Separating the want from need

[Gruntina]

Originally Posted by LivingAlmostLarge

Maat, hate to tell you but I was looking for rims that matched the original with the alloy. And yes it was hard to find when I called and asked around. If he had bought the stupid regular ford focus there were tons of rims! And if we didn't have 16 inch tires and not all rims went at once. So it was very difficult looking for new rims. I had been calling because one went last summer so I decided to start looking for backups of the 16 inch alloy. You know the difference between alloy and steel?

The rims are the only concerns I have after reading this. The rims being damage seems more of fault of the driver and driving style as I would have a hard time believing the car itself on its own damaged the rim. It would be the same as low riders that some people have and blaming it on the curbs for the damaged on the sides when they know beforehand it was a feature of the car.

Will this happen again if you bought a newer car that has rims? It seems mootless and I would not count the cost of rim repairs in determination factor of how much repairs you spent on the car for the purpose of buying a newer car. Other problems such as thermostat and engine problems I can see that is real issues.

I cannot advice though because I am generally against all small cars no matter what the brand. They just seem to wear down faster with normal wear and tear and not comfortable with day to day uses.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Oh Gruntina, it's my DH's driving for sure. Tons of accidents, hits lots of pot holes, I give up! Trust me it's him. NO matter what car we buy it will be the same. The rims are more expensive though because I can't find them at a salvage yard than per se a 1999 toyota corolla or regular 2000 Ford Focus!

I've found the Corolla Amazing with wear and tear. The thing will keep on chugging i'm sure for 20 years.

[Gruntina]

Got it! Totally understand. It similar reasoning to my purchase of my vehicle and phone. My vehicle does not have all the fancy buttons as it is simple interface on the dashboard and the rest of the vehicle is simple to where there are less features that can break which is a bonus for me. I also avoided low riders and etc. There was an exception to the driver's seat having electronic seat movement.

I bought my phone that looks the least likely to damage as so many new features seems more prone to the wear and tear as a preventative so I didn't have to deal so much with replacements or repairs so I understand where your coming from.

I am guessing the Toyota corolla wouldn't have hard to replace or easy to damage rims as well.