The principle of the thing: stop being stupid

If you're expecting one of my superbly-crafted political rants, you might as well stop reading now. This post is about cars.

I've been in the habit, ever since I got this place with the 100 acre yard, to just park the old car behind the barn when I get a new one.

They're always trying to rip you off with what they offer you in trade-in value. I always figured the day would come when I had the time to do what little needed doing so I could sell that car they just offered me $2K on a trade for $4K.

They're not gonna screw me like that!

Well, the day has come where I have the time, and I'm starting to have second thoughts about my approach to things.

For starters, vehicles today are not the same as the vehicles of my youth. The first cars I owned were built in the 50's and 60's. When you opened the hood you could make sense of things. If, for some reason, things weren't working, a person of average intelligence could usually deduce what it was that needed repair.

Here's an underhood view of a modern vehicle:



What the hell is that? There's an acre of plastic before you even see the engine!

At least in this particular vehicle, you can find the battery. I had a major embarrassment a couple of years ago when I couldn't find the battery under the hood of my Pontiac Torment.

I was visiting Cedar Hill Park, where we like to take the hounds for a swim. There'd been a couple living in their car there that summer, and this particular Sunday morning Buddy waves me over and asks me if I can give him a boost. Their battery has run down.

No sweat, pal! I even had a set of jumper cables aboard. So I nose the Torment in front of their Ford Taurus and pop the hood. There is absolutely no sign of a battery anywhere. I start unbolting all this plastic shit and my first two guesses still didn't reveal a battery. At that point I figured, hey, I'm not gonna take my car apart to help a guy who can't start his car. At least mine's still running...

And it still runs today, even though it hasn't been on the road for three or four years now. The major issue is it developed a serious gas leak. I just gotta get it up on ramps and find out exactly where that leak is coming from... someday when I have time.

Parked right next to it is the Sub I got to replace the Torment. I was going through a phase where I imagined I could save money by nursing along used cars. Pay cash up front and then deal with the repairs as they come along, and you'll never be burdened with monthly payments!

It's embarrassing to admit, but those two vehicles alone represent a cash outlay of about $20K over the last eight years or so. For that money I could have bought a new Corolla eight years ago and in all likelihood I'd have another eight years of trouble-free motoring ahead of me.

Instead, I've got these various fix-it projects around the place, and since I've become a guy who squanders an entire day to adjust a bicycle seat, that could take years.

Not only that, but I do not relish the interactions with the hustlers who offer you $400 for the car you're asking $4,000 for. That's just aggravating.

So I'm thinking, maybe it's time to call the wreckers. Get this shit out of here so I can focus on the things I want to do.