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homestead - Re: [Homestead] Drive your car over 200,000 miles and save money

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  • From: Clansgian AT wmconnect.com
  • To: homestead AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: Re: [Homestead] Drive your car over 200,000 miles and save money
  • Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 17:08:39 EDT



> James' method of buying old vans and such may well cost less over the
> decades.

For example, what little driving I do any more is in an '84 S-10 for which I
paid $800 in '01. Since then I've put on one set of (used) tires for about
$100 and I replaced all the brake lines. Don't remember how much that cost
but
it was only the cost of the brake lines and fluid as I did the work myself.

It is still running. It has about 300K miles.

People often remark, but what if something expensive like the engine or
transmission goes out that might cost $2K or more to replace? See above.
The
whole truck just cost $800 and since then I've stashed enough in a mason jar
to
buy another one when the need arises.

The family vehicle is a '90 Caravan with 275K miles bought in '96 for about
$3000. It's had a radiator, brake shoes, pads, and drums, tires two or three
times, three axles ($60 ea), and an oxygen sensor. I thought I was going to
have to replace the MAP sensor but a mechanic showed me how to clean the old
one
out and it's run fine for a year since I did it. The van was bought with the
proceeds from one litter of registered Aussi Shepherd puppies (amazing what
people will pay for a meaningless piece of paper).

We've had some "luck" but the odds, says I, are on the side of the automotive
bottom feeder.

It requires the stance that the world could get along without us for a few
days should a vehicle bit the big one. In the past, when an ancient
conveyence
has shaken its mortal coil, I've called a friend pick up a classified and
take
me around and I'd be in another one by that night. I then call the junk yard
or charity and leave the title in old one.

The worst that I did was once I bought a Caravan (or Voyager) for $900 and
eight months later the gasket had blown. I traded it to a neighbor for
mowing
and baling the front pasture. Still, it was far less than a car payment so I
wasn't too much surprised or disappointed. </HTML>




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