The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

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Mark Leavy
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Mark Leavy » Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:28 am

WiseOne wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:20 am
Geez.....I looked into auto insurance and it would be above $2K/year here. That is giving me pause.

Another wild idea: I could "move" to a less costly area e.g. near family in New England, but keep my job & city apartment. Between remote work and vacation time, I could easily total up the 6+ months per year in the less costly place required to avoid New York's tax investigators - especially if I were careful to do my grocery shopping there by credit card on the way down to the city.

I would give up the annual coop tax rebate but in return would no longer pay NYC income taxes, plus I could enjoy the lower costs of everything from car insurance to groceries.

This is a great strategy that I suspect a lot of people are going to be testing out...the main question is, if you still have an NYC job are they going to let you get away with living out of the metro area? Technically that's no different from commuting from NJ or CT suburbs, but if a lot of people start doing this because of their newfound location freedom I can't imagine NY wouldn't start pushing back somehow. The other issue is that my coop requires that the apt be your primary residence when you buy it - but yet again, who knows what's actually going to happen and whether they would try to enforce this.
I "moved" to South Dakota 3 years before I sold my house in Oregon and while still working. I put SD plates on my jeep, got a SD driver's license, had all of my mail sent to SD - no mail at all sent to my Oregon house, registered to vote in SD, got car insurance in SD and opened a local checking account in SD. Basically trying to do as much as I could to make my new residency look legit.

From what I understand, though, NY is pretty aggressive about establishing residency. Especially if you own any property. You would have to be super careful.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Mon Jul 06, 2020 2:30 pm

WiseOne wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:20 am
Geez.....I looked into auto insurance and it would be above $2K/year here. That is giving me pause.

Another wild idea: I could "move" to a less costly area e.g. near family in New England, but keep my job & city apartment. Between remote work and vacation time, I could easily total up the 6+ months per year in the less costly place required to avoid New York's tax investigators - especially if I were careful to do my grocery shopping there by credit card on the way down to the city.

I would give up the annual coop tax rebate but in return would no longer pay NYC income taxes, plus I could enjoy the lower costs of everything from car insurance to groceries.

This is a great strategy that I suspect a lot of people are going to be testing out...the main question is, if you still have an NYC job are they going to let you get away with living out of the metro area? Technically that's no different from commuting from NJ or CT suburbs, but if a lot of people start doing this because of their newfound location freedom I can't imagine NY wouldn't start pushing back somehow. The other issue is that my coop requires that the apt be your primary residence when you buy it - but yet again, who knows what's actually going to happen and whether they would try to enforce this.
I assume that is because you are looking at buying a high value new car, on which you'd carry collision. If you bought an older car of less value, you'd not carry the collision because you could afford to self-insure it.

I have no idea if you know who Derek Jeter was / is. For many years he was the face of Major League Baseball and I think earned about $200 million in his career.

He was accused of doing what you are proposing:

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/base ... e-1.259813

https://www.abajournal.com/news/article ... ncy_claim/
https://taxfoundation.org/derek-jeter-t ... ntroversy/

https://www.nydailynews.com/entertainme ... e-1.308805

Vinny


Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Mon Jul 06, 2020 2:34 pm

Vinny,

I believe one must be in the state 182 days or less to claim non-resident status. Derek and a few others should have had better tax advice. Their tax bite/pinch hurt. Can these super-rich people afford you and me?
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Mon Jul 06, 2020 2:44 pm

bedraggled wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 2:34 pm
Vinny,

I believe one must be in the state 182 days or less to claim non-resident status. Derek and a few others should have had better tax advice. Their tax bite/pinch hurt. Can these super-rich people afford you and me?
I think I would have been well over my head and I'm sure he must have hired someone and acted on the advice of someone far more competent in these matters than myself.

Also, let's say we are talking about $10 million.

If he does nothing, he just pays the $10 million.

If he does want he does he saves $10 millon.

If the government never objects, he keeps it all.

If they do object they are probably going to settle for less. Say $7 million. He still ends up $3 million ahead.

That's the way the high price accounting firms operate.

I remember an article in the Wall Street Journal in the 90s. It was about Ernst & Young (a Big 4 accounting firm) and their aggressive tax positions. The only bit I can still remember from nearly 30 years ago was their attempt to expense as much as possible to avoid items being classified as fixed assets, which could then only be written over many years via deprecation. In some cases it'd have to be over 40 years.

So, they classified some things like doors as "movable partitions".

All in all, it was not great publicity for Ernst and Young! At the time they were my company's accounting firm (I'd brought them to us because I'd gone public with them at a prior company).

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:07 pm

A piece of exhaust pipe needed a weld. The owner did it in ten minutes. All of $20 and I gave him a five as a thank you. If I had a ten, that might have been better. Tipping is an art form. Still learning.

A Tesla Model 3 in four years may work out well but for now the Accord's clear coat on the roof and trunk have faded. That requires new paint. I may as well get the body-side moldings treated as well to help make the 30 year old car look new. This is all fun and Mark Leavy did just what I would have done with his purchase. But then I like repair shops.

To dump my manual tranny car, I need something edgy, like a Tesla. An Camry with an automatic transmission is NOT inspiring. We are driving, at most, 5000 miles this year, anyway
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Xan » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:11 pm

Former NFL player Alfred Morris still drives his 1991 Mazda 626. IIRC he drove all the way from... somewhere many states away to Washington, DC when he was drafted by the Redskins. Was still driving it a few years back when he finished his career with the Cowboys. I think Mazda gave it a full refurbish while he was in Dallas because it became so famous.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:15 pm

That market watch.com article: Looking to be rich? Drive a crappy car!!!! There's still time folks.

Thanks Xan.

And with this I have as many posts as Willie Mays had home runs!
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:33 pm

bedraggled wrote:
Tue Jul 07, 2020 7:15 pm
That market watch.com article: Looking to be rich? Drive a crappy car!!!! There's still time folks.

Thanks Xan.

And with this I have as many posts as Willie Mays had home runs!
Confirmed! Congratulations! Who is next on your list? Not that many above him.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:06 am

Just filled the gas tank and surprisingly, MPG dropped to 22 from the usual 29 to 31MPG. Car's running well and my mix of highway/local and stop-and-go has not changed. The needle dropped too fast compared to the trip odometer this fill-up.

Any thoughts? Thanks.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:07 am

bedraggled wrote:
Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:06 am
Just filled the gas tank and surprisingly, MPG dropped to 22 from the usual 29 to 31MPG. Car's running well and my mix of highway/local and stop-and-go has not changed. The needle dropped too fast compared to the trip odometer this fill-up.

Any thoughts? Thanks.
Not having properly inflated tires I think might be responsible for 2, 3 MPG max!

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Mark Leavy » Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:09 am

bedraggled wrote:
Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:06 am
Just filled the gas tank and surprisingly, MPG dropped to 22 from the usual 29 to 31MPG. Car's running well and my mix of highway/local and stop-and-go has not changed. The needle dropped too fast compared to the trip odometer this fill-up.

Any thoughts? Thanks.
You accidentally didn't fill it all the way up the time before?
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:24 am

Mark,

Pretty fastidious on the fill-ups. I always watch MPG to get an "early warning." You may be on to something, though. I'll see about the next tankful and, probably, stop and ask the mechanic.

Vinnie,

I'm usually on top of the tire PSI but it's been 2 weeks. I'll check later today.

Cheers.

P.S. A 2018 Camry with 40,000 miles is approximately $23,000 less than a new Tesla 3. Any thought? Thanks.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:55 am

The tires are good at 34 PSI. So, it's chat with the mechanic and/or wait for the next visit to the gas pump.

Is a used Camry listed on Cargurus better than a new Tesla 3 for $23 to $24,000 more in price? The little voice tells me the Camry is the better choice. If the car were for me alone, I'd get the Honda Fit with a manual tranny.

It has been said that the hybrid vehicles will lose to both all-electric and those who still want the remaining ICE vehicles. Any thoughts? (Or should I stay away from the hybrids)?

Thanks.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Hal » Wed Jul 08, 2020 11:08 am

bedraggled wrote:
Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:55 am
The tires are good at 34 PSI. So, it's chat with the mechanic and/or wait for the next visit to the gas pump.

Is a used Camry listed on Cargurus better than a new Tesla 3 for $23 to $24,000 more in price? The little voice tells me the Camry is the better choice. If the car were for me alone, I'd get the Honda Fit with a manual tranny.

It has been said that the hybrid vehicles will lose to both all-electric and those who still want the remaining ICE vehicles. Any thoughts? (Or should I stay away from the hybrids)?

Thanks.
I would check how long the battery lasts and associated replacement costs before making a decision...
Eg: For Toyota
https://www.toyota.com.au/hybrid/battery-recycling
How long does a hybrid HV battery last?
The life of a Hybrid vehicle and a Hybrid HV battery will vary depending on usage and environmental factors. For Hybrid vehicles bought before 1 January 2019, we’ll cover your Hybrid battery[W1] for eight years or 160,000km, whichever comes first. For Hybrid vehicles bought after 1 January 2019, we’ll cover your Hybrid battery[W1] for up to 10 years, provided you undertake your annual inspection as part of routine maintenance according to the vehicle logbook.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Libertarian666 » Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:19 pm

WiseOne wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:20 am
Geez.....I looked into auto insurance and it would be above $2K/year here. That is giving me pause.

Another wild idea: I could "move" to a less costly area e.g. near family in New England, but keep my job & city apartment. Between remote work and vacation time, I could easily total up the 6+ months per year in the less costly place required to avoid New York's tax investigators - especially if I were careful to do my grocery shopping there by credit card on the way down to the city.

I would give up the annual coop tax rebate but in return would no longer pay NYC income taxes, plus I could enjoy the lower costs of everything from car insurance to groceries.

This is a great strategy that I suspect a lot of people are going to be testing out...the main question is, if you still have an NYC job are they going to let you get away with living out of the metro area? Technically that's no different from commuting from NJ or CT suburbs, but if a lot of people start doing this because of their newfound location freedom I can't imagine NY wouldn't start pushing back somehow. The other issue is that my coop requires that the apt be your primary residence when you buy it - but yet again, who knows what's actually going to happen and whether they would try to enforce this.
I would definitely consider this possibility very seriously. The more established you are in another location, the less difficulty you would have in moving out for good when the time comes.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Libertarian666 » Wed Jul 08, 2020 5:22 pm

Mark Leavy wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:28 am
WiseOne wrote:
Mon Jul 06, 2020 10:20 am
Geez.....I looked into auto insurance and it would be above $2K/year here. That is giving me pause.

Another wild idea: I could "move" to a less costly area e.g. near family in New England, but keep my job & city apartment. Between remote work and vacation time, I could easily total up the 6+ months per year in the less costly place required to avoid New York's tax investigators - especially if I were careful to do my grocery shopping there by credit card on the way down to the city.

I would give up the annual coop tax rebate but in return would no longer pay NYC income taxes, plus I could enjoy the lower costs of everything from car insurance to groceries.

This is a great strategy that I suspect a lot of people are going to be testing out...the main question is, if you still have an NYC job are they going to let you get away with living out of the metro area? Technically that's no different from commuting from NJ or CT suburbs, but if a lot of people start doing this because of their newfound location freedom I can't imagine NY wouldn't start pushing back somehow. The other issue is that my coop requires that the apt be your primary residence when you buy it - but yet again, who knows what's actually going to happen and whether they would try to enforce this.
I "moved" to South Dakota 3 years before I sold my house in Oregon and while still working. I put SD plates on my jeep, got a SD driver's license, had all of my mail sent to SD - no mail at all sent to my Oregon house, registered to vote in SD, got car insurance in SD and opened a local checking account in SD. Basically trying to do as much as I could to make my new residency look legit.

From what I understand, though, NY is pretty aggressive about establishing residency. Especially if you own any property. You would have to be super careful.
Yes, and I believe they have even tried to follow retirees to other states to get "their" tax money that they didn't get due to IRA deductions. I think the courts slapped them down but they will probably try it again as they start the spiral down into insolvency.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Wed Jul 08, 2020 7:30 pm

bedraggled wrote:
Wed Jul 08, 2020 10:24 am
Mark,

Pretty fastidious on the fill-ups. I always watch MPG to get an "early warning." You may be on to something, though. I'll see about the next tankful and, probably, stop and ask the mechanic.

Vinnie,

I'm usually on top of the tire PSI but it's been 2 weeks. I'll check later today.

Cheers.

P.S. A 2018 Camry with 40,000 miles is approximately $23,000 less than a new Tesla 3. Any thought? Thanks.
I've not even checked my tires' pressure since the snow tires were put on last November 2019.

I'm sure that in the natural passage of time they've lost a lot of air?

On the one hand, I've not worried since over the last four months I've not even used a 1/2 tank of gas. But, on the other hand, I've also wondered if the tires are so underinflated that even the little I'm driving may be causing severe, permanent damage to the tires. And, they are four expensive studded snow tires with several years life left to them (if undamaged).

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Thu Jul 09, 2020 6:05 pm

My success at procrastinating with finishing my 2019 tax returns has finally ended tonight.

As part of my reviewing my 2019 tax return information I'm using Quicken (which contains EVERYTHING financial related to me - income, expenses, investment transactions). I have saved reports in it which I then export to my 2019 Excel tax return file.

On of them is my Income & Expenses for the last six years.

For the four years from 2016 to 2019, while my 2004 Honda Accord was 12 to 15 years old, I have a total of $5,481 spent or about $1,370 average. That would be for about 24,000 miles or about 6,000 per years.

That amount is more than all in. It includes

Insurance
Gas
Repairs
Oil changes
New tires (including full set of studded snow tires)
Twice a year tire changeovers.
License renewals
Registration renewals
Annual inspections
Any thing purchased car related - e.g., tire guages, air compressors

If I bought a new car today, how much does it depreciate the first day?

I paid $3,350 for this car in 2013 and I'm certain it'd still bring $1,000 today (with only about 153,000 miles on it).

Just checked my local Craigslist and it'd be a lot more than that!

Just checked a dealer ad for a 2004. With 206,000 miles, $3,495! More than I paid for mine nearly 7 years ago when it only had $123,000 miles.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Kriegsspiel » Thu Jul 09, 2020 8:53 pm

That's an impressive cost/mile. Since I bought my current vehicle I've driven it just under 7k miles a year and I spent an avg $1760/ year.

So, 25 cents/mile vs Vinny's 23 cents/mile. And I haven't even had to get a new license.

I didn't include depreciation, which is usually my biggest cost related to cars (I've tended to churn through them in the past). I still wish I had kept my Scion Xa.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:32 am

Last I posted, I noted my last tank of gas dropped from 29 down to 22MPG. False alarm: in mixed driving I am back at 29MPG. All is good.

The situation now presents me with a decision on repainting my 1991 Accord with 358,100 miles. I got rear-ended at a red light 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. We are ok. Curiously, the other driver couldn't put his cell phone down in the 75 minutes we waited for the officer to complete the paperwork. Anyone want to guess why he hit us? The other driver's insurance company sent me a check to repaint the bumper. Prior to the rear-ender, I had considered repainting as the clear-coat failed on the trunk and roof. Also, the body side molding looks "tired" as the car approaches its 30 year anniversary in September. An acquaintance recommended a shop that does his paint jobs on ALL of his hobby-restored vehicles. Total cost for paint and body molding, $800. I view this as a good deal.

Yes, I could sell it for a grand but Camrys are boring and the 1991 is not. Annual cost to operate vehicle, including $878 in auto insurance, $2,000, but probably a little less. Every part on the car seems to have been replaced.

Long story short. (Too late)! I like the car. I am only driving 5,000 miles/year due to virus. Why get another costly vehicle at this time, one that requires collision coverage? I want to take the 30 year old car to 400,000 miles and can due so effortlessly.

BTW, I get an "Antique" license plate and a reduced registration in September.

Comments, please. (Guess which way I'm leaning).

Thanks.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:35 am

bedraggled wrote:
Tue Jul 28, 2020 10:32 am
Last I posted, I noted my last tank of gas dropped from 29 down to 22MPG. False alarm: in mixed driving I am back at 29MPG. All is good.

The situation now presents me with a decision on repainting my 1991 Accord with 358,100 miles. I got rear-ended at a red light 2 and 1/2 weeks ago. We are ok. Curiously, the other driver couldn't put his cell phone down in the 75 minutes we waited for the officer to complete the paperwork. Anyone want to guess why he hit us? The other driver's insurance company sent me a check to repaint the bumper. Prior to the rear-ender, I had considered repainting as the clear-coat failed on the trunk and roof. Also, the body side molding looks "tired" as the car approaches its 30 year anniversary in September. An acquaintance recommended a shop that does his paint jobs on ALL of his hobby-restored vehicles. Total cost for paint and body molding, $800. I view this as a good deal.

Yes, I could sell it for a grand but Camrys are boring and the 1991 is not. Annual cost to operate vehicle, including $878 in auto insurance, $2,000, but probably a little less. Every part on the car seems to have been replaced.

Long story short. (Too late)! I like the car. I am only driving 5,000 miles/year due to virus. Why get another costly vehicle at this time, one that requires collision coverage? I want to take the 30 year old car to 400,000 miles and can due so effortlessly.

BTW, I get an "Antique" license plate and a reduced registration in September.

Comments, please. (Guess which way I'm leaning).

Thanks.
Is the painting absolutely needed?

Last year I somehow cracked my bumper cover on my 2004 Accord. Had to have it replaced as it would have otherwise failed inspection.

I went to a junkyard and bought a new replacement for $70. Brought it to a body shop and they charged me $160 to install it. It would have cost me another $80 (?) to paint it so it'd match the rest of my blue car? I left it in its black state.

By the way, my per mile (historical) costs for my car just jumped up a lot as in the last few weeks I spend almost $500 for four new tires and then nearly $700 for an oil change and every conceivable part related to my back breaks.

By the way I'm now driving the same as you. I changed the oil at only 1,500 miles as it'd last been changed last October and unless I have a major problem I may not be going back until well after October.

Back to you, if you have to spend that money, I'd do it. I'm a repair person, rather than a buy new car person.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:53 am

If I were to buy a Camry tomorrow, I would skip the unnecessary paint job. I would like to keep it 4 more years.

To watch it fade is unpleasant. And those non-fading glass headlights!

There are two rust pockets behind the rear wheel wells that are still yet to break through to the surface.
The two areas are still solid and ignore the rap of my knuckles. I'm confused by this three year old condition. Body shop said they could cut it out and replace with new metal before the repaint but that will cost more.

Decisions, decisions. Just wanna get through 4 more years. The replacement car should be truly edgy.

BTW, maintaining an old car lessens environmental impact and reduces carbon footprint.
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by Xan » Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:58 am

bedraggled wrote:
Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:53 am
BTW, maintaining an old car lessens environmental impact and reduces carbon footprint.
I was told that such things were "clunkers" and that what was really good for the environment was to manufacture completely new cars! </sarcasm>
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by vnatale » Tue Jul 28, 2020 12:06 pm

bedraggled wrote:
Tue Jul 28, 2020 11:53 am
If I were to buy a Camry tomorrow, I would skip the unnecessary paint job. I would like to keep it 4 more years.

To watch it fade is unpleasant. And those non-fading glass headlights!

There are two rust pockets behind the rear wheel wells that are still yet to break through to the surface.
The two areas are still solid and ignore the rap of my knuckles. I'm confused by this three year old condition. Body shop said they could cut it out and replace with new metal before the repaint but that will cost more.

Decisions, decisions. Just wanna get through 4 more years. The replacement car should be truly edgy.

BTW, maintaining an old car lessens environmental impact and reduces carbon footprint.
My first three Honda Accords cost be a ton collectively to deal with the tremendous rust surrounding the rear wheel wells. Just paid to get it pass inspection. Never paid to get it painted.

Vinny
Above provided by: Vinny, who always says: "I only regret that I have but one lap to give to my cats." AND "I'm a more-is-more person."
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Re: The cars we love/hate & the cars we may buy.

Post by bedraggled » Tue Jul 28, 2020 2:01 pm

Re the paint job:

The car is like an adopted child, at this point. Any paint job and body work would fit nicely into a declining level of average annual maintenance expenditures.

Funny thing, the mechanic said my steel car would withstand a collision better than a current car. The chiropractor, while checking for aches and pains, and who knows cars, too, suggested the rear bumper performed as designed.

Guess I'll let you know within the week.

Thanks.
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