Monday, October 10, 2016

Car Posts

I have purchased four used cars in the past two years. You might say I'm getting to be an expert on it. That's what my cousin thinks when I help her with used car buying, anyway. I look at cars as a vehicle to get from point A to point B, so I don't tend to care how pretty they look (i.e. the golf-ball sized hail dents in my Subaru Impreza Outback). I also tend to be cheap, so I buy older (but relatively reliable) cars. If I can get a car for fairly inexpensive, and only need to do simple maintenance/repairs on it, it more than pays for itself.

For example, I purchased my Malibu Maxx almost two years ago for $2000. The purchase price of that (so far) is $83/month. Aside from standard maintenance (oil changes), I've had to replace the brakes and rotors on it, the headlights, and the struts. I did all of the replacements myself, buying OEM or better quality parts (better than I probably would have gotten at a shop), with a total cost for all three of $538.66. That brings my total cost for the car up to $106/month. Not a bad deal, considering the average cost for a lease or car loan these days.

As I mentioned, with buying older cars, I've started to teach myself how to fix things, using online forums and YouTube videos. I've drained and filled a transmission, replaced brake pads and rotors, changed differential oil, replaced brake light and headlight assemblies, fixed a brake light switch and an in-vehicle entertainment system, fixed a moon roof roller blind, and just this weekend swapped out strut assemblies. As a result of all this knowledge I've tapped into, I wanted to give back a little bit, so with a couple of my recent repairs, I took some time to make some "how-to" videos as well. Hopefully others will benefit from my experience.



2005 Chrysler Town & Country Brake Replacement



2005 Malibu Maxx Strut Assembly Replacement

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4 comments:

  1. NaeOctober 13, 2016 at 9:54 PM

    Bravo, sir. In my own small way I'm following your lead (I replaced a tail light just a few days ago. It felt so good to just do that, all by myself.) Anyway, kudos to you. I hope when I grow up I can be cool and mechanically articulate.

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    1. Adam BOctober 14, 2016 at 8:40 AM

      I hope that too. :) All my learning has basically come in the last two years, and I'm always realizing how little I still know. Good job on the taillight! One of the first things I did was headlights, so you're on your way!

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  2. UnknownNovember 21, 2016 at 11:17 PM

    Nice work! You should do a video of cleaning and preparing your brakes and wheel wells for yucky Minnesota winter time! Maybe pray some undercoating around there (if you haven't already).

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  3. Adam BNovember 22, 2016 at 10:45 AM

    High pressure brake cleaner in a can. :) I've gone back and sprayed some rust converter on the van in the problem spots. The Maxx is good. I have some undercoat too, but it's getting pretty cold out here already. Not sure it would dry before I'd need to drive again. Just gotta get a car wash with undercarriage spray regularly this winter.

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