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Date: Wed, 18 Feb 2004 23:44:46 -0400
From: Dexter J <lamealameadingdongnospamlamelame.org>
Subject: Re: Ebay UK: Any one want a nicely run in Aero?


Salutations: On Tue, 17 Feb 2004 20:14:59 -0000, David Taylor <djtaylornospamoot.com> wrote: >> be anything particular, or a really evident thing - or a combination of >> both - but I cost used cars out carefully against what reliable mileage >> I >> think the machine may have left in her against these repairs (and that's >> the tricky part). > > Not necessarily picking on any of your points, they're valid but there's > another angle to this which I think is often overlooked. > > How many people buy a new car for say £15000 and then sell it 3 years > later for £5000 or less? > > On the other hand, if I buy a car for £2500 and spend say £5000 over 3 > years (which I doubt very much), i'm deemed to have wasted £5000! > > Why should we expect to buy something at good value and then whine when > something needs replacing? > >> controller (you) whilst carrying the utility insurance policy. The >> comprehensive insurance on a Aero (performance or otherwise) is not >> inexpensive. There is a 60/40 chance you or yours will be at fault and > > I don't think £250 for comphrehensive is expensive at all! In fact it > was cheaper than some third party only quotes for me. > >> It's no more a risk than carrying a fully financed brand new lemon that >> anyone may or may not total at the end of three years I suppose. >> Basically >> - there is some degree in maddness written into owning any vehicle at >> all >> at some point in the chart. If you like the colour and it drives as you > > quite. > > David. The mother country must still have retained some moderate measure of responsible commercial control on your automobile insurance elite. Well done! Oh - were it that the spines of our own elected layabouts and whoremongers were nearly so sturdy. In most parts of Canada it's not really an option to be without a car and often the cost of that insurance can exceed the value and/or purchase price over a single fiscal year. B-I-G country - lots of slippery roads - very limited alternative transportation options outside and/or between the population centers. It costs less for me and mine to short hop a plane to Amsterdam from here in Halifax than to wing into Montreal or Toronto. The rail system has largely become a 'tourism' trade and costs about as much as flying - only takes it much longer with a sometimes better view. So when we buy a replacement vintage 'utility classic' - we always try to calculate a total cost of ownership against total potential mileage we can reliably expect before I have to put a round between the headlights and pull old Paint's radio. Actually - I see 'model year' as non sequitur to the issue and would much prefer that all cars came with an additional 'engine hour' ROM based clock myself. Anyway, I take 'total cost of ownership' to include 'everything'. Parking and fines. Overdue and then ongoing expected scheduled maintenance, tires, all load bearing chassis surfaces and components, belts, fluids, rust proofing, general repairs and so on - against - total mileage I can hope for before the body rots away and/or some fatally expensive drive item fails. I include vehicle insurance as well as roof racks, good cleaning supplies and the cost of shelter for the machine itself as needs be. I do not include fuel - although I try to stay away from machines that are not usefully 'powered' for their application. That is not to say that I own machines that can't get us all to the airport in a real hurry if needs be - and while we buy for cash - I shop carefully for something that isn't making any statements about my family's lifestyle that I would not otherwise want to be assumed by my fellow ratepayer families around me. Effectively - we buy cars that 'need' something done to them - do those somethings - then keep them operating to a point where they are not worth fixing anymore using the 'total cost of ownership' figures outlined above. 'Resale' thus far as added up to about $300 over 6 cars. I have been *very* careful about making sure the machines I suggest we buy have had an extremely thorough diagnostic review by a mechanic who gets all my business as he will be the primary on often overdue maintenance items that, more often than not, actually lead to the ultimate decision on the previous owner's part to release the automobile into a price range that I can afford in cash. Over the 20 years or so my wife and I have been together - we have averaged about $1,000 a year - say about $80-$90 a month including everything except fuel. We put on an average of 40,000km per year in all weather. If you think about it as fiscal chart - there is a tall spike when we buy one - that trends steeply down over the 3-4 years with a couple of blips on the way to almost nil. Often my employer or client will ask me to travel somewhere in the course of a couple of years and I can then charge mileage - which can easily come to around $1,200 over the course of a two way trip. I have actually made the purchase price back on my last three cars by taking 6 business trips over 9 years. So - given that the primary cost of ownership becomes doing service (which I don't begrudge) - we have stuck by two regular mechanics over the past 18 or so years. The former actually recently passed away having become one of my greatest friends. He hadn't really been able to work over the past several years, but remained a regular for our high meals right up until the night he passed away. When he started getting sick enough that he wasn't comfortable working on my machines - he advised Martin at Halifax Auto Racing Developments - who has taken to looking after my SAAB's like a duck to water. It was not a easy start, Martin doesn't outright hate SAAB's - but he is no fan. He has met my wife and family and understands everything I love is riding down the road with me and he takes his responsibility as seriously I do. I (and a lot of folks don't get this) honestly think of him and his staff as extremely dexterous system Engineers whose work and opinion I really value and respect. I make a honest point of trying to know what may be wrong and to understand the greater system it is attached too so I can intelligently discuss it with them when they ask what is wrong. I don't blame them if a part fails or a cost cutting measure isn't perfect - however - I do not get dinged with shop labour to do something twice that could have been seen too when the system was open. I often bring by a bag of burgers and some soda's if I'm dropping in. Anyway - the point is - if you add up the complete cost of actual ownership over your lifetime including everything except fuel - it is a surprising figure in nickles and dimes. It's not a lot off what it'll cost you to buy a really well warrenteed new econobox and swap it out every three years. Except, we have mostly driven really solid SAAB's. All this said - you have to allow that in either case the car might get creamed and it doesn't really matter who is at fault as far as the insurance people are concerned (at least here). This event completely blows off either ownership strategy as your collision and general insurance will make up for the write off over the rest of your life - or - your nice downwardly trending curve regarding 'utility classic' ownership suddenly spikes and the total lifetime cost of having a license in the first place goes all to hell. For example.. Our current lifetime cost of driving including kissing off the snout on our 89 9000 was, as above, about $80-$90 a month over 20 years. I had hoped to keep it for another couple of years by doing a really deep round of repairs and body work. I got lucky that sense - I creamed it just before we had gone ahead with that work. I have now bought a NG900 to replace it for $2,500 and sunk another $1,500 to bring it up to good working order with a light lower spray on the doors. - $4,000 total - which was about what the 9000 rehap was going to run. If, knocking wood with my thumb as I type, I were to write the NG900 off this evening - our lifetime cost of ownership would spike to between $96 and $106 a month over 240 months thusfar. And it would remain in that range unless I am able to squeeze an extra 2 years out of the next machine. If, however, I can run this machine for 4 years without a lot more deep work on it - I think I can maintain my average around about $95 a month given that I wrote off the 9000 about 10 months earlier than I should have even if I hadn't fixed it up. So - as we agree - as there is some degree in madness written into owning any vehicle at all at some point in the chart. My takes remains if you like the colour and it drives as you expect it should - spend a few bucks - buy a trustworthy and substantial inspection and do the calculations from there. Cheers.. -- J Dexter - webmaster - http://www.dexterdyne.org/ all tunes - no cookies no subscription no weather no ads no news no phone in - RealAudio 8+ Required - all the Time Radio Free Dexterdyne Top Tune o'be-do-da-day June Christy - Shoo Fly Pie and Apple Pan Dowdy http://www.dexterdyne.org/888/105.RAM

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