how much have you paid for a car and what would you pay for a car?

[kork13]

The amount of salt they use here in the midwest is shocking. I get that people need safe roads because they can't slow down, but what an environmental travesty.

I didn't realize this until moving to Alaska, but salting the roads in forested areas can actually be more dangerous. Why? Deer & (in Alaska) moose will hang out on the road lapping up the salt. Folks in the neighborhood who salt their driveways instead of scraping up the ice as it builds often get greeted in the morning by a large furry problem, and have to call in late for work until the moose moves on.

Alaska eventually banned the use of salt on the roads because of the number of moose-related accidents (which 90% of the time result in death, because they're so big, tall, & gangly that they don't land on the car's hood -- they land on top of the roof, with everybody inside crushed under 1500 lbs of Bullwinkle).

[Milly]

We paid cash for a 3 year old Honda Odyssey for $28,357 when we realized you couldn't fit 3 car seats in our Camry without slamming the door. It only had 27k miles, leather seats, navigation, and a DVD player. Yes, it was a fantastic deal for what it was. In fact, our sassy sales lady had an argument with management fighting for her commission because another dealership put in an offer larger than ours while we were test driving. It had been on the lot for over a month and the dealer wanted it gone.

We absolutely love our van. I know it will always start (not the case for our prior vehicle). The DVD player has been amazing on our annual 14 hr drive to the in-laws. The key with a button for the sliding doors is basically a safety feature for keeping toddlers moving forward in a parking lot.

Was it a good idea though? We thought it was worth that money, but I have since seen the "rich dad" way of buying an investment that creates the income to pay for your liabilities (although I'm still a cash paying kind of girl). I would much rather have a junk car and half another rental property. It only takes 3 of them paid off for us to no longer need a job (we spend the money from 2 of them, the third pays taxes and medical insurance). I've caught this itch that I'm not sure how to scratch without saving even more.

[ua_guy]

The amount of salt they use here in the midwest is shocking. I get that people need safe roads because they can't slow down, but what an environmental travesty. Another reason I want to leave---right now. I'm a car guy, and I'm driving a newer midsize pickup, and it's just going to get destroyed. No idea why anyone here drives a nice car.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Have you ever gotten an under-coating sprayed onto your cars' underbelly? It's basically a semi-thick layer of ...something... that protects the metal components from corrosion due to road salt. It's not very expensive (maybe $500-$600?), and helps to reduce alot of those problems.

Yes and detailed every 4 months. But you can tell. I had a mechanic as me when we moved to the west coast if it was an east coast car? He could tell. And when I moved east with 100k corolla the mechanic was like this is not an east coast car.

[kork13]

Unfortunately, road salt takes its toll on vehicles in the northeast and midwest, so underbody components like suspension and exhaust age much faster than engines and interiors.

Have you ever gotten an under-coating sprayed onto your cars' underbelly? It's basically a semi-thick layer of ...something... that protects the metal components from corrosion due to road salt. It's not very expensive (maybe $500-$600?), and helps to reduce alot of those problems.

[JoeP]

wow our car has over 200,000km on it and still goes great I think a car is a tool and if it runs well then why replace it...people just look at things and want bigger and better rather than what they need...even if we were rich still wouldn't buy an expensive car...they are a tool

This is how we think of vehicles. They are tools to get us from point A to point B. They have to be safe, comfortable, economical and dependable. We don't need or want "luxury" or "performance" in order to be happy...those are costs that don't give us anything beyond what we need.

Unfortunately, road salt takes its toll on vehicles in the northeast and midwest, so underbody components like suspension and exhaust age much faster than engines and interiors.

[mumof2]

wow our car has over 200,000km on it and still goes great I think a car is a tool and if it runs well then why replace it...people just look at things and want bigger and better rather than what they need...even if we were rich still wouldn't buy an expensive car...they are a tool

[disneysteve]

I suspect a huge driver for turnover is leases.

True. A high percentage of luxury cars are leased. The higher the price, the higher the lease rate.

The other thing is that just because the motor might last 500K, that doesn’t mean the upholstery will or the carpets or the steering wheel or the body. when the car starts looking shabby, people will replace it.

[JoeP]

Of course not. Most cars today will last at least 100K and typically 200K or more but how many people keep them that long. People are always shocked when we post a photo of our odometer turning 100K like it's some big deal. I used to have a coworkers who had a Corolla with over 300K on it and people thought she was nuts.

I doubt many people will keep any car for 500K.

I suspect a huge driver for turnover is leases. Also, gadgets! Right now, a lot of us buy a cell phone holder, USB cord, and USB charger to operate Waze or Google Maps. And who wouldn't opt for a car audio system that played from your phone seamlessly? Technology is a huge draw for some people.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Of course not. Most cars today will last at least 100K and typically 200K or more but how many people keep them that long. People are always shocked when we post a photo of our odometer turning 100K like it's some big deal. I used to have a coworkers who had a Corolla with over 300K on it and people thought she was nuts.

I doubt many people will keep any car for 500K.

I still miss my corolla. I swear that thing is probably still running great.

[msomnipotent]

Wow, what an awful experience! I'd have gotten rid of it, too. Thank you for sharing this. Subaru Outback is on my short list of daily drivers, but this info makes me re-think.

Yes, and that was just the last straw. There were all kinds of issues. It started to be a daily thing, like a chime going off every 5 minutes and no one knew what it was for. The GPS gave wrong directions so often that we just started using our phones instead. The paint chips if you look at it. I actually started to get anxiety every time I had to use the car. At least I didn't have the windows shatter for no reason or the doors not being able to close if you had more than one open. So many people had such odd issues. It was a 2015, which was a redesign year. I expected some issues, but this was just over the top and the dealership just could not care less. I heard the Crosstrek and Forester have similar complaints after their redesign, too. My JGC isn't perfect, but it is light years better in comfort and quality and the dealership goes out of their way to address issues.

[disneysteve]

These cars will last 500k miles. But truthfully will people keep them that long?

Of course not. Most cars today will last at least 100K and typically 200K or more but how many people keep them that long. People are always shocked when we post a photo of our odometer turning 100K like it's some big deal. I used to have a coworkers who had a Corolla with over 300K on it and people thought she was nuts.

I doubt many people will keep any car for 500K.

[Fishindude77]

Just bought a new Buick Enclave for the wife, $38,000 and change.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

i read that tesla 3 are outselling luxury cars. That the majority of owners are turning in BMW, Lexus, Acura, Benz, etc. So I would say that it's not exactly the car for the masses yet.I do think it'll happen maybe after the 3 starts to be sold used. These cars will last 500k miles. But truthfully will people keep them that long?

[Petunia 100]

The safety features were unreliable. The last straw came when it thought moderate rain was an obstacle and slammed on the brakes on a busy highway. It also went into X mode several times. I'm not exactly sure of all the reasons why it would go into X mode, but one reason is if you do not put the gas cap on exactly right. Not just a little loose or too tight, but EXACTLY right. It will suddenly shut itself off without warning and won't restart until you try to restart 5 times (at least that is what the lousy dealership told us but sometimes it didn't work). It also happens either an hour or a few days from when you last got gas so it is a big surprise when it happens, especially when half of your car is sticking out into the busiest street in the county with cars coming at you 50 mph+ and you suddenly can't move. There were a lot of things wrong with it and the dealership would either say that is just how Subarus are, they can't replicate the problem, or I didn't put the gas cap on right. They even tried to tell me the problems we were having with the display were because of the gas cap.

Wow, what an awful experience! I'd have gotten rid of it, too. Thank you for sharing this. Subaru Outback is on my short list of daily drivers, but this info makes me re-think.