Commuting - I HATE Cars!!!

Man, I wish I could get away without owning cars. Unfortunately, with a non-biking spouse and three teenage daughters, I can't realistically avoid it.

I just bought what I thought would be an inexpensive, reliable car for my girls to drive (94 Nissan Sentra). Stupid me, I didn't pay for a mechanic to do an inspection first, and when I took it in for an oil change, my mechanic reluctantly pointed out to me that one of the CV boots was cracked and the joint was shot. On top of that, there's a pretty significant oil leak from the rear main seal. My costs for repairs is going to nearly equal what I paid for the car (both of which could have bought me a few nice bikes)!

It's my fault for not taking more care to know what I was buying, and I've been kicking myself all week. Finally, a sense of c'est la vie is settling in - it's only money, after all - and many are far worse off.

It still pisses me off though. I HATE ##@#%& Cars! :mad:

im going to be sixteen soon, but i ride to school and work(bike shop) on my bike, i dont think i will ever buy a car

I don't doubt that this is one of the reasons I'm getting so into cycling to begin with. My first car was totaled in a wreck where I was not at fault. It was a huge loss that put me in the hospital for weeks. I collected my money and the car I was able to buy has been more like a rebound girl than a first love. It works...but only marginally. There was an episode where the check-engine light would pop on, so I took it into the shop and smacked down $400 for a few parts...and the light would pop on every 15 miles thereafter..so I'd bring it back, they'd fix something else..and repeat this a dozen times!!

I've since given up on taking the car back in. Now I just ride my bike more.

When I was a kid, I remember my dad telling me that I would probably waste more money on cars over my lifetime than on anything else. I didn't believe him at the time (I didn't believe much of anything he said), but I think he was right. Maybe I should take up drinking or smoking, just to prove him wrong. :p

Fellas I always tried and I keep trying to move arround on bicycle or running, but even though we want a more friendly environement for cycling, we cannot stop the speed of the world. With out a "fast" world we could never have such explendid bicycles as we have today.

By using a heavier-weight oil, you might be able to live with the rear main seal for quite awhile.

By using a heavier-weight oil, you might be able to live with the rear main seal for quite awhile.

This depends...keep the oil full,go to a heavier weight oil (20-50 insted of 10-30)check it EVERY DAY,install a cheap oil pressure gage (20 bucks at most auto parts stores) and watch the gage,if you are viglant you may be able to buy some time on this.A Nissan Sentra is a good car,basically reliable,soundly built. if the rest of the car is worth it,fix it!
A set of Half Shafts(CV's, inner and outer,axels,BOTH sides) are about a buck and a quater apice installed.DO BOTH SIDES!! If one is warn so is the other.
Rear Main Seal...Major work,Cheap part,lotsa labor...if the car is otherwise worth it,do it.
I own a 86 Toyota Corolla...just dropped 925 in repairs...GAWD the bike I Could of bought...But one sometimes has to have one of those infernal machines

Generaly, you dont NEED a car. but its hella fun to race?

This depends...keep the oil full,go to a heavier weight oil (20-50 insted of 10-30)check it EVERY DAY,install a cheap oil pressure gage (20 bucks at most auto parts stores) and watch the gage,if you are viglant you may be able to buy some time on this.A Nissan Sentra is a good car,basically reliable,soundly built. if the rest of the car is worth it,fix it!
A set of Half Shafts(CV's, inner and outer,axels,BOTH sides) are about a buck and a quater apice installed.DO BOTH SIDES!! If one is warn so is the other.
Rear Main Seal...Major work,Cheap part,lotsa labor...if the car is otherwise worth it,do it.
I own a 86 Toyota Corolla...just dropped 925 in repairs...GAWD the bike I Could of bought...But one sometimes has to have one of those infernal machines

I seriously doubt that would work with teenage girls and a wife as a driver. My ex burned up a couple of engines by not checking the oil...ran out of gas more than once too:rolleyes:

Aaron:)

Don't believe everything a mechanic tells you. I'm not saying your car is fine. I'm just look at a mechanics diagnosis with some skepticism. Some of them like to generate extra business by fixing things that aren't broke. It's nirvana if you can find one you trust.

Russ, are your daughters unemployed? Could they not have kicked in a significant amount of the price for this car?

If this was a gift, please don't do it again. Make them responsible for their own transportation. I'll bet a 2006 Honda Metropolitan scooter (50ccs) cost less than you paid for the car. And monthly bus passes cost even less than that.

im going to be sixteen soon, but i ride to school and work(bike shop) on my bike, i dont think i will ever buy a car

Nice! Well done lad. I've a 15yr old that thanks to his grandfather and the billions spent on advertising for cars that is anxious to start driving.

I just bought what I thought would be an inexpensive, reliable car for my girls to drive (94 Nissan Sentra). Stupid me, I didn't pay for a mechanic to do an inspection first, and when I took it in for an oil change, my mechanic reluctantly pointed out to me that one of the CV boots was cracked and the joint was shot. On top of that, there's a pretty significant oil leak from the rear main seal. My costs for repairs is going to nearly equal what I paid for the car (both of which could have bought me a few nice bikes)!

You know...cars aren't all that bad...they are fixible...and cheap to fix...if you do your own work. I mean %90 of the time...its as simple as nuts and bolts, or maybe I've just been really really lucky. It may be besides the point for you now...but, there is alot of wisdom/experience to be gained by trying to be around people that are "experts" in a particular trade (auto repair/carpentry/plumbing/electrical/etc.) I married into a family with 2 carpenters, one building maintenance engineer (who knew HVAC/plumbing/electric) a concrete guy, and an auto mechanic. My brother-in-law races street stock in the summertime...my father-in-law and I are his "pit crew". If you check my profile...you'll see that I'm a software developer by trade...I sit at a PC for 8 hours a day and write code/troubleshoot code/or maintain code. Let me tell you...coupled with my motivation of wanting to learn something from these people...I probably have saved upwards of $20,000 over the past 8 years by doing it myself. Oh yeah, and I havent blew anything up yet either.

I put up 100 feet of privacy fence, re-carpeted my basement, re-shingled my garage roof, replaced water heaters, fixed a 50 year old boiler at my old house, built a couple decks/staircases, refinished hardwood floors, replaced trim/window casing in my whole house, installed dozens of new doors, done dozens of oil changes, a few brake jobs, starters, alternators, ignition coils, injectors, did a timing belt replacement on my Voyager minivan, a headgasket on the minivan, learned how to weld and did a tailpipe and muffler by myself, and damnit...from this site, sheldon browns site and the park tools site...I'm wrenching my bike too. :D

At any rate...you say the vehicle is leaking oil...how much oil? 1 quart after 3 months? 1 month? 2 weeks? If your losing a quart after 2-3 months...I wouldn't worry about it...the car is a '94...thats going to happen. Not to be sexist...but...if your daughter going to be driving it...check the oil level yourself everyweekend. The ladies are generally good at alot of things...but car maintenance is usually not one of them.

CV's wear out. Depending on how the car was driven, and I'll guess it has anywhere from 80k to 120k miles on it...this is normal wear and tear. Its not that bad of a job either $250-$400 at a reputable shop. Remember...this is a used car...things break (on any car...Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, as well as Chevys, Dodges, and Hyundais)...it all depends on how long you wish to keep the vehicle and how you are going to use it. Before I bought my first new car...I was driving used beaters for 14 years.

Good luck to you.

EDIT: Damn, I was going to PM you to offer to do the CV job for you (you buy the parts) Its really easy on that car...my dad has a '97 Sentra. Since you live in Seattle...that poses a little problem LOL!

Bill,
Maybe cut him a deal of some sort if he will put off getting his liscense? I have a buddy of mine that bought his son a fairly high end MTB in exchange for putting of getting his liscense until he was 18. The boy has now graduated college and is in Africa somewhere with the Peace Corps and still doesn't have a drivers liscense:p

Aaron:)

A Nissan Sentra is a good car,basically reliable,soundly built. if the rest of the car is worth it,fix it!

That's pretty much where I'm going at this point - I'm just hoping that I'm not facing more high priced repairs, at least for a year or so. On the bright side of all this, the rear main seal repair requires pulling the transmission, which also necessitates disconnecting the CV's, so most of the labor for their replacement is already paid for (I told them to replace both sides).

I'm looking forward to the day when I can devote my automotive time and resources to just one, fairly new, reliable car.

Bill,
Maybe cut him a deal of some sort if he will put off getting his liscense? I have a buddy of mine that bought his son a fairly high end MTB in exchange for putting of getting his liscense until he was 18. The boy has now graduated college and is in Africa somewhere with the Peace Corps and still doesn't have a drivers liscense:p

Aaron:)

Conversely, a lot of parents push their kids to get a drivers' permit as soon as possible so they don't have to drive them around to places any more. This is particularly the case in rural areas with no public transit at all and the distances are fairly long. My parents had to pressure both my sister and I to get our licences even though neither of us were all that anxious to do so. Some jobs (especially entry level part time work) often require a licence and I am not sure that under all circumstances it is best to make the deal to have the kids delay getting their licence.

It can get better as the kids get older.

Each of my two daughters totaled one car when first learning to drive. Neither one was going fast or hot rodding in any way. Now they are 23 and 21. One of them has an almost new car and a loan, remembers to take care of it almost all the time. Pays for 100% of the costs. The other has an old car in great condition, drives it carefully and does not abuse it, but I still have to remind her about maintenance intervals. As her income changes my contribution to her transportation adjusts. Maybe a loan, maybe a ride, etc. My car is growing roots in the driveway. At least it's an inexpensive car.

Not much I can do about my wife putting engine oil in the windshield washer tank. Be patient.

at 23, I've lost all desire to own another car. There was a moment or two of fun in driving them...learning to drive stick and taking my first roadtrip. after that its been all downhill as far as my experience went. So far daily bike travel has proven much more enjoyable and adventuresome.

As they get newer I see car manufacturers building them with 2 things that just p*#@!* me off. 1) they're doing their best to make the cars unrepairable by anyone other than a factory service center. 2) all this unit-body super aerodynamic construction means they can be leveled to a total-loss in what would otherwise be a minor collision.

I'd rather have the aerodynamics of a brick and the repairability of a set of legos.

It still pisses me off though. I HATE ##@#%& Cars! :mad:
Me too!!!! I hate cars just as much as I love bikes. Check out the "Living Carfree" subforum and ditch the beast!

The year before I got my learner's permit, my dad made me start learning how to perform basic routine maintenance to cars. I learned how to change the oil, filters, flush the cooling system, change spark plugs, and a whole lot of other stuff that I've conveniently forgotten because I don't own a car anymore. He had a whole curriculum planned for me but then he passed away.

I'm glad I was able to learn what I could, and even if you aren't requiring your daughters to pay for this car themselves, make them learn basic car maintenance. In the long run, they will take better care of their cars, they'll have a greater awareness of when something is not right with them, and they won't be nickled and dimed by Jiffy Lube or other such places.

You know...cars aren't all that bad...they are fixible...and cheap to fix...if you do your own work. I mean %90 of the time...its as simple as nuts and bolts, or maybe I've just been really really lucky. It may be besides the point for you now...but, there is alot of wisdom/experience to be gained by trying to be around people that are "experts" in a particular trade (auto repair/carpentry/plumbing/electrical/etc.) I married into a family with 2 carpenters, one building maintenance engineer (who knew HVAC/plumbing/electric) a concrete guy, and an auto mechanic. My brother-in-law races street stock in the summertime...my father-in-law and I are his "pit crew". If you check my profile...you'll see that I'm a software developer by trade...I sit at a PC for 8 hours a day and write code/troubleshoot code/or maintain code. Let me tell you...coupled with my motivation of wanting to learn something from these people...I probably have saved upwards of $20,000 over the past 8 years by doing it myself. Oh yeah, and I havent blew anything up yet either.

I put up 100 feet of privacy fence, re-carpeted my basement, re-shingled my garage roof, replaced water heaters, fixed a 50 year old boiler at my old house, built a couple decks/staircases, refinished hardwood floors, replaced trim/window casing in my whole house, installed dozens of new doors, done dozens of oil changes, a few brake jobs, starters, alternators, ignition coils, injectors, did a timing belt replacement on my Voyager minivan, a headgasket on the minivan, learned how to weld and did a tailpipe and muffler by myself, and damnit...from this site, sheldon browns site and the park tools site...I'm wrenching my bike too. :D

At any rate...you say the vehicle is leaking oil...how much oil? 1 quart after 3 months? 1 month? 2 weeks? If your losing a quart after 2-3 months...I wouldn't worry about it...the car is a '94...thats going to happen. Not to be sexist...but...if your daughter going to be driving it...check the oil level yourself everyweekend. The ladies are generally good at alot of things...but car maintenance is usually not one of them.

CV's wear out. Depending on how the car was driven, and I'll guess it has anywhere from 80k to 120k miles on it...this is normal wear and tear. Its not that bad of a job either $250-$400 at a reputable shop. Remember...this is a used car...things break (on any car...Toyotas, Hondas, Nissans, as well as Chevys, Dodges, and Hyundais)...it all depends on how long you wish to keep the vehicle and how you are going to use it. Before I bought my first new car...I was driving used beaters for 14 years.

Good luck to you.

EDIT: Damn, I was going to PM you to offer to do the CV job for you (you buy the parts) Its really easy on that car...my dad has a '97 Sentra. Since you live in Seattle...that poses a little problem LOL!


X2 on all of the above, My newest vehicle is a 1999 with 130,000 miles on it. I perform all of my maintence and it has yet to see a dealer service bay. I expect to put at least 200,000 miles on it before I even consier replacing it. If I even replace it. I can buy a lot of engine parts for $400-$600 a month plus I only have to carry liabilty insurance and I don't have to worry about door dings and stuff like that.

I had an old car with bad CV joints. The mechanic told me they needed to be repaired. Since the car was a real beater, probably worth less than the repair would cost, I asked him if the time comes when they finally break completely will I know? Will I hear a sound or feel something? Will it cause me to crash. He said I would hear a very loud noise but it wouldn't cause me to crash. I thanked him and said I'd see him after I heard the noise. Nothing ever happened and I ended up trading it in on a new pickup truck which I still have 12 years later.

Don't believe everything a mechanic tells you. I'm not saying your car is fine. I'm just look at a mechanics diagnosis with some skepticism. Some of them like to generate extra business by fixing things that aren't broke. It's nirvana if you can find one you trust.

Well, both the rear main leak and the bad CV joint should be trivially confirmed by just sticking your head under there and looking. As far as the CV joint goes, I let them go until they're making a lot of noise. If they're just loose, or they're only clicking when turning one way or something, keep driving. I personally wouldn't change them until they're consistently making noise when going straight. I've had one joint bad on my car for about 20K now, and it's only very slowly getting worse. I don't expect to change it for at least a couple more years (I only drive about 3000 miles a year now that I'm full time cycling).

I love cars.

Of course, I love bikes, too. They're two totally different animals, each with a place in my life.

OK, you guys have re-motivated me.

You probably wouldn't know it from my previous posts, but I'm actually pretty good with a wrench. Until a few years ago, I did all the work on my cars (and home, etc). I'm not sure how it happened, but over the last few years, I've gotten more and more in the habit of paying a mechanic to do the work, such that I didn't really notice that I was paying him to do stuff that I could easily do (although replacing CV joints would be a first for me).

Anyway, I called my mechanic and cancelled as much of the work order as I could (some of it was already started), cutting the repair bill by about $1,000. Car is back home now, and waiting for some TLC from daddy. Tell you the truth, I'm kind of excited to get my hands dirty again.

Thanks for everyone's input and advice!

Russ

Maybe I should take up drinking or smoking, just to prove him wrong. :p

Take up gambling. You'll prove him wrong much faster :p