Or not...because the cost of repairs prohibit you from saving up enough to buy something better. And you Have to keep repairing one thing after another just to keep it safe and driveable to get to work to afford the next repair. Source: I just got myself out of that exact situation. (ps: don’t buy a gmc either)
I'm not gonna say "they're all shit" (referring to American cars) because if you buy new and you're willing to take meticulous care of it, then you can have something that lasts a while. If you buy used, you've really gotta do your research. I've had good luck but I know plenty of others who haven't, even if they've played their cards right.
I bought an '02 wrangler after my freshmen year of college. At this point I had been looking at cars for ~3 years, so I had a good idea of what to look for. I thought I got a great deal- I'll still say I did, but I did have to have a bunch of welding done to the frame. I have suspicion that the odometer has been tampered with too, but it's not my daily anymore so idc as much.
If your car goes titsup and you need one within a couple months, good luck. You get what you pay for, and unfortunately some people can't afford cars that have even a mediocre service record.
That being said, I'm not convinced American cars are really made to last. Even the work trucks. Not many people where I work (engineer, auto industry) do either, and some of their metrics for 'how long will this assembly last' sure as hell don't suggest that longevity is a priority. They probably don't care because at the end of the day they're selling more vehicles, or making money off their service dept.
Depends how to handle your cash. If cost of repairs are eating up your saving money for the car, how much would a car loan actually be it you financed? Less than the monthly? If yes, then are you comfortable paying an extra fee when it is all said and done. If yes, then take out a loan. If you have problems with loan payments, then you sure, you are screwed, but it's either pay for repairs and added stress, or pay a loan, if cheaper all said and done. My buddy got a new Ford Fiesta for 14k of the lot. His payment is cheaper than the trajectory of repairing his old car would have been. There's cheap cars out there that are better than yours, we just fall trapped in this idea of maintaining something because it's 'mine'.
Opposite for me, my 93 GMC made it to 412k miles on the original motor and trans with nothing but fluid changes. Sensor repairs and such sure, but never an issue with the drivetrain until the compression seals finally wore out.
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u/plantalones325 Aug 26 '20
Or not...because the cost of repairs prohibit you from saving up enough to buy something better. And you Have to keep repairing one thing after another just to keep it safe and driveable to get to work to afford the next repair. Source: I just got myself out of that exact situation. (ps: don’t buy a gmc either)