Random Thoughts... [Automotive Edition]

Around here, european cars fail due to shitty owners. People jump from brand to brand because their poor habits caused the car to break and not so much the cars fault. Oh, the engine runs bad? You’re supposed to have done plugs at 75,000 and you’re up to 150,000. Oh, the head gasket blew? Yeah, you’re supposed to flush coolant at 100,000. The intake is gummed up? No shit, don’t use oil coated air filters. transmission crapped? Of course, the fluid should’ve been changed at 70,000 yet here we are at 150,000 miles and it’s no longer worth trying to flush the fluid because you’ll do more harm than good. People here blame the brand for ignoring when scheduled maintence is supposed to be done. People don’t want to spend the money because they say they don’t have it but waste it on other things.

As far as I can tell, the only reason Japanese brands fair so well is because they can tolerate the lack of maintence much better than the European types. I can’t say too much about interior failures. The most I can say about that is, if someone really liked their hand lotion, automotive buttons for some reason don’t like that and either the labels rub off or the buttons disintegrate completely.
I wouldn't generalize by continent but more by brand. Among European cars, BMWs seem to be fairly reliable but Audi/VW are horrible. For jaoanese cars, Subarus are pretty unreliable but Honda and Toyota seem to run forever.


There's a tiny used car dealership about a mile away from me that is currently selling a Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino under market value and as far as I can tell has zero online presence. These cars are unheard of around here, have never seen one on the road.
I really, really don't need two small two-seater convertibles.
Link? I would potentially be interested in the Cappuccino...
 
There's a tiny used car dealership about a mile away from me that is currently selling a Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino under market value and as far as I can tell has zero online presence. These cars are unheard of around here, have never seen one on the road.
I really, really don't need two small two-seater convertibles.

Do it. Sell the Miata. Beat + Blizzard. Or Cappuccino + Blizzard. Or Beat + Cappuccino + Blizzard.
 
Have you not been to a DQ? They flip it over before handing it to you so you can see that it's a solidly frozen diabeetus treat.

Never been to a DQ. I limit my frozen beetus treats to McDonalds Oreo McFlurrys.
 
Around here, european cars fail due to shitty owners. People jump from brand to brand because their poor habits caused the car to break and not so much the cars fault. Oh, the engine runs bad? You’re supposed to have done plugs at 75,000 and you’re up to 150,000. Oh, the head gasket blew? Yeah, you’re supposed to flush coolant at 100,000. The intake is gummed up? No shit, don’t use oil coated air filters. transmission crapped? Of course, the fluid should’ve been changed at 70,000 yet here we are at 150,000 miles and it’s no longer worth trying to flush the fluid because you’ll do more harm than good. People here blame the brand for ignoring when scheduled maintence is supposed to be done. People don’t want to spend the money because they say they don’t have it but waste it on other things.

As far as I can tell, the only reason Japanese brands fair so well is because they can tolerate the lack of maintence much better than the European types. I can’t say too much about interior failures. The most I can say about that is, if someone really liked their hand lotion, automotive buttons for some reason don’t like that and either the labels rub off or the buttons disintegrate completely.
I mean yeah, the reason they are so unreliable is probably largely because people do not care enough to even do maintenance. People treat cars as pretty disposable. The entire reason the bug is in such horrible shape is other people gave me bad advice of "it's fine to let that go a little longer" and were very very wrong. Which is why I am taking the baby the overly fussy fiat approach, and why i took the financial hit of buying a practically new one, I did not want to deal with the consequences of someone else not taking proper care of the thing.

I suspect in the case of the fiats the unreliability is compounded by the fact the Chrysler dealers barely seem to know what they are selling/servicing and sometimes you seem to just get a bad engine. Also it seems like bigger mods (which are obviously very popular) usually cut the lifespan of the engine way down. There was one in front of me spitting smoke occasionally and I am pretty sure it wasn't a positive thing.

That being said, the only thing REALLY wrong with the bug is the stereotype VW electrics that you unfortunately cannot counter with maintenance stuff. Like the salt splashing up from the road probably doesn't help but maintenance isn't why the car usually fails inspection for a burnt out tail light ?
There's a tiny used car dealership about a mile away from me that is currently selling a Honda Beat and Suzuki Cappuccino under market value and as far as I can tell has zero online presence. These cars are unheard of around here, have never seen one on the road.
I really, really don't need two small two-seater convertibles.
I have 2 convertibles my brain is still "but wouldn't you likea RELIABLE one?"
 
I've seen a glut of dead VWs along the side of the motorway over the last couple of years. Taking over from the MK2 Clios and Vauxhalls of the past.

I try and do an oil change on the cars once every 4,000 miles or so. But they both run basic mineral oil, 20w50 in the Doloshite and 10w40 in the Tronda. The Acclaim needs the odd top up once every 1,000 miles and has done 75,000 miles or so. The Dolly needed constant top ups as oil consumption was 250mpg, although it'd done 134,000 miles with no evidence of engine work and quite a lot of evidence of having missed changes in the past...

The moderns just went for a yearly service at the local dealer/garage, so usually about 12-15k between changes. Only the Civic used any oil although it'd done 100,000 miles and I did visit the redline alarmingly frequently because I discovered Eurobeat...
 
Apparently the transmission fluid pan in mom's outback is rusted out so I get to replace that as a repair
 
Apparently the transmission fluid pan in mom's outback is rusted out so I get to replace that as a repair

Hooray we’re doomed!

good luck, katwalk, it sounds like An Project. :/
 
Don't want to start a flame war about towing capacities between EU and US but EE did a nice video on how those ratings are actually determined.
 
Hooray we’re doomed!

good luck, katwalk, it sounds like An Project. :/
It doesn't seem TOO bad like it should be roughly "drain, unscrew old one put on new one" except that i imagine getting it off is gonna be a nightmare
3556323


Part of me finds it hilarious the subaru is in more urgent need of repair then the bug though. Especially when i brought it in and was asked if it was mine and I said "do you really think i would buy something reliable" and the instructor was like "yeah i was gonna say".

The fiat oddly has been like. One of my better life choices somehow. Ignoring like everything else in favor of focusing on cars in general is going well for me.
 
Don't want to start a flame war about towing capacities between EU and US but EE did a nice video on how those ratings are actually determined.
Awww.... (puts pitchfork away)
 
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