modern vehicles...i think im done. who else?

. after spending a couple hours and 80 borrowed dollars changing my water pump on my 8 year old dodge (which was a pain in the ***) i get in and head off to work and see that im not charging.died a mile rom work, but luckily i had my trusty optima in the back seat. $170 they want for the alternator! ridiculous. i cant wait to get the old chevy back on the road so i dont have to monkey around with pain in the *** repairs on vehicles with miles of unnessacary wiring that are purposely designed to be hard to work on.not to mention the money thats lost in depriciation, expensive registration, and smog checks. in my experience ive had more breakdowns and problems in newer cars than old ones, and when the old ones do break you can limp home with a coat hanger, duct tape, and bubblegum. sorry for the ot rant, most of my friends are not mechanical so i dont got many to vent to that would know what im talking about.
i dont think ill ever buy another car built after 1970
is anyone else out there doing the same thing im gonna do and completely turning their back on "modern" vehicles?

sorry again for the retarded thread. i try to keep things technical on here and never go on whiney-*** complaint tangents, but i feel like whining cause im not winning

 

I hate to say it but in my experience, any newer American vehicle that isn't a V8 / rwd ain't worth a ****.

You should have bought a Jap car. My 4-runner just hit 200,000 miles and it's never had a single problem.

And here's a big "blow me" in advance for all the "you should have bought American" whiners. American cars are mostly garbage these days, and considering the fact that they're doing their best to **** all their workers over and take their jobs overseas, I don't owe them ****.

But then again, I've never bought a brand new car in my life. I'm a recycler!

 

My GMC cranks every time I hit the key & is under warranty for 90,000 MORE miles.

I love my late model.

JH

 

I only buy RWD. Current daily is a 2004 Crown Victoria....literally,the last of it`s kind. Full size,full-frame,V-8,and RWD!

 

same here! here,s what i did to my old ford taurus that gave me trouble. good car until everything started screwing up.

 

honestly, i dont believe theres such a thing as an "american" car anymore. they may be ***embled here but most of the parts are made overseas anyway. 80,000 miles and my waterpump looked like someone poured acid in it. i hope my block dont look like the pump did inside. i even looked at consumer reports for my dakota when i got it and it still was a dismal failure. and its not so much that it has problems that gets me, it the way they put em together in such a way that its a pain in the *** to fix anything

 

My daily is a 02 GMC sierra and I admit it makes me feel a little gay. Its got AC a stereo that sounds great, cup holders and power windows! Makes me feel all soft. But its kinda nice to not have to worry when I go to the store about that jack *** soccer mom who has poor cart control syndrome. I feel ya man on the older iron thing I got this truck to get my girl freind off my back and now I have payments and spendy insurance and the soon to be resmog fee. I dont think ill buy another new car. Much rather be rollin my galaxie any way.

 

my '98 GMC runs like a champ, it was my uncles service truck from new till '04, then mine. 260+k and it hasn't failed me once.

but I still prefer driving something old

 

I HATE my daily (04 chevy trail blazer) shore it has power evrything and a/c-but if it breaks down it has to get towed in an put on a computer to find out whats wrong, if my flat head braks down changes are i can fix it on the road on in my driveway

 

My daily is a 2000 Z28, longtube headers, x pipe true duals, dumped before the axle. I love LSx engines, they're not a PITA to wrench on at all. GEN III and IV sbc's are great. I think it just depends on what "late model" you're talking about. The majority aren't worth a damn as stated IMO.

 

Like Oilslinger already said, there is no such thing as an American car. The big foreign companies are building their cars in the US to avoid the extra taxes and tariffs, while the "US" companies are outsourcing overseas to take advantage of the cheap labor. My wife talked me into buying a Dodge that was only a few years old. Now I have vehicle payments for the first time in my life while my '53 gets more miles put on it because it gets better mileage and is way cooler to drive.

 

Wife's '06 Civic was made in Canada... "America" last time I looked at a globe.
Her '96 Civic was made in Ohio. Lot's of Toyota models are made (or ***embled from world sourced parts just like GM and Ford cars are) here by "Americans"
So what's the problem?
When I started driving in the '60's a typical 8 year old car was "old" and considered mostly used up and prone to breaking something at a weekly rate. Why do you expect anything different with today's cars?

 

They all need good maint., no matter what. My daily 78 Ranchero has a qtr million
with no problems. Those 70's Am. cars are really ****!
Your jap **** won't evenbe around that long.

 

valid point. im sure if i drove my chevy as much as the dodge it would have more problems. the big thing for me is what a pain in the *** they are to repair, and the poor quality of the parts

 

My 98 Subaru Outback was built in Illinois. I love that thing. I have owned 4 late model Fords...all were OK but had there fair share of problems- Check engine light coming on all the time, power windows not working, power steering noises, ball joints goin ****house. I hate to say it, but the Subaru with 180,000 still drives/runs like it was new.

I love old cars, always will. I chose my daily for milage/dependability only. I could care less what it is and what it looks like.

 

Any 8 yr old daily driver will have some problems.
I have an 05 with 70.000 miles on it. In eight years that will equate to 190,000 miles.
I would bet a paycheck to anyone my American built and Japanese designed Tacoma will not have one problem and will still be on the road.
The location of manufacture is irrevelant. The design of parts is what make them last. I haven't seen an American company that spends its money on quality of parts for many many years. How many pre 60 cars do you see putting those numbers on the odometers??? Hell, I remember we used to brag in the 60's when we were able to drive a car past 100,000 miles. Compare apples to apples. If Henry and GM knew their cars were going to last 60-100 years you can bet they would not have designed them that well.

 

Oh yeah, I just bought a 1991 Ford F-150 with a 300 six and a 4 speed last week. I bought it only to work and tow a trailer. Runs great, but I could not get it to p*** emmisions. Says the Cat. conveter is ****house. Wonder what that'll cost me

New **** is fine until it starts going out. I like to save my $$$ for early Fords

 

Wife's 04 Denali just hit 100K with no problems, my 93 gmc 1/2 ton 4 x 4 had 237K on it when I sold it 3 years ago and I see it on the road almost every day (I miss that truck)...our 2000 astro van had 111K on it when we sold it...we took care of them and they have lasted...I am still happy

 

I just picked up an early Bronco for a fun/cheap daily, while I build my '32. Sure beats driving my old Honda! (minus the whole gas mileage thing)

 

I don't get the "new cars are hard to work on" bit. I mean yeah its more taxing, but really, its not the biggest deal in the world. My girlfriend has a 2000 Altima that Ive done all the maintenance on, needs new CV axles next but Im going to wait a month to do em as the car isnt being driven now anyway. Done a bunch of work to it, not the end of the world.

You had bad luck dude. New cars aren't all unreliable by a long shot.

 

I'll never buy a new car again. I've only bought one new car in my life anyway.

My wife's job demands that she has a late model car because they pay her maintenance, etc. What I have done in the past, for our last couple of family cars and, the kids have done, is buy year old leased cars.

They've held up well and usually have less then 20,000 miles on them. I bought a 97 Intrepid that gave me no trouble at all for 6 years and ran like a top when I went to sell it. Problem was/is, there is no market for used Chrysler products. Here is a shot of it at my Mom's house, (RIP Mom) down in Ga. I ended up giving it away to a young fellow that was in real need of a car rather then sell it for less then it was worth.
I can't keep anything stock. My daughter still has the 98 Stratus she bought at the same time and it's still running strong and looks as good as new.
The wife has a 05 Sante Fe, no problems, Son has a 05 Magnum with some sharp pinstriping and Torque Thrust III. But buying new? Never again. Sorry if that hurts the economy but it hurts my wallet too much. I have a Dodge Caravan to cart my electric scooter around in, another must have. That's why I wish I had kept my 56 F-100 Panel Truck. You never know what's coming your way in the future.

 

last time a cat went out on me i tried to buy a new one at a couple different places and they told me they couldnt get em, or they couldnt sell me one, and that only certified smog mechanics could do it. i hate to think that more than one place was ********ting me but i also cant believe the state wouldnt allow you to fix your own problem. were they all ********ting me? all three places?

 

Ive never been into the "newer" cars..... My daily driver for work is a carburated 1985 Ford EXP.. Great little car, stick shift, and 38 MPG on the highway.. no computer, same alternator as my 77 Ranchero, and cheap parts when needed. When the weather in ohio gets foul, I take my 87 Mercury Grand Marquis, complete with duals and gl***packs. A little more complicated that the EXP, but workable.

 

My wife's 96 Saturn has just turned 267K miles with very few repairs considering it has been driven by her, myself, our twin daughters and our son during any given of its life. It has had the alternator replaced at 145K , the OEM clutch replaced at 175K, the water pump at 205K, 4 complete brake jobs, the radiator replaced at 230K (split tank, plastic), several sets of tires, 1 set of spark wires, 2 sets of spark plugs, a radiator fan motor at 185K, and oddly, a new horn (new to the car from junkyard) at 9 years. We've towed a Mullins trailer camping several times each year and my oldest daughter is now using it as primary transportation.
I don't know about anywhere else but those folks in Tennessee put out a right fine little car in 1996!
Modern cars are more reliable, longer lived for miles traveled, and safer than any of the old stuff. They just lack the things required for an automobile enthusiast, PIZZAZ, romance, unique styling, and just plain good vibrations! My son's 57 Chevrolet BelAir 2door sedan fills the bill, as do my projects, the old 23 roadster, the 28-29 A Tudor, the Track T.

 

our daily is a 2007 GMC Z-71--has 12K miles, ran another for 190K -very hard miles--no problem with either one-wife still has her 95 Imp SS and will NOT let it go-90K and no issues-BUT-if it were only me, I'd be drivng the 40 or the 55 which we drove for 10 years with no problems of any magnitude and was easy to fix any time anywhere--good solid transportation at minimum cost-figure I have 12-13K in it total since buying it in 75--the depreciation on a new one is more than that when you drive it off the lot

 

I hear ya....I miss the days of driving my old big block chevy truck around. But with high gas prices and a long commute to work, I gotta go with something new.

Although, if a guy had the time and money, you could build a cool hot rod commuter car with a nice little banger that would get good mileage and be dependable. There was a thread on this a while back....cool idea.

 

****, you don't even want to start with me right now on this topic. My daily was destroyed during the hurricane and I decided that I wanted to get something fun and impractical to tool around in (thus keeping miles off my Plymouth). I was looking at 70's jeeps, but decided to go with a brand spanking new one. So Saturday I bought it. So far, the linkage to the 4WD has broken on me and the electrical system has gone all screwy. It's sitting in the shop right now and I'm driving a loaner (which runs great btw). Only 406 miles on the odometer too.

This is the last new car I'll ever own. I'll do what I did with the Plymouth on my next one. Find one that is a runner, buy a parts car, strip off all the stuff I could repair on the side of the road, throw them in the trunk, make a decent emergency toolkit, and go on my merry way. **** this ****.

John

 

Newest car i've owned is a 81 camino, so mechanily close to my 64 camino

I'll probably never own a car younger than me 1985

 

My 99 F250 has about 150k miles on it, cranks right up, runs great, and has never had any problems. Never done anything to it other than the regular stuff. Tires, tune up, oil changes, brakes. I love it to pull my car hauling trailer, and bring home loads of "junk". I can haul 4 or 5 V8's plus misc other parts all in one load.

 

I bet you can get a gently used one from the recycler. Thats where the junkies take them.