Pros and Cons: Old and New Cars

Over the past year or two, I've seen many a discussion over the merits of old and new cars. They can sometimes be a little heated, and sometimes not so heated, but it had me thinking about the various highs and horrors of either path to automotive ownership.

Before going any further, I just want to define what I'm considering old and new here. Old will be pretty much anything you buy used from a private seller. This rules out any certified pre-owned stuff, and covers everything from carburetion to fuel-injection, since any era of used car can have issues over the years. New will be anything that comes straight off the lot, never ending up in the hands of anyone else except for dealer test drives.

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So let's start off with older cars. The first and most prominent advantage is starting price. This is the big thing that is so attractive to car buyers and is what many used and old car proponents will go to first in a debate whether to buy new or old. Admittedly, it's a very, VERY strong argument. Ever wanted to be driving a German luxury sedan? You can do so for less than a stripped out Hyundai Accent. Really, the options are near limitless on what kind of car you can get for the money, depending on how old you want to go, and what kind of condition you want. Many a sports car, luxury car, or premium SUV can be had for drastically lower costs than a similar new vehicle if you don't mind the car being around five years old or so.

So the up front price is really low, is there a catch? Well, there might be. If you've ever owned a car or known someone that has owned a car, you know problems do come up. They can be anything from simple wear items like needing new tires or it's due for a timing belt change, or it can be something more serious or unexpected. Maybe the car was abused and neglected (owner went 20,000 miles between oil changes or something) and there are serious engine problems. Being thorough about your test drive, having the prospective car inspected by a mechanic, and doing anything you can to research potential problems are all things that you can do to help avoid many of these possible problems, but it's still possible to miss something or have something go wrong that was already fine. For instance, the stereo amplifier in my brother's Mini Cooper just recently decided to die, rendering any attempt to listen to music hopeless until the amp is replaced, or a boombox is added to the interior.

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Following up on things that go wrong, if/when something does go wrong, depending on the car and its age, it may be hard to find and/or expensive. That $5k Porsche 928 seemed like an awesome idea right? Yeah, a great idea until you found out the torque tube needed replaced. How does a $2000-$3000 repair bill sound? Now of course this is a somewhat pricey example and some cars don't carry such high repair bills, but it is something to bear in mind when looking for a car.

There are of course other things like not having the latest in gadgetry (lately I've been jealous of iPod integration in newer cars) or not being as quiet or refined, or just being in rough shape all around. Despite all this, an older car can be pretty great.

When you avoid the really bad cars and find yourself just the right car at just the right price, life can be cool. If it's in good shape, has a good reliability history, and has all the right features without paying through the nose, few things can compare. Plus, saving that money can go to other things that you like or want to do, whether it's with your car, or other activities.

Moving on to new cars, there are quite a few things that they do have an advantage when compared with used cars, but buying new still isn't a magic bullet.

One of the big ways new cars are wonderful is that you're the only one to have used it. Only in the double digit mileage range, a new car has never been in the hands of anyone else except for brief test drives and whoever delivered it. Everything is clean, everything is shiny, and everything works. Not a single thing is wrong with it. It's a car as perfect as freshly fallen snow. And that new car smell! Although that new car smell is apparently various plastics outgassing into the interior, it smells so incredibly good; intoxicating might be a little too perfect a word....

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And not having anything wrong with the car is pretty great too. Think about it, you would be able to drive off in a car, and the only thing you have to worry about is taking it easy driving it during the break-in period. That's it. Nothing is going to break, nothing is going to fail, it's all good. Just cruise and enjoy yourself until your first oil change. Sure there's the chance that you might hit something and damage something, or there might be a recall for fiery death, but there's no chance of shoddy repairs or neglectful owners from the past. Just the proper specs and assembly from the factory. And even in the event of some  problems or recalls, there's a warranty to help out.

So a new car sounds perfect right? Well, no still not perfect. First thing is the up front cost. Unlike a used car, a new car is going to cost you. For $15k, all you're really going to be able to afford on the new market is a subcompact like a Honda Fit, a Ford Fiesta, a Mazda2, et al. Not that any of those cars are bad mind you, it's just that they aren't necessarily... aspirational automobiles. For the same $15k, you could pick up say, a Honda S2000 (9000 rpm redline, rear wheel drive, convertible top, superb handling) and have a much more impressive car.

The warranty isn't perfect either. It only lasts for so long, and it doesn't necessarily cover everything that could happen to your car, just certain things. Plus, if you want to go in and modify your car, just know that the nice long warranty you had just packed it's bags and ran away. Oh and we shouldn't forget depreciation. The second you sign your papers and leave the lot, you just lost a few grand, and it's not going to stop.

But, if you're willing to deal with some of these things, the comfort and reassurance of having a fresh car with no issues can be very nice. Plus having the latest in amenities and refinements mean that you have a very modern and comfortable car to cruise around in.

Basically, with cars, old or new, it's pick your poison/pleasure. There simply is no magic bullet. You're going to lose out somewhere, and you're going to win out somewhere. The important thing here is, you can prioritize, and through these options, you can max out your priorities and minimize your compromise. You're looking for a sports car on a budget and you don't mind fixing a few niggles or issues? The used market is ready for you. You need a family hauler with the latest in technology and can't worry about it breaking down? There's a slew of new cars waiting for you. Old and new cars are both great, and despite their setbacks, you can rest assured that there's one (or two, or three, or more) out there for you.

Cars and Car People: Can't We All Just Get Along?

The car world is one of wide variety and deep passion. It's a fascinating world, and there's always something going on somewhere, and it never seems to stop shifting and evolving. It's one of the things that keeps me interested and curious about the various goings on in this world. The passion runs deep too, sometimes too deep I would venture to say. I've noticed that some people tend to get so entrenched in their respective vehicular niche that they are at least indifferent to other car groups, and actively criticize and hate other groups. This is something that needs to change.

Before going any further, I want to say that having a favored niche is perfectly all right and in a number of ways is beneficial to the greater automotive community. Without people focusing on a certain style, region, make, or model of vehicle, we wouldn't have the passionate and ever changing environment that is needed to keep the culture, the industry, and the excitement alive.

However, there is clear distinction between healthy enthusiasm, and harmful closed-mindedness. The latter is something I see far too much of. I find many people of every automotive background--muscle cars, tuner cars, factory correct vintage cars, and far more--and in every group there are people that can't seem to accept other styles and cultures as legitimate in their existence. I find restoration guys that cringe at anything modified. I find muscle guys that hate anything foreign or low displacement. I find tuner guys that think domestics can't do anything other than go in a straight line. It comes from all sides and while a little gentle joking is fine, it all too often is a result of genuine hate for that group's favorite car or style.

This really is a shame. The automotive is too big, too varied, too exciting to restrict oneself to one area of the automobile. I personally have a fondness for tuner cars and imports, but that doesn't mean that's the only thing I'm interested in. I love seeing exotics, pre-war cars, muscle cars, heck I even get a kick out of bad cars like Yugos. It's all great to see. I feel that people that can't appreciate other types of cars are missing out on so much!

And for the skeptics, appreciate doesn't mean that you like it. There's a reason that there are so many kinds of cars out there. It's because there are so many different people with different tastes, but none is less legitimate than the other, or done with less passion and love.

To appreciate the work, the passion, and the strengths of different people and automobiles is something that is so important to enjoying cars to their fullest. It's also important in building the enthusiast community. If we can learn to appreciate and accept the diversity the automotive world has, the stronger we will be. It will be more welcoming for the new people, friendlier and more accepting of those already in it, and more enjoyable for everyone.

There are simply too many reasons why learning to enjoy a wider array of cars not do so. For the sake of ourselves and the hobby we all love, let's put aside our prejudices and embrace the diversity the car world has to offer.

This lack of respect isn't really that of individual to individual, it's a lack of respect to all the niche groups and variations on the car hobby that exist in this world. People on the outside might not realize this, but "car guy" is a really broad term. When you break down the automotive world, you discover that there are probably hundreds, maybe thousands, of different car cultures all within the vehicular globe. You have people that are interested in specific makes, models, styles, regions, the list goes on.

These groups are often fairly tight-knit, even when they span across the country through online forums. They usually take time to help each other in fixing problems, finding parts, and just spending time with each other or participating in car related events. But these specific groups rarely spend much time with each other, and can sometimes borderline hate people of different car scenes.

It is at this point that I should say that everyone naturally has their own likes and dislikes of different scenes, and the occasional, playful bantering between traditionally opposite ideas on cars. I will readily admit that my personal preferences have always been toward Japanese imports, often modified, and an example of something that I'm not crazy about would be donks. I and some of my friends also have some playful banter back and forth about our preferred cars. This is all fine, and can even be fun when not taken too far. But what I'm talking about is the stereotyping, ignorance, and disrespect shown to car culture that people don't care for.

Being a modified import guy on a campus that consists of primarily domestic people and beyond factory perfect vintage automobiles puts me in a very small minority. And I have heard no shortage of disrespectful things said about Japanese cars and modified cars. Broadening the genre a little further, and modified cars get plenty of disrespect as well. It's understandable that a place that is focused on restoration will not be terribly excited about modifying cars, but modification shouldn't be viewed as evil or disrespectful to automobiles and automobile culture.

Some people might say, "Well, if you don't like the stuff that is focused on and is the majority, you should go somewhere else." I've actually heard something similar to this before. But here's the thing, I have nothing against proper restoration, old cars, or domestic cars. I like them too! Why can't there be at least some acknowledgement that modified, Japanese, and other auto cultures are legitimate and interesting too?

I also don't want anyone to take this as targeting the vintage restoration crowd. I know plenty of people from my preferred car fanbases that also don't have a lot of respect for others. I know that it's a long running rivalry between import and domestic people that rarely sees any mixing or respect. And that's silly too. Cars of all regions, eras, and levels of modification are all great and they all deserve recognition. No group is any better or worse than another.

I want to see a world where you can have a pristine Bugatti Type 57 parked next to a twin-turbo 20b RX-7, a rat rod with a Cummins diesel, a 70s Monte Carlo jacked up on 30" wheels, a new Lamborghini Aventador, a murdered out Escalade, a bosozoku Corolla TE72, and many, many, many more. And then, all the owners of all of those cars would be interested in everything that showed up.

You see, the car world is too big, too varied, and too exciting to limit oneself to one area of cardom. By no means should one avoid specializing, if it weren't for specialists we wouldn't have such fascinating cars. But get out there and see what else there is. Lowriders, tuner cars, muscle cars, hot rods, rat rods, trail trucks, and more all are brilliant and all are done with the same passion for the automobile that everyone has. Even if you don't like something, take the time to at least appreciate the unique piece that that person created and loves as much as the things you like.