Political Discussion

Joe Mac said:
Yeah I was 01 and the few that did had cars from the early 80s. My mate had an 83 fiesta (so same age as us) in yellow with one red door and one blue door! Proper classy!
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Chucktshoes said:
Cash for clunkers permanently warped the used car market. It really squeezed the used car supply and that is still affecting supply to this day.

I graduated high school in 1996. Most kids in my school that had cars, had cars from the 70s to early/mid 80s. One of my friends had a wicked awesome 1970 Dodge Charger, but there were a lot of old pickups, Chevettes, Escorts and even a Pinto and a Gremlin
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I graduated the same year. I went to an alternative ed school so it was basically a place for kids that got booted out of regular high school. Since most of the kids were from families with some means they mostly had post 70's vehicles if they drove one at all. I think one of the wealthier kids had a 90 pathfinder but that was the newest thing. There was a chevette, a beatle, and 80's scirocco, oh someone had an 80's saab (lol)... but i did like that car. no one had anything as cool as that 70's charger tho.
 
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jaycee said:

I graduated the same year. The went to an alternative ed school so it was basically a place for kids that got booted out of regular high school. Since most of the kids were from families with some means they mostly had post 70's vehicles if they drove one at all. I think one of the wealthier kids had a 90 pathfinder but that was the newest thing. There was a chevette, a beatle, and 80's scirocco, oh someone had an 80's saab (lol)... but i did like that car. no one had anything as cool as that 70's charger tho.
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An 80s scirocco! Now there’s a looker for a first car. I’m still trying to talk myself out of buying one of the newer model as my next car...
 
jaycee said:
i come from a vw fam. i would consider the newer scirooco model but they don't sell them over here.
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Dang!

They discontinued them late 17/early 18 which means that by my new car timeline of next summer I’ll probably be able to get a decent amount of car for my money, particularly if I go up north.

Im looking at roughy a 2016 of the R right now, 280bhp, and thinking it’s probably doable. I am also slightly wary of going from a 80bhp 1.2l city car to that 😂
 
Dtknuckles said:
I remember combing the pages of the auto trader dreaming of getting a early 80’s Honda that actually looked half decent. This was in 92-5.
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Sorry - not sorry - to continue the car talk but I still would really like one of those 4x4 civic wagons

Joe Mac said:
Dang!

They discontinued them late 17/early 18 which means that by my new car timeline of next summer I’ll probably be able to get a decent amount of car for my money, particularly if I go up north.

Im looking at roughy a 2016 of the R right now, 280bhp, and thinking it’s probably doable. I am also slightly wary of going from a 80bhp 1.2l city car to that 😂
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y - if i can afford it an r or at least an upgrade of my '06 gti is probably the way i'll go.
 
jaycee said:
Sorry - not sorry - to continue the car talk but I still would really like one of those 4x4 civic wagons



y - if i can afford it an r or at least an upgrade of my '06 gti is probably the way i'll go.
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They were cool looking for a cheap car.

To continue a the car talk. Just bought the newest car I ever bought. 2020 Tiguan. I was able to get a lease because it was still “new”. It was a loaner car from the dealer to people who wanted one. The DMV forced my hand when they required a smog check for my last car. I wanted a cheaper car, but my wife did not like the color of the only model they had for sale (orange).
 
RenegadeMonster said:
I think you would be the exception to the rule. Owning a new car was a big part of the "American Dream" since the 60's. For most people who grew up in the middle class buying or leasing your first new car by your 20's is not just the norm but an expectation.
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I think this is one of those things that car companies want you to believe but that many dad’s (or other male role models) will teach you is bullshit.
 
TenderLovingKiller® said:
I think this is one of those things that car companies want you to believe but that many dad’s (or other male role models) will teach you is bullshit.
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Yep, every time I buy a car I get the lecture about a brand new one being money down the drain. Which to be fair to him it is, but I kinda know that myself! The only two new ones he had were company cars so he didn’t buy them as such. A lot of brand new cars here go into lease for the first six months to a year. It’s easier to flog them six months to a year old because they’ve depreciated, but not below manufacturing cost, and they’ve got six months to a year of lease payments in too.
 
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nothing relevant or important, just more fun anecdotal bleeds in the politics thread-

father started doing well (middle class with 4 kids) when I was approaching high school in a rural Texas town. learned to drive on the ranch stick shift Ford with the transmission falling out, and "bought" a fancy boat from a family member at the end of high school- a '89 Coupe de Ville in 2005. then lived in Austin for a few years with no car and a willingness to walk (or hitchhike with pepper spray.)
a few months ago, I purchased a maintained 2013 car from my Aunt that feels like ~luxury~ compared to my last round of wheels.

I definitely knew a couple kids in high school with brand new trucks, and MANY kids in college with new luxury cars (private uni), but that being the expected or dream never entered my worldview.
 
Learned to drive using the farm truck in the tobacco fields and the tractor getting between them on the road. Drove my dad’s truck during HS. Bought the roughest fucking 86 Pontiac Grand Am from my uncle after he had ragged it out and wrecked it a few times for $600. It had a bent axle so I regularly had blowouts driving down the interstate to college. I kept 2 spares in the trunk and became an expert at changing them and made good friends with the retread shop. Oh, it also had a broken engine mount so whenever I hit a decent bump in the road the engine bounced in the compartment off the 2x4 I had laid across the struts to keep it in there. I’ve never owned a vehicle for myself with less than 100k or younger than 10 years old. I did put my wife in a 60k mile 2014 CX9 in 2016 when we had our second child so we had a proper car to haul kids. That was my first and hopefully last car payment.
 
One thing that might impact my experience is MA has always have very strict vehicle safety inspections and emissions.

The type of car you describe @debianlinux would never have been street legal in MA. Owning a 10 year I pretty much failed the safety inspection every year and had to drop about $3,000 in repairs to get it pass inspection. The first car I owned failed for ball joints, emergency brake not holding at 3,000 RPM, suspension, several other things as well. The last straw when I bought a new vehicle for the first time was when my 2004 Ford Explorer failed for a rusty frame. Having a car payment would be less per year than all the repairs have been and would be to keep my Ford Explorer on the road.

Also, when I got the repairs done, the mechanic sometimes just shook his head saying there is nothing wrong with the suspension. Yes it has a little wear and tear but it would be safe for at least anther 50k to 75k miles before needing to be replaced.

I know someone who owns a Delorean. You know, the exact car from Back To The Future. When he lived in MA they would fair the car's inspection each year for the suspension. Even with a brand new suspension meant for the car. The state said it had to much "play in it". He had to go to a shop where he knew they would turn a blind eye and mark it as passed. Now that's impossible. The state video monitors all inspection centers to make sure things like that don't happen. Car inspections is the only thing he doesn't miss about Massachusetts since moving to a different state 5 years ago.

It's very expensive to keep older cars on the road here and most of the older used cars end up being sold for the Cash For Clunkers deals.

Also, get this. I just got my 2019 Honda HRV with 4632 miles on it inspected yesterday and failed the emissions test. They are telling me it's because I have not been driving it enough. Take it on a coupy 50+ mile drives and then take it back in to be inspected again.

Under MA state law I have 1 week to get it to pass an inspection. If I continue to drive it around longer than a week I can be fined, and the police can tow my car on sight if pulled over for not being street legal.
 
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RenegadeMonster said:
One thing that might impact my experience is MA has always have very strict vehicle safety inspections and emissions.

The type of car you describe @debianlinux would never have been street legal in MA. Owning a 10 year I pretty much failed the safety inspection every year and had to drop about $3,000 in repairs to get it pass inspection. The first car I owned failed for ball joints, emergency brake not holding at 3,000 RPM, suspension, several other things as well. The last straw when I bought a new vehicle for the first time was when my 2004 Ford Explorer failed for a rusty frame. Having a car payment would be less per year than all the repairs have been and would be to keep my Ford Explorer on the road.

Also, when I got the repairs done, the mechanic sometimes just shook his head saying there is nothing wrong with the suspension. Yes it has a little wear and tear but it would be safe for at least anther 50k to 75k miles before needing to be replaced.

I know someone who owns a Delorean. You know, the exact car from Back To The Future. When he lived in MA they would fair the car's inspection each year for the suspension. Even with a brand new suspension meant for the car. The state said it had to much "play in it".

It's very expensive to keep older cars on the road here and most of the older used cars end up being sold for the Cash For Clunkers deals.

Also, get this. I just got my 2019 Honda HRV with 4632 miles on it inspected yesterday and failed the emissions test. They are telling me it's because I have not been driving it enough. Take it on a coupy 50+ mile drives and then take it back in to be inspected again.

Under MA state law I have 1 week to get it to pass an inspection. If I continue to drive it around longer than a week I can be fined, and the police can tow my car on sight if pulled over for not being street legal.
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Is it a diesel? Those aren’t really great as city cars, they need a good blowout fortnightly, or preferably even weekly, to keep them running clean. Being a mostly city driver I’d never consider a diesel car, petrol is a much better choice.
 
Joe Mac said:
Is it a diesel? Those aren’t really great as city cars, they need a good blowout fortnightly, or preferably even weekly, to keep them running clean. Being a mostly city driver I’d never consider a diesel car, petrol is a much better choice.
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No, it's not diesel. It's gas.
 
Joe Mac said:
Ah fair enough. I’ve never heard of that in an petrol car!
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Rather than driving it a few times and taking it back in and chancing it I made an appointment with the Honda dealership.

They suspect I failed emissions because the states computer is not communicating properly with my cars onboard computer. They said there should be no reason my car would actual fail emissions other than the test not being able to be completed.
 
I guess I should clarify that I wasn't going for a one up story or to say everyone should be driving well used cars. I was just alluding to the idea that new cars for kids was a thing reserved for only the very affluent when I came up. It wasn't a sob story either. I was thrilled to have a vehicle and to do my own maintenance and learn the actual value of an automobile.

At the time I was subject to Davidson county inspections in TN which as far as I recall, was strictly about emissions and things like operating tail lights and unbroken windows and sufficient tire tread. I have since kept my vehicles registered to a family address in east TN where the only things due each year are about $20 per car for registration fees. So admittedly, I have no idea what is required to pass inspections today. I feel confident either of my vehicles would pass inspection, though, as I am pretty keen on keeping them in good working order.
 
I've had the same cruddy Honda Accord since 2005. It started out as a 3 year lease but I liked it so much I went down the credit union and got a loan to pay for the remainder of the car. I'm sure I lost money on it going through that process but I figure I've made it up on the backend by not having a car payment for 11+ years. That said, it's starting to fall apart a bit, both cosmetically and in all the areas that typically wear out with age like oil and other liquid leaks. Wife got a new job and we figure we'll get something new-ish when they ask her to go back into the office in July. I'd love for the Accord to make it till my 13 year old is old enough to drive it but it might literally fall apart on her by then. We're definitely going used when that first car comes up.
 
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RenegadeMonster said:
One thing that might impact my experience is MA has always have very strict vehicle safety inspections and emissions.

The type of car you describe @debianlinux would never have been street legal in MA. Owning a 10 year I pretty much failed the safety inspection every year and had to drop about $3,000 in repairs to get it pass inspection. The first car I owned failed for ball joints, emergency brake not holding at 3,000 RPM, suspension, several other things as well. The last straw when I bought a new vehicle for the first time was when my 2004 Ford Explorer failed for a rusty frame. Having a car payment would be less per year than all the repairs have been and would be to keep my Ford Explorer on the road.

Also, when I got the repairs done, the mechanic sometimes just shook his head saying there is nothing wrong with the suspension. Yes it has a little wear and tear but it would be safe for at least anther 50k to 75k miles before needing to be replaced.

I know someone who owns a Delorean. You know, the exact car from Back To The Future. When he lived in MA they would fair the car's inspection each year for the suspension. Even with a brand new suspension meant for the car. The state said it had to much "play in it". He had to go to a shop where he knew they would turn a blind eye and mark it as passed. Now that's impossible. The state video monitors all inspection centers to make sure things like that don't happen. Car inspections is the only thing he doesn't miss about Massachusetts since moving to a different state 5 years ago.

It's very expensive to keep older cars on the road here and most of the older used cars end up being sold for the Cash For Clunkers deals.

Also, get this. I just got my 2019 Honda HRV with 4632 miles on it inspected yesterday and failed the emissions test. They are telling me it's because I have not been driving it enough. Take it on a coupy 50+ mile drives and then take it back in to be inspected again.

Under MA state law I have 1 week to get it to pass an inspection. If I continue to drive it around longer than a week I can be fined, and the police can tow my car on sight if pulled over for not being street legal.
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Dude, no offense but have you ever considered leaving that godforsaken hellhole? Every time you talk about living in Mass, it just sounds completely fucking miserable. That level of car inspection sounds more like it was designed to drive new car sales than maintaining any sort of reasonable level of roadworthiness.

Fuck every bit of that.
 
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