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In This Section
Matsos bottling a dressing that’s selling in 25 states
Economic survey: Job losses to bottom out in first quarter
Ohio gas up 12 cents from last week
SCORE offers wide variety of workshops
After 30 years at the helm of Akron Children's, Considine still looks to future
New version of Mozilla Thunderbird landing soon
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
Akron Zips:
Zips advance to Sweet Sixteen
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Faye Dunaway to be Evicted?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – You are All Wrong About Jobs, or the Lack of Jobs, Being the Reason People Do Not Live in NEO
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Keep up maintenance to keep it going longer; you'll save a trunkload
Published on Wednesday, Oct 24, 2007
My first car, a 9-year-old peeling-blue Ford I bought before my junior year in college, lasted me the two years I needed it to hold a part-time job until graduation.
Not bad considering I paid just $50 for the clunker, all I could afford. I also had to carry jugs of water in the car. Every five miles or so, I had to stop, open the hood and pour water into the radiator so the engine wouldn't overheat.
After graduation, I sold the car for $35. I warned the buyer about the car's condition but he let it overheat and die in the middle of downtown Miami three days later.
Caring well for our cars, my wife, Georgina, and I have had only five other automobiles combined in the 40 years since, from a red Volkswagen Beetle I bought new for $1,400 after I started working full time to our current silver Mercedes C-Class 4-door sedan, which we bought in 2001.
Our mantra: Buy only cars we can comfortably pay with cash, keep up with the maintenance and follow common-sense steps to make them last.
The Volkswagen Beetle, alas, was going strong after more than 130,000 miles before copious rains that flooded our street knee-deep ruined it beyond repair. Our cars routinely break 100,000 miles, except a Toyota Corolla we donated to charity in 2003 when we realized that, working part-time from home, we did not need two cars.
Along with home ownership costs, buying or leasing more car than you can afford or need can derail your finances. ''Our family has withstood some potentially damaging events because we had lower expenses and higher savings than we would have had if we had bought the bigger house and the new cars throughout the years,'' wrote Nancy Howard of Dodgeville, Wis. After paying off a car loan, the Howards kept
their car a few years while regularly saving an amount equal to the car payments. They were able to make a bigger down payment on the next car and eventually buy one for cash.
The magazine Consumer Reports, meanwhile, found that, with proper care, many cars today can last 200,000 miles or more with few if any major repairs. An annual survey by the magazine found 6,769 readers with 200,000 miles or more on their vehicles, including 488,000 for a 1994 Ford Ranger pickup. (See the October issue or go to the Web site http://www.ConsumerReports.org).
When comparing the costs of buying and keeping a car for 225,000 miles over 15 years to buying and financing an identical model every five years, Consumer Reports found savings could be more than the original purchase price, and even greater if the savings are invested.
Buying a car with a good track record is of course important, and the magazine, which does not accept advertising and is published by the not-for-profit Consumers Union, names several Honda, Lexus and Toyota models as good bets. But the magazine article and a Consumers Union news release also emphasize our make-them-last strategy.
Among the advice: Follow the maintenance schedule in the owner's manual (skipping even one oil change can damage the engine and accelerate wear). Use only parts and fluids meeting manufacturer specifications (we do while also shopping around for the repair and maintenance shop with the best combination of price and service). Check the car yourself from time to time, looking for fraying or cracks in belts, and cracks or bulges in hoses. And wash the car regularly, not just for looks but also to help preserve the paint and keep the sheet metal below it from rusting.
Send questions or comments to Humberto Cruz at AskHumberto@aol.com or by mail to Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Buffalo, N.Y. 14207. Personal replies are not possible.
My first car, a 9-year-old peeling-blue Ford I bought before my junior year in college, lasted me the two years I needed it to hold a part-time job until graduation.
Get the full article here.
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