[dav]

Originally Posted by MacNNFamous 

I can't help you with material break downs, but musty smell in the AC is your fault.

Yeah, I’m not blaming the car… problem is I can afford a new car, so it’s a temptation. I’m looking at the Genesis G80, any opinions on that vehicle?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

It also only applies if you do all your own major car work, which very very few people do (not to mention it being exponentially more complicated with a newer vehicle than some old shitbox). And also if you don’t place any material value on your own precious time. Rob’s got no kids with homework, birthday parties and gymnastics lessons.

At the end of the day we all have our priorities. It’s also depreciation to hire someone to do the yardwork too, but I’d rather pay someone else to do it and go ride my bike somewhere. Eh!

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by reader50 

I have yet to sell a car. All my past cars eventually went to junkyard heaven.

The trick is to get the dealer to accept the tradein, even if they have to come tow it away.

[andi*pandi]

Originally Posted by MacNNFamous 

I can't help you with material break downs, but musty smell in the AC is your fault. Basically, if you run your AC hard, all the way to your house, and turn the car off, those AC components in your dash are still super cold... and when you turn the car off, they get condensation, which starts to accumulate mold/mildew creating that musty smell.

This is true of every single car ever made, ever.

The fix is to use your AC as you are doing today, but BEFORE you get to your destination, roll your windows down, turn the AC off, and turn the fan on full blast. This will blow air across the super cold components and warm them up so they don't get condensation.

That makes an amazing amount of sense.

I have also been known to spray vinegar+water into the vents, which did seem to help.

[MacNNFamous]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

It also only applies if you do all your own major car work, which very very few people do (not to mention it being exponentially more complicated with a newer vehicle than some old shitbox). And also if you don’t place any material value on your own precious time. Rob’s got no kids with homework, birthday parties and gymnastics lessons.

At the end of the day we all have our priorities. It’s also depreciation to hire someone to do the yardwork too, but I’d rather pay someone else to do it and go ride my bike somewhere. Eh!

No, it applies to literally anyone. I convinced my sister to pick up a used prius when she finally needed a car. It's been 5 years now. It's needed some stuff here and there, but her total cost in it right now is maybe 7 grand, for 5 years of having a car, and if she sells it, it'll cost her $2-3k. She could pay someone else to replace her engine multiple times before it got even close to the money you lose buying a new car.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by MacNNFamous 

I can't help you with material break downs, but musty smell in the AC is your fault. Basically, if you run your AC hard, all the way to your house, and turn the car off, those AC components in your dash are still super cold... and when you turn the car off, they get condensation, which starts to accumulate mold/mildew creating that musty smell.

This is true of every single car ever made, ever.

Only the poorly designed ones. My old car had this happen, I took it to the dealership and they had a TSB for a redesigned heater box that properly drained the condensation and didn't allow it to collect and grow mold.

Originally Posted by reader50 

Rob, that reasoning only applies if you plan to sell a car while it's still young. If you buy what you want, and drive it until it dies, depreciation never matters.

I have yet to sell a car. All my past cars eventually went to junkyard heaven.

What if, when you sent that car to the junkyard, it was better built and you had instead sold it for $5000? Keeping a car for a long time doesn't make you immune to depreciation.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

A car payment is insurance against all of that happening,

^^^
Some people can't seem to comprehend this. "I told my aunt that a 401(k) is stupid and she should just play the lottery as a retirement plan. She won 5 mil on a scratch-off ticket. See? It's a good plan."

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Actually hadn’t noticed the reply.

Look I’m not going to argue that buying new off the lot isn’t the most expensive option. That’s true of literally everything in life outside of real estate. You pay less for a two-year-old car that someone else’s kid threw up in twice, and for a used iPhone that someone else has been licking. You pay more for the smell of clean factory leather, fancy cameras and sensors, and hope. Driving a shitbox is OK but it’s not for everyone and for good reason.

I bought my 6yo truck a year old, and got an insane deal. It makes sense to avoid that initial hit. Having said that, I also got it with an extended factory warranty package that only recently expired. Over the last few years I made several claims that totalled a few grand; and literally a week before the extended warranty expired I got the transmission and torque converter replaced, which would have been at least a $5-grand dealer job had symptoms started a month later. And since that time I’ve spent almost $1500 at the dealer in parts and/or labour with other issues, mostly electronics-related but some just wear and tear, and some were things I could have fixed myself but would have taken a full day or more for me to do. Plus new winter tires this past fall which was probably another $900 or so. I need new brakes pretty soon, too,

All that to say I bought used with a warranty, and in the last year it’s started to get damn expensive. That’s a huge expense and pain for most people. I can see why someone might choose to accept the depreciation cost just to avoid it.

[MacNNFamous]

Yeah I avoid that buy not buying pieces of shit that need major repairs for no reason. lol.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Yeah, well, last I checked the Honda Ridgeline isn’t exactly infamous for falling apart….

Fact is, models have overall averages but individual manufacturing still varies. Used is always a crapshoot. You can easily get a lemon, or something that was treated poorly but spit-shined for sale. For you, it’s an unfortunate inconvenience and you can stick it in the garage and resell or work on it while you drive some other car; for most people, it’s a real nightmare.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by ShortcutToMoncton 

Yeah, well, last I checked the Honda Ridgeline isn’t exactly infamous for falling apart….

Fact is, models have overall averages but individual manufacturing still varies. Used is always a crapshoot. You can easily get a lemon, or something that was treated poorly but spit-shined for sale. For you, it’s an unfortunate inconvenience and you can stick it in the garage and resell or work on it while you drive some other car; for most people, it’s a real nightmare.

CPO is a nice middle ground, as you let someone else take the first depreciation hit and then you get a factory warranty that is generally better than new. Lincoln does 4yr/50,000 mile bumper to bumper, then 6yr/70,000 mile powertrain from the factory. For CPO they give you bumper to bumper coverage until 6yr/100,000 miles. So if you buy one that's a couple years old, you're saving the big drive-off-the-lot depreciation hit and you've got more bumper-to-bumper coverage than you would have gotten from the factory. Plus they still give you a loaner when your car is in for service so you're not without a car while they take a week to replace your leaky rear main seal.

I actually track $/month and $/mile total cost of ownership of my vehicles, including fuel, registration, insurance, maintenance, repairs, and depreciation.

We drove our Edge for 122,000 miles and the final cost was $0.39/mile and $239/month.
The 2013 Focus I bought brand new ended up at $0.45/mile and $255/month.
My 2014 MKZ was $0.36/mile and $214/month - it helped that I sold it to Carvana in 2021 for at least $5k more than it was actually worth, which countered much of the depreciation. If it had sold on the normal depreciation curve it would have been more like $0.48/mile.
Our 2016 MKX has been $0.47/mile and $464/month so far.
My 2011 F-150 with 287,000 miles on it has cost $0.42/mile and $387/mo so far, but that was mostly because I bought it dirt cheap and I'm able to do all of the work myself. If I'd had to take it in every time it needed fixed, I'd be seriously underwater.

[dav]

If I'm doing this right, my Infiniti is at $0.28/mile and $199/month. I'm not against used cars, I may wait it out and see what comes available over the next year or two.

[Laminar]

After 5 years with no motorcycles, I picked up another bike for commuting.



2002 V-Strom 1000, no title, not running, been sitting for years.



The tank is really bad.



I got it to run on starting fluid, but the gas was old and smelly and when I pulled the fuel pump, it was obvious that nothing was getting in there at all.



I'll clean up the tank and get a new pump setup and I expect it will run nicely after that.

I'll fix it up to commute on. If I don't like it, I can easily flip it for a decent profit.

[MacNNFamous]

Tahts fucking dumb you should buy a brand new one

[andi*pandi]

said no one ever

[reader50]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

2002 V-Strom 1000, no title, not running, been sitting for years.

How does the DMV handle the no-title? Do they contact the last owner of record, before issuing a new title? Make you pay all the missing years of registration?

[subego]

I always had the impression a vehicle doesn’t need to be registered unless it’s being driven on public property.

[dav]

favorite used car websites?

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by MacNNFamous 

Tahts fucking dumb you should buy a brand new one

Grow up.

Originally Posted by reader50 

How does the DMV handle the no-title? Do they contact the last owner of record, before issuing a new title? Make you pay all the missing years of registration?

Yep, if they can find the VIN in their system they contact the last known owner and give them 10 days to respond. If no response, they issue a title for me. I have to provide a title bond from my insurance company so that if the original owner ever does try and claim it, they get paid, that costs me maybe $150. I have to pay a title fee and registration fee, but I'm not 100% clear on how much back-registration I have to cover.

I've bought a few bits and pieces here but I'm holding out on any bigger ticket items (new battery, tires) until I actually have the title. Got all the hydraulics bled, changed the oil, replaced spark plugs.

Gave it a good powerwash.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by dav 

favorite used car websites?

Cars.com is decent, CarGurus.com is nice, except that they've started doing a "360 view" as the default image so it's a hassle to have to click past that to see the pictures how I want.

I don't do Autotrader at all as they tier their search results. So if I sort by price low-to-high, the first five results are going to be their "premier" listings sorted low to high price, then the next 10 or 15 are the "premium" listings sorted low to high price, then finally the next 40 are the "standard" listings sorted low to high. So many of the listings are on multiple sites anyway that I don't bother with Autotrader at all.

[subego]

I preferred cargurus, but it’s been 7 or 8 years since I last used it.

[Laminar]

I have a saved search in CarGurus, but it won't save the fact that I unchecked the "Include listings without available pricing" box, so I have to uncheck that box every time. If I'm searching by price range and you include every vehicle without a price listed, you're ruining my search.

It also won't remember that I sort by Newest Listings first so that I can just check and see if any vehicles matching my criteria are listed. CarGurus would like to just send me an email when any new vehicles meet my criteria (and I'd actually be okay with that), but because they're including any unpriced vehicles by default, their alerts are useless.

edit: Looks like CarGurus redid their photo viewer sometime in the last week.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Gave it a good powerwash.

That looks immaculate to me, good as new. Also design-wise it looks contemporary. I have no clue about things on two wheels with a motor/engine, but this looks like a great machine for a bit of touring and with ample power.

A very good friend of mine bought a BMW R NineT a few years ago in, I think, this color combo:



I'm usually not someone interested in motorcycles (rode one once, and it really scared me), but this thing is beautiful and according to my friend way more than fast enough. I think it has of the order of 110 PS, which is plenty if you want to keep your license and not use your organ donor card unexpectedly.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

A very good friend of mine bought a BMW R NineT a few years ago in, I think, this color combo:

I'm usually not someone interested in motorcycles (rode one once, and it really scared me), but this thing is beautiful and according to my friend way more than fast enough. I think it has of the order of 110 PS, which is plenty if you want to keep your license and not use your organ donor card unexpectedly.

I love the retro themed bikes like that. Honda's new scrambler is great:


And the Ducati Scrambler as well:


The V-Strom 1000 is definitely bigger than what I need and honestly I'd trade some power for better mileage. This will do about 40mpg. The 650 version will easily do over 50mpg. But this is what popped up here, and if I don't like it after riding it for a while, I can make a little money off of it and put that toward something I really want.

[ghporter]

Many years ago I helped restore a BMW boxer bike. I forget what model. Anyway, even more than cars, motorcycles are big “Lego kits” in a lot of ways. We had the most problems just getting the electricals sorted out, which was more about figuring out how to read BMW’s diagrams than understanding what relays do what, etc. It was really a lot of fun, and the bike turned out to be solid and fun to ride.

[subego]

For a brief intermission from the cool motorcycle talk…

Am I imagining a period, only a few years back, where insect strike on the windshield happened a whole lot less?

As an aside, since I don’t have or wouldn’t know how to mess with a motorcycle, building a PC is my version of adult legos.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by subego 

Am I imagining a period, only a few years back, where insect strike on the windshield happened a whole lot less?

Windshield Phenomenon

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windshield_phenomenon

The theory is that it used to happen a whole lot more. Between declining insect populations and more aerodynamic vehicles, those occurrences are changing. The one thing I've noticed is far far fewer lightning bugs on summer nights. The neighborhood I grew up in used to be completely alight with flashing flying bugs, now we're lucky if we see a couple each night and the prospect of catching 10 or 20 to put into a jar is laughable now.

[subego]

Oh… I remember that.

I didn’t really phrase this properly. What I’m asking is has anyone noticed a recent resurgence of splattered insects.

Not anything like it used to be, but noticeably more than the “almost disappeared” of a few years ago.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

I love the retro themed bikes like that. Honda's new scrambler is great:


And the Ducati Scrambler as well:

Yeah, both look very nice. Personally, I like the BMW and the Ducati best, but I see what style cues Honda went for. I have no clue about motorcycles, but if I use what I know from bicycles, the BMW has the slackest head angle (not sure if that's the terminology used in the motorcycle community, too), so it is likely the most stable at speed and the most relaxed to ride. The Ducati and the Honda seem to sit on the other end (not surprising), both have steeper head angles and from the looks of things, also a shorter wheelbase. Does that make sense? (It is a bit hard to judge wheelbase since the images are not to scale.)

Originally Posted by Laminar 

The V-Strom 1000 is definitely bigger than what I need and honestly I'd trade some power for better mileage. This will do about 40mpg. The 650 version will easily do over 50mpg. But this is what popped up here, and if I don't like it after riding it for a while, I can make a little money off of it and put that toward something I really want.

That makes sense to me. Motorcycles have long been in the same place that cars are in now: they have had more than enough horsepower. If you have something like a modern car or especially something like a Tesla, does it matter whether you have 300 hp, 500 hp or 750 hp? When I was a kid, my dad's 320 TE with 220 hp was considered fast.

How much power do you need, especially in a bike that isn't meant to carve corners at maximum speed?

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Big Honda Rebel 500/1100 fan here. What style, especially with a few mods I’ve seen. Guy in my neighborhood has a blackout 1100 with a rear tail fender mod and brown leather seat & grips. Damn it looks pretty badass.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by OreoCookie 

How much power do you need, especially in a bike that isn't meant to carve corners at maximum speed?

Most of my motorcycles have been in the 50hp range which is enough to get into triple digit trouble. I've ridden a friend's Yamaha R6 and another friend's VFR800 and in both cases I knew if I had those bikes I'd be dead or in jail within a week.

The funny thing about carving corners at maximum speed is that in most cases, an experienced rider on a Ninja 250 will beat the pants off of a 600cc or 1000cc bike on track everywhere but the longest straightaways. The number of riders that can legitimately take advantage of the chassis, power, and brakes of a modern superbike is extremely low.

[OreoCookie]

Originally Posted by Laminar 

Most of my motorcycles have been in the 50hp range which is enough to get into triple digit trouble. I've ridden a friend's Yamaha R6 and another friend's VFR800 and in both cases I knew if I had those bikes I'd be dead or in jail within a week.

The only time I have ever ridden on a motorcycle (≠ scooter) was with a Japanese friend of mine. It was limited to 40 hp, I think, but it was a sporty high-revving performance motorcycle. Even with my butt in the rear, he could smoke everything on four wheels with ease. He would sometimes go to the canyons at night with friends to race up and down at speeds that were far beyond legal. He even admitted his bike was a “high-acceleration coffin” (sounds cooler in Japanese, trust me). Scooters, even big ones, are a very different kettle of fish, much more relaxed.

So what you write absolutely jives with that, admitted, short experience. And it turned me off: most riders and drivers overestimate their abilities and even if they don't you are very vulnerable. With bicycles it is different: the engine is you and a $15k road bike isn't going to make you much faster than a $5k one. You can still easily kill yourself or get killed by the stupidity of others, but because of the lower speeds and lower weight, I feel safer.

Originally Posted by Laminar 

The funny thing about carving corners at maximum speed is that in most cases, an experienced rider on a Ninja 250 will beat the pants off of a 600cc or 1000cc bike on track everywhere but the longest straightaways. The number of riders that can legitimately take advantage of the chassis, power, and brakes of a modern superbike is extremely low.

Yup. A buddy of mine who is an avid cyclist and used to race motorbikes is very skilled at cornering. Even on a road bike that by today's standard is completely insanely unsafe (very narrow tires, no disc brakes, etc.) he placed very highly on many Strava downhill segments (think top-0.1 %). Technique is supremely important and I have been learning a little from him. I improved from a bad descender to a mediocre one :rofl: I'm not sure how many motorcyclists train cornering specifically, but at least on a road bike or a mountain bike that makes a huge difference. I feel safe doing things that would have scared me before.

I think you can say the same about cars: my best friend upgraded from a MX5 to a Porsche 968 (240 PS, note that PS ≠ hp, I'm too lazy to convert units). Now he bought a first-gen Boxster S (260 PS). These don't have a lot of horsepower by today's standard, but he says they are a perfect package for the road. Like you wrote, if you want to stay out of jail and not endanger others or yourself. Having rented and driven a “sports” car, another MX5, only once, I can say that I was glad it didn't have more power.

[reader50]

Originally Posted by subego 

Oh… I remember that.

I didn’t really phrase this properly. What I’m asking is has anyone noticed a recent resurgence of splattered insects.

Not anything like it used to be, but noticeably more than the “almost disappeared” of a few years ago.

I have not noticed an uptick. A "recent time" though would be Spring.

Perhaps things were springier than average around Chicago this year.

[ghporter]

Way back when, my wife had a Honda Nighthawk 450, and I had a Silverwing (a 500cc touring bike). Both had great power-to-weight and acceleration, but my wife’s Nighthawk was by far more fun to ride. The touring setup made for a more comfortable commute, but for just enjoying the snaky curves around the Austin area, the cruiser style Nighthawk was much more nimble.

[Thorzdad]

Are you a Hyundai owner? Have you ever wondered if you could play Doom on your Hyundai?

Well, wonder no more!

[subego]

Originally Posted by subego 

Slow leak on one of my tires. Last drove it Wednesday, completely flat today.

At least it looks like it’ll hold air long enough to get the three-quarter mile to the tire shop.

Takes about 6 hours to go flat. Less than a mile travel to the shop. Acceptable risk?

[reader50]

Acceptable to do what? Keep driving as usual, or to drive a mile to the shop?

Yes, if to the shop. Fill 'er up, drive to shop, get it fixed.

No, if to ignore. Sooner or later you'll forget to top it up. And fooling with a tire pump 2-3x per day will get old. And letting rims bite inside the tire has to do damage eventually.

Acceptable risk for an action scene, drive it like you stole it until it goes off the bridge? Should be OK, no need to fix the tire in that case.

... or there's the boring answer. Put the spare on, and drive the bum tire to the shop. A bit more work up front, but no risk. Take the fun out of life.

[subego]

Just to the shop.

[andi*pandi]

what's the tire gauge say?

If less than 15 on a tire rated for 32 I would be anxious even at 3/4 mile to the shop. Don't risk your rims or other damage. The tire could be fixable if it's a small leak or the valve.

Do you have a spare to swap?

[subego]

Properly filled is 42. Right now it’s at zero.

When I filled it yesterday, it took about 6 hours to completely leak out.

I do have a spare, but my good jack is in storage.

Even if it can be fixed, I’m willing to pay just so I don’t have to worry about it.

[andi*pandi]

if it's at zero do not drive it. AAA.

[subego]

Well, I intend to fill it back up before I take it in.

[subego]

Made it to the shop without incident. TPM didn’t come on during the trip.

[andi*pandi]

Phew!
we had slow leaks in both cars last year, it was nerve wracking. Finally bought a battery powered inflator. Turns out one was a valve and the other an easily repaired puncture.

Did you have to get a new tire or was it fixable?

[subego]

You know, I decided to pay the “peace of mind” tax and told them to throw the new one on regardless.

[Laminar]

You dummies just THROW AWAY tires because they're old or leaky? You're wasting TENS OF DOLLARS like all of the other brainwashed morons in this disposable society. All of my tires are from 1992 and they're JUST FINE and I'm BETTER THAN YOU because I periodically apply rubber cement and strips of bicycle innertube to the outside of the tires so that I can DRIVE MY CAR. Can't believe how lame all of you are - this place REALLY started going downhill back in 1999 when they banned all of the COOL PEOPLE.

[andi*pandi]

Those of us with all wheel drive, know. Replacing one tire is replacing 4 tires.

Although my car is old enough now that what's a little uneven wear between friends.

[reader50]

I would have had them locate the leak before making the call. Especially if the tire still has plenty of tread.

If it's a rim leak for example, then there was nothing wrong with the tire at all. The previous shop didn't get an even glue coat before mating the tire. Likewise if the valve is leaking - tire would be innocent.

[subego]

I’m sure you’re right.

[Laminar]

Originally Posted by reader50 

The previous shop didn't get an even glue coat before mating the tire.

Glue???