Old Common, Day to Day Technology. Waht do you hang onto?

[Doofy]

^^^^^
I've been thinking about a used Taurus for daily use. They don't hold their value well so I'd benefit from somebody else's loss, and drive it until it rusts out underneath me.
Usually vehicles last about 15 years before the rust gets them.

We buy disposable vehicles for $3-5K and keep them until they die. I maintain them at minimal expense and they usually last 10-20 years. We don't have to worry about car notes or depreciation and only need liability insurance. Newest vehicle is a 2002 Jeep Liberty that's pushing 172K miles and runs great. '98 Ford Ranger is at about 110K and is as solid as the day it was built.

 

[California]

^^^^^
I've been thinking about a used Taurus for daily use. They don't hold their value well so I'd benefit from somebody else's loss, and drive it until it rusts out underneath me.
Usually vehicles last about 15 years before the rust gets them.

I did that when my daughter first got her license. $1k plus $800 to repaint because it was peeling. A first-generation Taurus wagon, the one with 3-passenger front seat, then 3, then 2 seat way-back. Great for her social life hauling the whole gang around, and we road-tripped all over California visiting colleges she was interested in. But buying it at 85k it was showing old-car issues like those old days when 100k was where a car was all worn out. It used a lot of oil, window lifts failing, inside mirror kept falling off etc. Most concerning, a tie rod snapped backing out of the driveway leaving the wheels pointing in opposite directions. (And the same thing happened on the highway in my cousin's Taurus). I think it was 115k where transmission whine became concerning, online research said they all dump the transmission at about that mileage. Sold it for $600 to a used car dealer. So - buy a Taurus if its so cheap you can walk away if something fails. They are nice cars to drive.

 

[Industrial Toys]

My friend was just telling me about his bosses wifes late model GM SUV with receding running boards. Motors went (in these salty canadian winters, who would have thought?) to the tune of $1800.00 a piece? Can that be true? I just laughed and said it serves them right to buy such things. Suckers but hey they have the money. That's the funny thing about being "rich". How little they get for their money.

 

[Alan W.]

Love my 08 Taurus. It was a one owner with 100,000 miles on it.
Have over 200,000 on it now. Oil, filters, tires and brakes is all Ive done to it. Still gets in the upper 20s for mileage and is easy to get in and out of compared to my wife’s Lincoln.

04 Ranger 2.3, with a 5 speed. Over 200,000.

My Kubota is a 93 model.

When I get rid of them they are dead.

A lot of people confuse need with want. Some will never know or understand satisfaction.

 

[goeduck]

I found this on Google Images. A Jari mower like the one we had when I was a kid.

View attachment 660410

I have one of those. :thumbsup:

 

[goeduck]

We buy disposable vehicles for $3-5K and keep them until they die. I maintain them at minimal expense and they usually last 10-20 years. We don't have to worry about car notes or depreciation and only need liability insurance. Newest vehicle is a 2002 Jeep Liberty that's pushing 172K miles and runs great. '98 Ford Ranger is at about 110K and is as solid as the day it was built.

I am similar except I have my wife in a new car, if you can call a 2015 Taurus with 12k miles on it new. The vehicles I drive all have over 100K and range from 1983 to 2009.

 

[the old grind]

Dwarf trees are grafted onto quince roots. The water shoots are not apple at all, but related.

I don't at all mean 'suckers' coming up from the base of the trunk.

I mean 'water sprouts' AKA vertical shoots from every branch and limb and never trimmed, while nearly every horizontal is lopped off to contain the tree's diameter.

These trees will be 4'-6' across and 18' tall after five years in the ground. Fruit is out of reach and just left to drop.

40, 60 and 100 YO sections in the orchard next door aren't nearly as tall as the stand-alone dwarfs in backyards around here.

Oh sorry to wander from the technology of old cars.

 

[Doofy]

I believe maintaining a safe vehicle for your family is much more important than its age. I don't need new and pretty. As long as I can buy critical parts to maintain safety, all is good. The kids are all grown and gone so no one to be embarrassed to be seen in a "beater".

 

[MossRoad]

Speaking of Tauruses, we have a 2004 Sable parked in the driveway that our oldest bought used when she went off to college 10 years ago. Aside from brakes and a weird problem where the air conditioner blows a fuse and kills the car, the only thing wrong with it is rust. It rides nice and the cloth interior is immaculate. So, we disconnected the air conditioner and will have the brakes repaired. Good beater car.

 

[Jstpssng]

Speaking of Tauruses, we have a 2004 Sable parked in the driveway that our oldest bought used when she went off to college 10 years ago. Aside from brakes and a weird problem where the air conditioner blows a fuse and kills the car, the only thing wrong with it is rust. It rides nice and the cloth interior is immaculate. So, we disconnected the air conditioner and will have the brakes repaired. Good beater car.

That's been my impression of the Taurus. Nothing special, and as I've mentioned in the past they have a crappy resale value. But they seem to be cheap to keep, and resale value doesn't mean much to me since I've never had a vehicle which made it very far past the junkyard when I was done with it. (although there were a couple who should have gone there before I owned them.)


Just an off-topic song for your listening pleasure...

Jan & Dean - Little Old Lady From Pasadena - YouTube