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If the transmission failed on that $4k car it could cost you $3k to repair it. I also used to buy cheap cars and do my own maintenance. I got lucky. I was also

If the transmission failed on that $4k car it could cost you $3k to repair it. I also used to buy cheap cars and do my own maintenance. I got lucky. I was also a college student who didn't have to be somewhere at a certain time to pick up my kids, and if I was late too many times and got fired from my minimum wage job I wouldn't lose my housing. But many people are not in that situation. For a lot of people, car problems can cause significant disruption to their lives -- especially for single parents or people in some other kind of single-car household. Also while I was in college, I saw a manager at my minimum-wage job get fired for missing too many shifts. She had an older car and had to defer maintenance because she couldn't afford it -- but of course that only made the car less reliable in the long term. It broke down so many times in a 3-month period that she frequently missed her shifts and got fired. Situations like that are why a lot of people buy new, really low end cars like Mitsubishi Mirages or Kia Rios. Car enthusiasts look at that and say, you could get a used 3-series for that kind of money! But some people will get fired if they miss too many shifts, they have kids who need transportation, they don't have the cash to pay for a sudden maintenance issue, and a reliable new car with a warranty is best for them even if it's a low-end penalty box. Jack Baruth wrote a good article about this a while ago: https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/no-fixed-abode-gotta-rich-cheap-car/ https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2015/02/no-fixed-abode-got...

ramesh31 4y ago
>If the transmission failed on that $4k car it could cost you $3k to repair it. Well it's an Aisin, so it won't. Part of getting away with buying cheap cars is knowing which one to buy.
- twblalock 4y ago
  There is no 100% reliable brand, and when you buy used cars you also run the risk that a previous owner drove the car abusively. Especially with a car that appeals to the boy racer/tuner crowd like the FR-S.
  - hirvi74 4y ago
    I remember hearing an expression growing up that went something like, "Buying a used car is buying someone else's problems." I am not saying most sellers are intentionally selling lemons. A person may sell a vehicle for a variety of reasons, but you never know which ones are selling lemons, and it's a gamble at the end of the day.
    - devilbunny 4y ago
      It is often like that. You have to be picky. My current car is over 20 years old. It rarely has issues, and has never cost more than about $1500 to fix all of them at once. It wouldn't be worth a lot on the used market. Practically any repair of $500 or more starts to get into "but how much is it worth" territory. My comparison is not "how much is it worth", but "how much would I have to pay to get a similar vehicle with a completely known history of good maintenance, and how much would I have to spend for a new one?" I spend about $1000-1500 a year on it for maintenance - oil changes, tires, brakes, things that break on a 20-year-old truck - and there's just no way that any new car can compete with that. If I could buy its twin for $5k, I probably would. Not because it's an amazing vehicle, because it's not. But having a completely spare car is GREAT. Primary car needs service? Keep it for a week, I don't care. One won't start in the morning? Take the spare, figure out the rest later.
- dsfyu404ed 4y ago
  This take is fanboy talk. When you’re talking decade+ old cars treatment by prior owners dominates the equation except in the rare cases of an engineering flub (Tacoma frames, Cadillac V8s etc). Brands and models that are preferred by the people well enough off to buy more car than they need and not skimp on maintenance tend to be most plentiful in nice condition on the used market.

ramesh31 4y ago

>If the transmission failed on that $4k car it could cost you $3k to repair it. Well it's an Aisin, so it won't. Part of getting away with buying cheap cars is knowing which one to buy.

twblalock 4y ago
There is no 100% reliable brand, and when you buy used cars you also run the risk that a previous owner drove the car abusively. Especially with a car that appeals to the boy racer/tuner crowd like the FR-S.
- hirvi74 4y ago
  I remember hearing an expression growing up that went something like, "Buying a used car is buying someone else's problems." I am not saying most sellers are intentionally selling lemons. A person may sell a vehicle for a variety of reasons, but you never know which ones are selling lemons, and it's a gamble at the end of the day.
  - devilbunny 4y ago
    It is often like that. You have to be picky. My current car is over 20 years old. It rarely has issues, and has never cost more than about $1500 to fix all of them at once. It wouldn't be worth a lot on the used market. Practically any repair of $500 or more starts to get into "but how much is it worth" territory. My comparison is not "how much is it worth", but "how much would I have to pay to get a similar vehicle with a completely known history of good maintenance, and how much would I have to spend for a new one?" I spend about $1000-1500 a year on it for maintenance - oil changes, tires, brakes, things that break on a 20-year-old truck - and there's just no way that any new car can compete with that. If I could buy its twin for $5k, I probably would. Not because it's an amazing vehicle, because it's not. But having a completely spare car is GREAT. Primary car needs service? Keep it for a week, I don't care. One won't start in the morning? Take the spare, figure out the rest later.
dsfyu404ed 4y ago
This take is fanboy talk. When you’re talking decade+ old cars treatment by prior owners dominates the equation except in the rare cases of an engineering flub (Tacoma frames, Cadillac V8s etc). Brands and models that are preferred by the people well enough off to buy more car than they need and not skimp on maintenance tend to be most plentiful in nice condition on the used market.