Re: OT: Mini Rant About New Car

On 8/1/2024 12:42 PM, Justisaur wrote:

On 8/1/2024 4:52 AM, JAB wrote:

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Well our old one is finally on its last legs with what is probably a dodgy alternator but they aren't quite sure and it's not really worth possibly fixing it due to the age of the car vs. the cost. Kinda annoying as although it's almost twenty years old it only has 50,000 miles on the clock. Enter stage left the used but only a year and a half old one.

 You sure it's more costly to fix/replace the alternator (not to mention if they aren't sure on the alternator you should use a different mechanic.)
 Sounds like it's too late anyway.
 

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Feck me it's like sitting behind a computer with all the controls and displays it has. The navigation, entertainment and communications owner's manual is eighty pages long. Do the really think I'm going to read all of that. The amusing part is that the standard owner's manual spends four pages explaining how to put petrol in it. So someone is going to understand all the complications of the location services but doesn't know what that round flap is for.
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On the plus side it does have some niceties such as displaying the actual speed limit in case you've missed the sign, not having to take the key out of your pocket to start it and the top of my list - user profiles so you can have the wing mirrors and AC adjusted to how you like them. Now if only we could get a toilet seat that does the same.
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The less said about warning me that my small rucksack in the passenger seat isn't wearing a seat belt the better. Oh and there's an app because of course there is.

 I had to replace my car of 12 years because someone plowed into the rear end in Jan while I was at a red light.  It was getting pretty long in the tooth, but was still working before that. Actually it was still working, but the back end was crumpled in pretty far and the hatch wouldn't open, that would've cost far more than the car was worth to fix.

This last bit always bothers me.  The cost that you should be comparing the repair costs to is "how much will it cost me to _replace_ my car". The "more than the car is worth" line is a sales pitch to push you into buying a NEW car and is not coming from a place of wanting to actually help you save money.
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I've done good in this world. Now I'm tired and just want to be a cranky dirty old man.