tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post4875695596822006032..comments2023-11-02T06:56:57.999-04:00Comments on Saurly Yours: Car Shopping for Zen BuddhistSaur♥Krauthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01160101729455178399noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-74058532922827072242007-06-20T07:44:00.000-04:002007-06-20T07:44:00.000-04:00I learned my lesson helping a friend find a car in...I learned my lesson helping a friend find a car in similar circumstances. The nice older foreign car ended up having a major problem soon after purchase. Bad luck. Unfortunately I was the blame since I talked them into it from a fancy car that they couldn't afford. Now I just tell them what I think once and let them make their own mistakes.<BR/><BR/>I've also learned another valuable lesson. Companies like Toyota also build cars for other companies like Chevrolet. You can go pick up a Chevy Prism that is a Toyota Corrola frame and drive train manufactured by them and with a Chevy body for a song and a dance because everyone knows a Prism made by Chevy is a piece of crap.Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13214319366049620074noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-74758675576073302682007-06-19T22:45:00.000-04:002007-06-19T22:45:00.000-04:00I leave the car shopping to my father. I tell him...I leave the car shopping to my father. I tell him what I'm in the market for and he checks listings carefully until something good shows up. Actually, I usually don't even have to ask- he has an ongoing search. It's like some masochistic hobby. <BR/><BR/>New cars are for people with money to throw away. Nothing looses value faster than a new car. And, as mentioned before, you don't know how well the car will age.<BR/><BR/>I hope Zen has good basic maintenance skills and habits. The main difference between a lemon and a real prize is the owner.audiblehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13282569252533471927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-46999604834193585202007-06-19T22:22:00.000-04:002007-06-19T22:22:00.000-04:00Saur,I don't like car salesman. I usually end up ...Saur,<BR/><BR/>I don't like car salesman. I usually end up getting a few fired when I go looking for a car. I just love reeling them in and then bang, got ya.<BR/><BR/>I have a Kraut car, a Jap car, and a Honkie car. I'm very diverse and didn't even realize it.<BR/><BR/>Glad Zen is set.<BR/><BR/>Excellent post.Herr Krokodilhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07908880829833019871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-63052897067700461962007-06-19T18:41:00.000-04:002007-06-19T18:41:00.000-04:00Hans, unions huh? Yea they all suck. You should go...Hans, unions huh? Yea they all suck. You should go to your boss and tell him/her that you are willing to work under the same conditions as Americans before labor unions. Weekends? Who needs those! 8 hour work day? HA! We should all be working 16. Without overtime, sick leave, vacation time, or any of that other union garbage. When you get sick and miss a day, then you get fired. No calling in. That is union laziness there!<BR/><BR/>Not all Toyotas are made in the USA. The new FJ Cruiser is 100% Japanese - parts and assembly. So are all hybrids made by Toyota. If the VIN starts with a J then it was made in Japan. My Toyota truck VIN does not start with a J. But it is still better than a Ford Ranger. A lot of the parts are from Japan. I think this is the major difference. <BR/><BR/>"American" made cars use parts from Korea, China, Mexico, and even Canada. Nothing is truly 100% made in America anymore.The Lazy Iguanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12826083852416577162noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-18091156501597154232007-06-19T18:22:00.000-04:002007-06-19T18:22:00.000-04:00SO what make and model did she end up with? I boug...SO what make and model did she end up with? <BR/><BR/>I bought my first new car last August at age 37, which I posted about. A nice reliable '06 Nissan Sentra, that will retain it's re-saleability, should I eventualy choose that route. Before this I had "old", used cars, which were good, but eventually the repair costs outweighed the value of the vehicle. <BR/><BR/>I do agree with Hans, though that new car shopping on the whole, stinks.Timhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12498898076985012831noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-40760484644684721302007-06-19T16:43:00.000-04:002007-06-19T16:43:00.000-04:00My wife has a new Import. It's very nice, but at ...My wife has a new Import. It's very nice, but at $350 a month payments, plus full coverage, I could buy a $1500-ish car (which will be OK, if sought out carefully), drive it (with liability insurance) until it dropped, leave it on the side of the road, buy another one, drive <I>it</I> until it dropped, and maybe even do it again.<BR/>In other words, I could buy two or three used P-O-Ss a year for what she spends on a car that may well <I>be</I> one of those P-O-Ss by the time she gets done paying for it.<BR/>There's something to be said for buying a new car, but most of that involves reliability. Any other reason is mere vanity, and leads to exactly what is deserved.<BR/><BR/>I had a 1980 Corolla that I <I>abused</I> (pizza delivery, among other things), and it still managed to go 250,000 miles before I let it go. Toyotas rock.daveawayfromhomehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06237313399294302353noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-66361315667499661552007-06-19T16:31:00.001-04:002007-06-19T16:31:00.001-04:00Lazy, I agree. I know it will be the difference be...<B>Lazy,</B> I agree. I know it will be the difference between another highway breakdown and a smooth workday. ;o)Saur♥Krauthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01160101729455178399noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-6990155506378780282007-06-19T16:31:00.000-04:002007-06-19T16:31:00.000-04:00I'm with Lazy on this one. I just traded in my ol...I'm with Lazy on this one. I just traded in my old Acura on a new Honda. For years I was a Ford guy but the design and build quality of the Japanese cars is head and shoulders above the American brands. Suprisingly the Honda was built in Ohio. Toyota is in either Kentucky or Tennessee, Nissan is Mississippi. It's not the American workers but the attitudes of the established American brands and the unions that have killed the reputation for quality.<BR/><BR/>As far as car shopping goes. I'd rather pee on a spark plug.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11687945.post-30069276700345074472007-06-19T15:42:00.000-04:002007-06-19T15:42:00.000-04:00So you ended up with a Toyota or Honda huh? Good c...So you ended up with a Toyota or Honda huh? Good choice.The Lazy Iguanahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12826083852416577162noreply@blogger.com