--- In BaadAssGremlins@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, Onree <onree@xxxx> wrote:
> I have to stand up for the reliability of modern cars. My very first new car
> was a 1970 Gremlin, purchased on April Fool's Day 1970. It cost $2143, white
> with red stripe and interior. Traded it three years later for a used 240Z. I
> have 2 Gremlins now, including a bone-stock, plain Jane, bench seat, rubber
> floormat 1973, 304 automatic on the column, that I got last year from the
> original (little old lady--really) owner. I love my Gremlins, and my Eagles
> too. But........
>
> My second new car was a 1995 Nissan Maxima SE, 3.0 v6, 5-speed. (There
> weren't ANY American made V6 four doors with manual transmission--I looked
> hard.) The 4th generation Maximas came out in the spring of 1994 as 1995
> models. I bought mine on May 16, 1995 (cost just under $22,000--about ten
> times what the Gremlin cost) and keep complete records on all my cars. Now,
> a month shy of ten years old, the car has 123,00 miles. Replaced the timing
> belt (late) at 77,000 miles for $443, original clutch started to slip at
> almost exactly 100,000 miles, $618, and just last month, the little hoses
> that go to each of the fuel injectors, $236. Stuff wearing out, not
> breaking. Other than that, gas, oil changes, anti-freeze flush, brake pads,
> tires, couple of batteries, headlight bulbs--the stuff any car needs. All
> the while utterly reliable at thirty five below in Minnesota or 130 degrees
> in Death Valley. The cloth interior has worn like iron, the Bose stereo
> still sounds great, and it still has the original exhaust system. I bet this
> car hasn't spent ten days in the shop in the last ten years, and my 1997
> Dodge Caravan minivan is nearly as good.
>
> The cars I drove in the fifties-sixties-seventies----sure they were a lot
> easier for me to work on. But they better be---they constantly needed
> SOMETHING worked on. Tune-ups, carburetors adjusted, chokes, valves
> adjusted, drum brakes adjusted, plugs, points, vacuum windshield wipers,
> front ends, mufflers and batteries that just lasted a couple of years,
> bias-ply tires, 2-speed Powerglides and 3-speed manuals.
> I love my old cars (I have ten--five AMC) but for comfort and reliability
> I'll take a newer car every time. They don't make 'em like the used to--and
> I'm glad they don't.
> Onree
>
>SO lets see......that would be 10 gremlins, one brand new gremlin per year for the 10 years. That would be nice a new car every year. I will still go for the older cars. You say you liked to work on your older cars. well atleast you could, and a timing belt costs 47.00 but you had to pay 443.00 because of the high labor cost associated with new cars.I bought an 89 dodge dakota 4 years ago for 400.00 I put new brakes on it 189.00(shop wanted 694.00) and gave it a complete tune up 100.00( shop wanted 258.00). Last year I had the rear end blow on me. Replaced it for 100.00 took 2 hours. 6 months ago I replaced the radiator, belts hoses and waterpump, 140.00. This week the fuel pump died. Dealer wants 345.00 just for the part! Got it at advanced auto 67.00 I haven't gott to it yet as I am still working on my wifes 99 Sube 2.5 But the point is in 4 years I have put almost 100K miles on the dakota and it has cost me lsee then a grand. I am lucky I can usually figure out the mechanical stuff and save the big labor $$$. I tried to get into a new hi tech car and look what happened......MAJOR engine repair at 95K miles My cost will be under 500 bucks dealer would have charged close to 3000.00 Bucks!
The lesson I have learned is never buy another Subaru and definitly K.I.S. a long time ago I was told by an old man " If it has Ti$s or wheels it will give you problems" No offense to the ladies But it is defintly true!
Davis
Back to the Home of the AMC Gremlin