You seem no so smart. Let's do this with smaller words, shall we. Poster is concerned about kid driving in bad weather between here and New England. Poster is completely ignorant of the fact that weather in New England is lousy for much of winter so the 3 trips a year are a rounding error in bad weather volume. Get it now? |
As I said your argument makes no sense. Driving in bad weather on I95 for 10 hours is nothing like driving in bad weather for couple miles in Hanover NH. I know-- I've done both. |
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Ours died at 125k miles. 2005.
I'd use the $$$ for a lease instead. |
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We went with a new but high miles RAV4. It still ended up being more $$ than I wanted to spend, but I think we overall got a good deal on the options we were looking for. Child is thrilled as the car is "fancier" than they were expecting. The high miles gave me pause but it got the super thumbs up from my mechanic who said it looked clean and should go for much longer as long as it's well-maintained.
(Thanks to the pp who has caused me nightly child-driving anxiety dreams.) |
| The problem with any older car (10 years +) is that rubber parts harden over time due to engine heat and need to be changed. In addition to changing the hoses you can see, this also means taking apart and rebuilding the motor to change seals. If you don't change the rubber parts/ you are just waiting until a part, like a brake or coolant line pops a leak and you are stuck (or worse). People do this with older trucks and sports cars because they are valuable to justify the investment. |
Well otoh I bought a 2003 Ford Ranger 4 years ago for $1200 and aside for changing the brakes it’s needed no work. It’s a real beater and I wouldn’t take it on a road trip but for an around-town and hauling stuff vehicle it’s been great. It’s 20 years old but only 130k miles. |