Here's the deal: I'm going to buy a car for no more than $500 (not including tax, transfer and plates, which might end-up being more than the car itself...) and make it my daily driver for a year. Back and forth to work, errands, and even the occasional road-trip. Over the course of ownership, I'll report regularly on the following:
- What went wrong/broke
Things will go wrong and break. I'd be surprised and amazed if they didn't.
- The cost of repairs and maintenance
See above
- Mileage driven and, as the data stacks-up, cost per mile
I frequently hear nothing is as expensive as a cheap car. I'll see if that's indeed true.
Most of the US does not have public transportation to speak of, even in major cities. Out here in exburia PA, a car (truck, in most cases) is a necessity. There's no bus service even close to your house, no delivery service past UPS and the U.S. Mail. No Uber. If you need to get somewhere, like your job, the Doctor, school events for your kids, you need a car. Just how much of a car is in question.
Which reminds me, when in high school, we had what was called the "activity bus" for after school sports or whatnot. The buses would depart after the last after-school event and, running a longer route with fewer stops, get you back home with a bit more walking on your part. If your parents worked or your family had one car or didn't want you driving to school this was the perfect way to get back home and feel a bit independent at the same time. The activity bus it possible for a much larger number of kids to participate in school activities. In the name of budget cuts (despite rising taxes), this type of service no longer exists.
Anyway... What kind of ride am I seeking? There's a few ground rules, so this is a fair comparison:
- It must start/stop/go at time of purchase. I'll drive it home.
I don't want to buy something that I need to tow away and fix before it's serviceable. There's lots of BMWs with blown head gaskets out there, It wouldn't be fair to have the first month of ownership being in a garage.
- Arm's distance purchase
No special deals from a friend or relative. I'd want what I buy to be representative of what $500 can really buy.
- No rebuilt titles/flood cars/whatever
This is a safety issue; if a car is deemed a loss by an insurer, it should be parted out or sent-off to the crusher. I wouldn't recommend a rebuilt car to anybody (sorry!)
- Must be able to pass PA safety inspection
Not necessarily at the time of purchase, I won't be getting anything that has severe structural issues or see-through rocker panels or floor pans. I fully expect to be purchasing brakes, wipers, bulbs and tires. Probably some other stuff too.
Let's get back to why I'm doing this, there's a couple of reasons. I hear from too many buddies that cars are just "too expensive" and about how one was able to purchase a car with their summer's earnings and that's just not possible now. But it that the fact, or have the expectations inflated, bringing the price along? Think about a car today: air bags, side-impact beams, seat-belt tensioner, fuel injection, electronic ignition, electric windows, electric door locks, remote side mirrors, disc brakes on all 4 wheels, anti-lock brakes, actual rust-proofing... the list goes on. They're different beasts from the '72 clunker that was on it's last legs when traded for $100 in 1984.
Also missing from the '72 deathtrap was the reliability factor. At the ripe old age of ten, most cars, unless meticulously kept, reached the end of their useful life. Keeping a car of that age running required regular mechanical intervention -- seals leaked, carbon accumulated, rust ate away exhaust components, body panels and frames. Technology today has produced miracles of reliability; or, at least, I'll put that assertion to the test.
There's also the idea of testing what can be done with minimal resources. I've heard from engineering buddies that it's easy to build a structure to carry a given load, but devilishly difficult to build a structure that can just carry a given load. That's another goal, to see what can be done with the very least amount of resources. I'm going to see how well one can do with as modest outlay as possible, to get a car just good enough to get around.
I'll keep you up-to-date on the buying process. Before this first post, I've started screening craigslist and various free advertising news papers. The buying process should be as interesting as the car itself. Stay tuned!
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