I was told by my grandpa, that if you want to get along comfortably just spend less than you are making and try to spend your money wisely on things of quality which will be useable for a long time. Don´t spend money on things that depreciate quickly. This worked good for him , for my Dad and also for me.
At this stage I sure like the benefits of modern vehicles.........and a warranty. But having an old beater pickup around is kind of like a well broke in pair of bluejeans.
My wife drives a late model and my daily is a 14-year-old O/T that came from the Australian factory with a 400hp LS thumper. I'm retired and living okay on my income but those extra insurance bills and license/registration fees, plus an extra hit for custom plates for my older vehicles, are a big ding in my savings, aka: Classic Car Fund. I have to use the "Frugal" tag to describe other areas of my lifestyle and vehicles not so much.
I'm back and forth between my 03 Silverado that was paid off over ten years ago and my '53 Mercury that I bought for cash and have had nearly no maintenance cost. I love the Merc but no A/C. The LS powered chivvie just wont die and has nearly 300k on the clock, I think I have already got my money's worth out of that one. They both get about 20 mpg and are both very comfortable. Best of both worlds and no car payment. The Merc is much more fun to drive though. What's the point? Hell, I don't know. I just love old cars and you have to spend your money some place. Just don't go into debt for a hobby and you'll have a good time.
I got a good deal on my 2012 Malibu and I take care of it, it ran me $22,900 out the door. Good on gas, on the way to Delaware back in 2013 it got 34.5 mpg. Around town between 20-22. Great creature comforts and so far nothing big broke on it. The '59 Ford, no AC, great heat, no PS and a handful to park in tight spots. But it looks and drives bitchin... going to look at a '61 Ford after work today.
We keep a nice family car for the wife and for trip- currently a '14 MKX we bought with 78k on it. I work for the state with a state car right now, so my only personal ride is the not really HAMB friendly '46, which is an S10 under the skin. At various times over the 12 years I've owned it, it has been a true daily driver up to 120 miles a day....right now, if it isn't work business it's what I'm in. I bought it as a running project and it's never made it to show quality, but it's always been reliable and the most fun I've ever had consistently. Probably the only vehicle I've ever had that I haven't gotten bored with. Best I can tell, I've put well over 100k on a chassis that probably had 200k on it when the '46 was put together. I put a low mileage engine and tranny in it a couple of years ago for $500. Roughly figuring, it's cost me somewhere around $55 a month counting the purchase price. When I had the 120 mile a day commute, I'd buy high mileage '90s Corvettes- fun, cheap, and good fuel mileage, and since I bought them at the bottom of the value, I'd always get my money back. My wife made the comment to me the other day that when we finish paying off some bills, I should go buy me a "real nice ride". I'm considering it. Maybe a late 30's Packard, or a pre '73 Corvette. I don't think that's what she was meaning, but it'll keep me happy.
I think my previous points about driving fugal off topic cars for 30 + years is - I would rather sacrifice some 15 year old Euro-turd car to salt , wal mart door dings and soccer moms on their cell phones. What else am I gonna do - put snow chains on a restored 58 Edsel convertible with skirts and a continental kit and charge off to work in a foot of snow?
The interesting thing about our old cars is that our son feels they are unsafe for his kids, (the big one in the avatar and an MGB) so we don’t drive them as much as we expected now that we are retired. Funny as he was riding in-belted in his granddad’s model A rumble seat and the back seat of said avatar during his childhood.
Hello, With a title like that prior to reading the whole story, I thought we were “gonners.” (gonner: no longer existing, about to expire, die or be gone.) To put it bluntly, we old folks were history. But, the story was told in terms that we have all had experienced. It is fun to drive an old car, but the words, “reliability” and “consistency” ring true every time an old car gets started. It is that dreaded, “click-click.” Gone are the days of worrying about “getting to the church on time.” When my wife’s brother got married, we drove in the 2nd 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery to the church on the early wedding day. I was the photographer for our family and they used our photos for their own album. Their hired photographer was done from the bride’s family and were those staged shots. Why did we drive to the church in the 40 Ford Sedan Delivery? Well, the 65 El Camino was so reliable and nice, but it was a hot summer day and there was no way to stay cool in the 45 minute drive to their church, in inland OC. The 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery had one thing that my wife has always liked about hot rods. (A/C) So Cal does get hot, maybe not as hot as Texas, but it is hot and the anticipation of a family member getting married intensifies the mode of the day. My wife told me in so many words, that sedan delivery better start and get us to the church on time, or !!! Yikes… I checked everything from breakfast until lunch, the running gear, tires, transmission, motor, radiator fluid, even the old 8 track player and the great sounds of the A/C running smoothly. It sounded like heaven, great music and it was freezing cold in that hollow chamber of a sedan delivery. Even the spare tire and scissors jack were checked to make sure everything was in place and functioning well. Jnaki When we were young, 20 somethings, our A/C was the El Camino’s lower vents, turned in wind wings, rolled down windows and the specialty cooling wire back rest for our seats. Over time, reliability, age and comfort becomes the number one set of items in future car purchases. But, as youngsters, it did not bother us in our long range cruises for photo shoots and vacations. So, since that time period a long time ago, the need for a reliable daily driver and long distance road trip car was a necessary item in our lives. Plus, the need for A/C was the number two item on the check list of any car purchased. These days, we have not had any problems with our daily drivers. The needs and safety concerns made us get an SUV to haul the tons of stuff for our newly born granddaughter in 2005. Since then, we have not had any problems with any cars. My wife’s 6 year old car is the most fun, reliable small station wagon we have ever owned. My 15 year old fast, sporty coupe has been with us for a while and nothing has gone wrong so far. They both have A/C and low mileage. The neat thing is, our granddaughter likes our current crop of daily drivers and my wife’s small station wagon might be the next teenage vehicle in a few years. Yes, it would be nice to have that 2 door 65 Chevelle Station Wagon or an old Suburban hot rod to cruise around in hot rod central, So Cal. We would definitely used it every day for jaunts to the store or on our daily excursions. The AWD station wagon would only be used when we are involved with our granddaughter. Reliability is forefront in that long standing, family scenario. It is a must that we have an instant starting car and reliable form of transportation to the myriad of places our granddaughter needs to be, one time or another. Frugally does not go along with reliability or consistency. We all have what we have and that does not mean frugally. It has to be a vehicle to get the required jobs done in a reliable manner. Being responsible is just as important as being reliable. (In any matter or way to get the job done.) Hot rods or current daily drivers, it has to be reliable. We live the way we have lived for many years together. We both agree on having a reliable car or station wagon, despite the cost. But, we hold our own against our granddaughter’s parents for getting a giant SUV for protection. When she was two through seven, we did what they asked and got a large SUV for So Cal road protection and reliability. That was overkill and they knew it. Although, it was very reliable for all of our various jaunts to soccer practices, games, shopping, beach excursions and even for ferry boat rides. Frugal? Not this in this young granddaughter, time period. It is a different story these many years later. My wife already has her eyes set on another small station wagon with 100 more hp and faster 0-60 times… Oh brother! “Times, they are a changing…”
Well, Ill chime in... I have done things both ways over the last 10 years. The prior 10 years were new truck every 2 years. In 2016 the oil industry crashed pretty hard, I was out of work and made some financial moves that saved my family and kept food on the table. I daily drove my 56 dodge pickup and 31 tudor for almost a year while the wife drove her newer car to work on her 40 mile each way commute. The miles on the 56 wrapped up alot less with me staying close to the house with not having to commute, 31 was the fair weather vehicle, but fun for those days. When I got back to working across town, I didnt want to put the 56 through 5 days a week of houston commute. Bought a lil 03 tahoe, and drove the hell out of it, no real modern comforts but for 2500 dollar commuter, couldnt complain... If I commuted less than 15 miles to work I would be driving my 56 or 53 every day honestly. Yeah the old ones have maintenance costs that get a bit high, BUT when a new one shit cans, the repair bills are in the thousands not the 100 dollar range. End of the day, if you choose to daily an older vehicle, the good side is yeah maintenance costs a bit more, but end of the run with it, you sell and will get back almost what you have in it, vs taking a 30k bath of depreciation...Its your money, spend it how you want to spend it, if you are tired of matching everyone else in the parking lot everywhere, build something with a rattle can paint job, no worries of door dings etc, and drive the shit out of it...
My dad used to drive old 60s cars/trucks as daily drivers. It was cool and all but I don't think I'd want to drive something like that in the snow and salt everyday. On the other end of it I don't think I could ever justify buying a brand new car even an econobox. I went through this with my wife and her grandma a couple of years ago. Grandma was convinced that she needed to buy a brand new car out the door it was going to be about $22k but instead we bought a 10 year old rental for about $4k and got it paid off in 2 years. If I'm going to take a %50 plus bath on a car I'd rather do it on one that's only worth $4k.
Everyone has their different situation and priority. I drove a 41 ford pu thru one winter as my DD. Even though I oiled it the rust gremlins were nibbling. I had spent hundreds of hours building it only to see it being destroyed. I will never do it again. I drive 70s or 80s cars and when they are done I pull the drive train for a future project.
I tried to convince one of the boys that this was the way to go, but he saw it the other way. He bought a new hybrid instead lol. I asked him what kind of fuel mileage it gets and how long do the batteries last. He saw right thru me and just said yah yah yah I know
...my newest car is 20 years old but still too "new" for me to work on,...only bought 2 brand new vehicles in all my years, a dual-sport motorcycle in 2000 and a scooter in 2017 (which I still have)...my oldest driver is 72 years old and wouldn't sell it for anything........original cars from the 60's are the best cars for comfort, mileage, low maintanance...that's when they made good all-round cars,..new vehicles now have too much stuff on em...
Wife and I were talking the other day, I said something about getting an old truck for whe I retire to beat around. She told me I already had one.........my 99 is 21 years old, so I guess I have an old truck afterall! I was thinking more 70's or 80's F150 4x4 with a pushrod V8, carb, and no computer. After I looked at a few prices on decent looking trucks, I decided she was right. No more miles than I put on it, the 99 should last me many more years.
Two words solves this problem and doesn't come with a payment book or hurt the savings account. "Vintage Air" Stay cool and be cool! Just my 2 cents
Ryan, get an old 60's underdash A/C unit. Sure it may push strict traditional lines, but they work great. Keep the hood closed unless doing some work and no worries. I have two of the original 60's underdash units (Vintage Air does repops also), and with swap meet condensers, either original or Sanden compressor, and some custom hoses, you can have the cold air for cruising in summer. I lived in San Antonio for a while, so can sympathize with the Austin area summers. As for DD an old car, completely agree that it is the economically smart way to go.
I like driving my old cars as much as I can. In the late fall when the weather turns until early spring when the rains stop I drive my 30 year old Honda.. In late spring through summer and early fall before the rains start again I drive my 1953 Mercury I prefer driving these over any modern car any day of the week. Besides for the price of a new vehicle I can by 2-3 more old ones and keep them running to.
@ Baumi: don't know where in Bayern you are but here in Lower Austria they're VERY liberal with salt and grit as soon as there's a whiff of snow in the air, so really the stuff is on the road until at least the end of April because, well, "April macht was er will". So my car stays inside between first salt and when it's all washed down with the first spring showers. Yes you COULD use an old US-made car as an all year round vehicle here but to me you'll need to totally seam seal, undercoat and then rust proof it with something like Mike Sander's oil or it will crumble to dust. And then there are one or two "little" things you need like o/d (sorry but if it's an everyday car I will need to use the Autobahn and even on an Austrian Autobahn very few people drive less than 140 Km/H, speed limit or not), front disc brakes, all new window seals, sound proofing, a set of winter tires etc. etc. That at the end of the day won't be cheap. Agree about your frugality comment, never had a brand new car - the newest I have, my current OT car was a dealer demonstrator which I bought after haggling 1/3 of the list price, other were more like 10 to 15 years old when I got them!
If you deal with snow, ice and road salt you need a late model junker for that weather. When my '60 Fairlane was my daily driver it suffered through winter. Got stuck in a snow drift along the curb one nasty day. Rocking it back and fourth to get it moving the ice under the snow sent the rear of the car the wrong way. Ended up with a fin up against a telephone pole. That kind of shit will make a grown man cry. -Dave
Dave, LSD and high quality snow tires help a lot (you're illegal here without the last anyway) but for sure you can't beat FWD or AWD like most modern cars have (nevermind traction control, ABS). Or you get an Olds Toronado
I have driven high mileage cars for over 50 years and have saved a lot of money doing so. I have been towed just a few times in over one million miles. I could almost always get it home under it's own power when something did go wrong. The cars I drove were simple, well maintained cars, the kind I could fix. Fast forward to present. I bought my wife a new Honda CRV two years ago with a 6 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper extended warranty from Hendrick Automotive Group and administered by them because if something does go wrong I would be clueless. It cost me $2500.00 extra and I don't buy extended warranties on anything but feel like this was a good investment. One semi-major visit to their service department past the 36,000 mile factory warranty could eat that up. And there are countless things that COULD go wrong with these cars that do everything for you.
We have lived well below our means and maxed savings. It allows us to be comfortable in retirement. Kids today want instant gratification. I have grandkids that make $60+ an hour as Lineman and can't make ends meet! They have payments up the wazoo for stuff they don't need. We drove clunkers to work when I was a Lineman, they all drive new Jacked up 4x4 pickups on payments that cost who knows how much for a work truck! Makes no sense to us and we try to tell them to no avail. Wife now drives a new Denali for highway trips a good distance away to help her Mom on a regular basis, her last car was a new 95 Impala SS that she drove for 20+ years-sold it for a good amount too-depreciation was 50% in 20+ years.
Just came in from working on Debbies OT 2000 jeep grand Cherokee. Changed the serpentine belt. Not very difficult. Then noticed that it had over 5000 miles since the last oil change. So I changed the oil and filter. Bought it used paid cash . had 85000 miles on it. now has over 200,000. still going strong. no rust or dents. paint still good. everything works. a bit of a harsh ride. And 6 cyl 2 wheel drive automatic. and it has a 7 grand tach. and will turn the 1/4 mile in a bit over 14 seconds. over the years we have replaced axle bearings , brakes , tires and battery. still running on the same spark plugs. I did clean and gap them one time. I was thinking today I ought to change the fuel filter. My trucks are best described as recycled junk.
We had one of those Grand Cherokees. Damn good vehicle, only put brakes, belt, and a couple of throttle position sensors on it while we owned it. Gave $2500 for it, drove it 2 years, sold it for $1000.
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