Fixing up the old bandwagon
Sensibly enough, Doc Searls chose to repair the old buggy rather than buy a new one:
A few days ago I took in my old Volkswagen Passat to get the water pump replaced. Turns out lots of other stuff was worn out or broken and needed fixing too. The final bill came to around $5000, which is what I paid for the thing three years ago.
For a minute I thought about getting a new car. They’re cheaper than ever, with lots of good deals, and guarantees that would relieve me of the need to pay much for upkeep. But I decided to fix the old car instead, because it’s good enough. Spending $5k is better than spending $20k, especially if I don’t have to borrow the difference.
I can endorse this premise: I can buy a whole lot of maintenance for Gwendolyn’s original $31,000 sticker — or, for that matter, with the 70 percent of it the previous owner had to eat in depreciation.
I’m not so sure, though, that he’s spotted a major trend here:
New car purchases are impelled mostly by advertising and fantasy. Drive a lot of rental cars and you get hip to the obvious: the differences between cars, especially fairly new ones, isn’t large.
Now, what happens if an absence of new car fantasy prevails for the duration? What if the whole automobile business has jumped the shark, and the problem isn’t just Detroit’s?
If you view a car as primarily a means to get from Point A to Point B without having to ride the M.T.A., then yes, they’re all fairly interchangeable. I don’t think Searls himself fully subscribes to this notion, if only because, in my experience anyway, people with this viewpoint tend not to drive Passats, which offer a sort-of-premium driving experience at a sort-of-premium price. (As always, your mileage may vary.) I would not at all be surprised to hear, though, that others have reached this conclusion on their own, bruised by four-dollar-plus gas or five-grand repair bills, and vowing never to go down that road again.
We do, however, expect a lot more from our cars than we used to, and the level of standard equipment has grown tremendously: air conditioning is now pretty much universal, as is the stereo sound system with CD player, as is the multiplicity of air bags. There are times when I think that there aren’t any handy automotive gadgets yet to devise. And then here comes a Ford Flex with a fridge, or any number of wagons with backup cameras, and I have to admit I’m wrong again. Tyranny of the new, to be sure; but I don’t think we’re going to conquer vehicular lust in my lifetime. Not mine, anyway.
Kay Dennison »
30 November 2008 · 12:19 pm
I went for 9 years without a car after my divorce with a very small support system — i.e., little or no help. It was difficult because it limited my choices greatly. I was able to purchase my Miss Ruby — a 2000 Pontiac Sunfire — a year ago and I revel in the freedom she gives me. A tank of gas lasts me a month unless I do a road trip and her mileage on those is incredible. She hasn’t a lot of bells and whistles — no fancy stereo or anything — but she’s easy to handle and gets me where I need to go. I just had a mental hotfoot when it cost $450 to replace her rear shocks and struts but it reminded me that cars break now and then I’m never going to like paying for it.
CGHill »
30 November 2008 · 12:28 pm
Suspension work is pricey these days. Third-party dampers all around for my car ran me $850 or so; figure twice that for OEMs from the dealership. (A pox on Earle MacPherson and his damnable struts.) Even the welcome return of actual body control to the car didn’t make me feel any better about it.
Kay Dennison »
30 November 2008 · 3:23 pm
I hate struts, too. That price should have been higher but my awesome mechanic takes pity on me — he is kind to old handicapped ladies. He even let me pay it in two installments. Which reminds me . . .
Jeffro »
30 November 2008 · 9:47 pm
I lust for more power!
Doc Searls »
7 December 2008 · 2:25 pm
I do subscribe to the Point A to Point B philosophy. Other things being equal.
The Passat replaces a 1988 Subaru wagon that I bought used for not much and drove into the ground. It was nearly worthless when I gave it away. If I needed real transportaiton I rented cars or drove my wife’s decade-old highly used Infiniti (also bought used, for not much).
Before the Passat was a … Hmm. I’ve written about this before. Here ya go: All My Rides.
I got the Passat with 111,000 miles from a friend moving to Argentina. It cost $5k, and had a book value of $2.5k more than that at the time. I’m sure it was north of $22k new. It also needed a lot of work.
I’ve had my regrets — it’s always needed a lot of work. But it’s comfortable, quiet, relatively safe and handles well, which means more to me in for accident-avoidance than it does for driving thrills.
For what it’s worth, my car-lusting days ended two decades ago. There are no cars now that I wish I had. In fact, my favorite car is the damed Passat, mostly because it’s what I’ve got. Even though it does need a lot of fixing.
CGHill »
7 December 2008 · 2:44 pm
“Comfortable, quiet, relatively safe and handles well” — all legitimate automotive virtues, and, well, there’s no such thing as “maintenance-free.” Yet. I have my doubts that there ever will be.