Below, not a plain-looking car at all. Surely very fast and cop friendly. Not interested.
From a pure reliability standpoint, the Subie has been one of the best vehicles that I've ever owned, and I was pretty certain that would soon miss it. However from a comfort and driveability standpoint... well, it has a few warts. I've overlooked them for a long time, but they have become increasingly irritating.
Below, the old Subaru. The wing makes it look sporty, but it is actually pretty lame. It has a 2.5 liter flat-four cylinder engine that makes 165 horsepower in a 3100 lb vehicle. It's literally a beater with a heater - with roughly the same power and weight as the old Z28 Camaro.
The first quirk is how small and low the Subaru is, and as I age, I'm finding it more difficult to enter and exit. Look, I'm not getting any younger, and my knees are getting a creakier by the month. I've noticed that the right knee gets quite a bit of sideways pressure as I get in and out, and I really don't need additional joint pain just to drive somewhere.
The second quirk is a result of an earlier collision on the front passenger side, before I purchased the car. This collision is the reason the car has a rebuilt title, was so inexpensive. It is also the reason that the handling and tracking are a bit funky. I've put up with this car's skittishness for several years, because it has way better mileage than the diesel truck. But I'm getting weary of having to expend so much mental energy focusing to keep the car in a lane, even on a straight stretch of road.
Because the car is bent, it pulls one direction when you are hard on the gas, and goes back to driving straight when you let off the gas. So you have to correct the steering depending on how much throttle you give it, and then steer the other way when you finish accelerating. I've lived with this situation long enough to know I don't want to continue dealing with it forever.
The third quirk is in the automatic transmission. It takes quite a while to build up fluid pressure after you put it in Drive. In reverse it will back right up, but if you haven't run the car in a while, it takes perhaps 10 seconds to begin moving forward once you've put the selector in Drive. It's not a major annoyance or an actual hazard like the handling, but it's a nuisance when you just want to get moving.
It's given me a lot of trouble-free commuting years and miles, so I don't want to slander it too much. Also it's an absolute monster in the snow - it might as well be a snowmobile. It just doesn't seem as sweet as it did at first. Or maybe it's all in my head, and I can deal with it as I have been.
So I recently checked out a different car, much better suited to an older guy. This one.
This is a 2008 Audi S6 that cost $80K when new. The seller was asking about $10K. The cool thing about this car is the "grandpa car" looks, but it has a Lamborghini V-10 engine that makes 435 horsepower. On the other hand, it was damn near as difficult to get in and out of as the Subaru, because the seats are like fighter jet seats, with side wings to hold you in place. It's a stealth performance sedan. It looks pretty much like other old Audis, but with twice the horsepower.
After reflecting on it for a day though, I realized that this car would require way more attention, maintenance and money than I want to spend on a daily driver. The fuel economy is poor, and it uses premium gas and synthetic oil - 11 quarts per oil change. I'd also feel bad about exposing such a nice car to the Mag Chloride they spray on the roads all winter long. And then I'd have to smash through the snow/ice berm that the county plow often leaves at the end of our driveway. I saw no point ruining such a nice vehicle through neglect and abuse. It should be an occasional driver, not a daily one through the North Idaho winters.
With the previous vehicle in mind, next I looked at something cheaper and with more ground clearance: A ML-55 AMG. This was a smallish crossover sport-utility vehicle with a 5.5 liter V-8 and 350 horsepower, for around $5k.
It was a pretty nice car that needed a few minor cosmetic repairs, but the dude selling it was up to no good. After a test drive and several walk-arounds, I told him that I was definitely interested in buying. I told him that I was scheduled to work several 12 hour shifts back to back, and it would be a few days before I could get to the bank for cash. He got indignant about me wasting his time and asking when he was going to get his money. He demanded that I purchase "gift cards to hold it" or he would sell it to someone else. At that point I was done, and decided not to do any business with him.
Strange dude - he judged everyone on their choice of vehicle. Because everyone's worth is determined by what vehicle they drive!!! I'm sure my filthy beat-up Subie impressed the hell out of him.
Reminder to self: Dress average, drive an older rig, and don't try to keep up with debt-laden idiots. Keep everyone thinking you are broke, and you lower the odds of being pan-handled, scammed, or robbed. Never reveal your true power level.
Anyway, after pissing away much of my limited time off looking at a couple of vehicles, I ended up tired and frustrated. It helped me to decide to keep on driving the little Subie, even with all its issues. I'll probably sell the CBR pretty soon though. It's becoming quite painful to ride for any length of time in the jockey position, and coming down off wheelies is getting hard on the wrists.
To start, the following is just my opinions and choices. Oh, before that, try thinking of what you'll be happy with 10-15 years from now. Ok, back in 1990 I bought a standard cab Toyota 4x4 pickup. It had a tiny 4 cyl engine and with a standard transmission. Drove that for 25 years and 219,000 miles. Then gave it to a very good friend. Prior to giving that truck away I considered my next vehicle, and figured if that truck lasted me 25 years then perhaps another similar truck would last the same. If that were to be the case then I would never have to buy another vehicle, ever. So, in 2015 I bought a new Toyota 4x4 double cab pickup, with a V6 engine, and more importantly automatic transmission. My clutch leg has done enough in rush hour traffic over the years. The new truck is the SR5 model so has about all I need inside it, versus the TRD model. Went with a navy blue, whereas my old truck was a light blue. Up to this point I've never regretted my decision. When I took an early retirement, I spent a good part of my severance paying off my new truck. It's so nice to not have a vehicle payment. Oh, the new truck has the auto-locking hubs, where the old one I had to get out and lock each front hub. I also wanted the double cab so the entire family(all 3 of us) could ride in it comfortably. That's all.
ReplyDeleteI could never drive a car with the issues you mentioned. Is simply due to all the energy I spend to simply drive at all. Oh, one thing on my decision to buy the truck I have now....when shopping for them, my wife got into the drivers seat and said "hey, I could drive this". Pretty much sealed the deal, even though she would prefer to not ever own a truck of her own. By the way, I'll always be grateful for your generosity in allowing me to drive the vehicles you owned and those you babysat. Thank you!
Solid advice for a long-term rig! Thanks for that. Toyota vehicles are really awesome and have a reputation for being very trouble free. The Supra models look like they have the fun factor, but then I'd still have the issue of getting in and out and being a cop magnet.
ReplyDeleteI'm still going to try to find a grandpa car with a million horsepower. Like you, I am a firm believer that the best vehicle is one that has no payment, so the process of finding it will just have to take a bit of time :)
I may end up with an old supercharged Bonneville or a Taurus SHO. Or I might have to hot-rod something on my own using a Chevy LS motor. But if I give up the bike, something pretty fast has to be there to take its place.
And yeah this car is a pain in the butt to drive. The guy who sold it to me had bought it for his daughter then replaced it when he had second thoughts about having his teen drive it. It's been OK, but you can't let your attention wander to the radio, or it'll drift.