a car with a rod knock? You'd hear that damned thing for miles around the minute you started it!"

He smiled and answered: "Easy, I dropped the top, cranked the tunes to show him how awesome the speakers were, and then I started the car! I never turned the radio off until we came back from the test drive and parked it."

Somehow, I could never look at Hector or LeBaron droptops the same way after hearing that.

[Jeff]

Things I didn't let them do last week

I took my Civic in for 60,000 mile maintenance last weekend and the guy quoted me an estimate over $900. I told him "No way!" This coming week-end, I'm having a super maintenance done for $300 (their regular price is under $100 but they like to cover more stuff for the 60K). I'll have them do the CVT work (paid for by Honda) as well.

The first place is a LOT closer, but I won't be back to them.

[Cowboy Diva]

Mmack, he did in fact burn the engine up, but for the last 2 years of its life he was the only person in the car.

[Geds]

Things I didn't let them do last week: $150 to flush the coolant? $1200 for new brakes????

The brakes are completely insane unless you're getting the brake cylinder changed or something while you're at it. But getting a coolant flush and a trans fluid change (called a "transmission service" at shops) somewhere in the 60-75k range is a really good idea. I'm getting both pretty soon. But the Firestone I go to for the minor service I don't/can't do for myself charges about ninety bucks for the coolant flush and, like, a hundred twenty for the trans service.

[Jacob Davies]

Prices vary wildly at the dealer service shops, best to call around. When I had my car towed in with no clutch I found that the dealer wanted $750 for the 30k service that I also needed; no discount was offered, I guess they figured I wasn't going anywhere. Incorrectly, as it turned out, because I just had it towed to another shop that quoted $550 (still high) for the service (and in the process the first place lost a couple of thousand dollars in repair work). Duh. Edmunds suggested that the service should be about $350, but this is the SF Bay Area and things just aren't cheap here.

[Andrius]

The first new car I ever bought was a 1993 Honda Civic DX for $9550.
Drove it cross country a few times, always drove it too fast.
When it was two weeks old my friend put it up on a snowbank and slid it across the top of it for a couple hundred feet before narrowly missing the tree.
The car went over a 4 foot drop at 40mph with 4 people in it. Backed up, found a ramp and drove away without a scratch.
The car was buried under 20 feet of snow at the top of a mountain for almost a month. Once I found it and spent the day with a friend digging down to it, the little Honda started on the first try.
The car had 185,000 miles on it when I finally sold it. Probably still running somewhere.

[Anna]

Naw, it's a really clever Lou Gehrig-at-Yankee-Stadium reference.

Ah. See, baseball is the one sport that I don't understand any references from (I know, sacrilege!). Football, totally. Soccer, I'm there. Basketball, I'll get your point, even if I don't watch it as much as the former two. But baseball? I'm completely and hopelessly lost.