Quote:
Originally Posted by DMcCunney
The most economical way to own a car is to buy a good quality car, maintain it according to factory specs, and run it completely into the ground.
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This has long been my approach.
I can't see starting with something inherently unreliable, or too much of an unknown quantity. Heck, my LIFE may be riding on this thing, never mind getting to work on time.
It's only now, at 14 years and nearly 200,000 miles that "the ground" is in view, and I have to start questioning the value of repairs.
(I'm opting for the used tranny, by the way, should hopefully be done by Friday...it's what my mechanic said he would do, and I have been given no reason to doubt him over the years.)
For household appliances, I'm all for not letting things go to waste, and I'm generally pretty good with mechanical and electrical stuff (other than engines), as long as the repairs don't have to look pretty when I'm done, and I really WANT to fix stuff and not live such a disposable lifestyle, but as I get older, I'm starting to follow the path of least resistance. Plus I'm getting tired of clutter, and if something is sitting in my garage, waiting to be fixed for a year, it probably needs to get out of my life.
I'll pay to have appliances fixed professionally when appropriate, but with the poor quality of repair services I've been seeing, plus the cost, considering the general low quality of consumer stuff, out-of-warranty repair is seeming appropriate less and less often.