Auto dealers are attempting to deal with 4.2 million unsold cars. As the vehicles that no one wants to or cannot afford to buy stack up, the mainstream media continues to say the economy is “robust” and “booming.”
Abandoned factories, forgotten shopping malls, and undeveloped parcels of land have become parking lots full of new cars as dealers try to figure out what to do with mounting inventories of unsold vehicles, according to OKCFox, a local Oklahoma City Fox News affiliate reported. But the mainstream media keeps saying the economy is great, and even though stocks have fallen on the news of a heightened trade war, there isn’t much other real truth happening when it comes to reporting on the economy.
“The sheer amount of lies we are being told in the mainstream media is getting worse every day. Why can’t the truth ever be reported for once? It’s ok if the economy is not doing well. Let’s admit it and let’s deal with it! Why hide it only to make things worse in the future? This doesn’t serve the people. Blinding them from the truth is a disservice to them.” –David Quintieri, The Money GPS
Quintieri’s YouTube channel regularly reports on the statistics we aren’t being told about. He was on the ball when the news broke that dealers are having problems finding places to store all of the unsold cars right now. Should a downturn hit the auto industry, dealers will find themselves overstocked with inventory that no one will be able to buy.
And once again, debt is playing a big role in this problem. This will only make a financial disaster even worse. The loans dealers take out to finance their inventories could put the squeeze on new-car dealers, reported OKCFox. For around eight years, interest rates remained low, which allowed dealers to carry vast inventories with little cost. With interest rates on the continuous rise, the same dealers stuffed to the max with more cars, trucks, crossovers, and SUVs, have faced eroding profits despite some incentives from automakers themselves. Add in extra costs to store vehicles at off-site locations, and the situation becomes worse.
Near-record inventories pinch dealers https://t.co/WBThRnCy6s pic.twitter.com/HhAOl6EoGl
— Automotive News (@Automotive_News) April 29, 2019
The auto industry experienced incredible gains during the last decade since the Great Recession. However, sales have already dropped 3.2 percent in the first quarter of this year. Per the report, 2019 will likely be the first year since 2014 that sales figures fall under 17 million new cars sold. Some plan the automakers, but the real problem is that no one is buying these cars.
Many Americans already have expensive car payments, and simply cannot afford to upgrade. CNBC reported that during the third quarter of 2018, the average new car monthly payment jumped up to $530, with the average used car loan payment at $381. According to Experian Automotive data, both figures are at record highs. The average car loan is now just under $31,000. 20% of consumers are taking out loans of $50,000 or more for a vehicle. The average vehicle loan is just under 70 months, and it’s not uncommon for people to take out six-and-a-half and seven-year loans.
It doesn’t have to be said, but now is not the time to be taking out a car loan. If you don’t have one, stick it out, if you do, consider paying it down. That’s the best advice we could give and the advice most financial gurus would give as well.
Car cost and payment is one issue. The other is property tax. I pay 85.00 monthly to the county for owning a car. Rates went through the roof when my rural county was “discovered” and is being developed into another urban hell.
Don’t buy new when used will do. The repo man is gonna have his hands full soon when things pop. Have cash in hand when it does.
I’m glad the repo men won’t be coming to see me. I’ll be too busy shooting scum ass traitors, scum illegals, and islamic savages to mess with them. I’m glad my dad taught me to stay out of debt and never sell land.
As a side note when I started running non-ethanol gas in my 4×4 pickup with a 318 straight gear it’s miles per gallon and performance are much improved and I strongly suspect the longevity will be also.
A Mopar man eh? I bet you are right.
Yes, she’s been good to me for years now and I raise the hood bout near every day and take a look. Change the oil and oil filter regularly. Keep air filter clean and put new plugs in every 6 months or so. I’ll generally let the plug wires stay in there a year. I do carry an xtra serpentine belt with me and plugs for the 35′ mud tires just in case I run over some shit. Hell, I carry everything except my kitchen sink. I’m a redneck but my truck looks tasteful and tough, not half-assed. I just pay as I go. The people driving new trucks turn their heads and look at mine and I owe not a dime.
Plugs every 6 months?I would say unless you have a tired motor with oil issues/worn rings seems a bit much.I would just if you really want to brass brush em(neversieze the threads).The 318 without a lot of added emission junk is a great running motor.I has a 383 road runner(would have loved a 440 6 pack!),was a very young teen and a dangerous car at that age,yet I survived!
As for ethanol,there is a great utube video to de-ethanol your gas(use ethanol in alcohol stove).
Yes, I replace them even if it doesn’t need it. I think I just enjoy being under the hood. I thankfully live near a station that sells non-ethanol gas. One of these days the engine will fail as they all do and 318s are not expensive. I drive it about 60 miles a day. I’ve had an urge to spend some money on a crate engine but so far I’ve resisted doing so. The only issue I’ve had with this one in particular is the crank sensor.
I agree with you about older trucks. I’ve had 3 F150’s over the years, all straight 6’s and all were manual. I maintained them like you do yours. I recently bought a new Tacoma, it’s midsize but I’m quite happy with it. I don’t like payments but this truck will be paid off b4 it’s 3 yrs old. It’ll outlive me so it’ll be my last. Heck, maybe I’ll donate it to an unfortunate illegal when I die. Bwahahahahaha
As I recall, someone here has written about the inventory build up in autos several times over the past six months. Most recently, a month or two ago. Who was that Masked Man ???
It happens at the end of every business cycle. Nothing to see here, move along. 🙂
Only a poor person lacking of intelligence and motivation would buy a used car as apposed to a new one.
You know more than a third of the population is doing quite well, don’t you? We pay our credit balances in full, often before the billing cycle is published!!
Repo man indeed. If you go through life buying shit that you can’t buy in cash, what the fuck good are you? You are a failure and should live within your means.
I bet your home is full of shit all bought using the finance company.
L
You’re an idiot from the city
Wait til a EMP happens. Your new truck will be WORTHLESS and ya still got to make payments. I own my old truck !!!!!
Someone here has been telling this community for YEARS, that China’s financial system is structurally flawed:
https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-05-11/chinas-jpmorgan-seeks-money-its-employees-avoid-collapse
Who is that Masked Man ??? Yeah its in the archives. 🙂
Repr Sleepr, damn good advice. I was looking on craigslist at used trucks, then this trip came up which had no choice but to take at this time but I’ll be cutting it short and going home next week. I’m using cash just like I always have. I don’t have enough income to even qualify for credit and that’s OK. When I find something I like, I pay cash for it and just get done with it, and don’t have a stinking note or even the repo man to worry about. I don’t even want a new truck with any of those gizmos in them. To me, a vehicle is for transportation, not entertainment or communication. Only insurance coverage I’ve ever had is liability which is really all that’s legally required.
DR, Man that is NO SHIT! Even if I were a millionaire I wouldn’t buy a new truck! All new cars/trucks are so loaded down with electronic bullshit that no one needs and takes control away from you and makes fixing it a dealer only ordeal. And you pay 10’s of thousands for all this absolute crap garbage junk shit! I could get an old 72 chevy 4×4 and completely rebuild it for less than a new one and it would be reliable and I could fix everything on it! You have to be the stupidest asshole on earth to buy a new truck not to mention the devaluation is enormous!
I saw a guy drive a new Ford off of a dealer’s lot some years ago. He was struck by another truck and his new vehicle was totalled before he had travelled 100 yards. Ouch !!! 🙁
dr, still running my ’95 Ford/150. Dual tanks and had to replace the rear one last year. Been a fine truck and has had many a deer slung into the bed.
Yep, if I ever have to get a new vehicle, it will be an old reliable truck since I have to use my little old Lancer like that especially in the spring. Also, it’s too hard to find a basic model with a manual transmission anymore.
And I just hate that any small thing that you might want is part of some package loaded with all sorts of useless junk. Some–no, most models are so larded up with stupid gadgets….argh!!! Plus almost all cars handle terribly, but that could be me as I expect quite a bit from a machine that could be a death trap. Of course, most people don’t drive; they aim to get somewhere. :/
In my area, a huge percentage of the cars on used car lots at the major dealerships and even wholesale lots are repos. Repo men in my area have been making some good money ever since Obama’s second term. Their business will pick up even more soon, I’ll bet.
Experian is a credit reporting agency. Apparently it gathers and distributes quite a bit of information that should be kept private.
I bought one new car in my life.
On a per-mile basis it wasn’t the cheapest vehicle
I ever owned nor was it the most expensive, in inflation adjusted numbers.
I have owned a lot of used cars, but I do most all
my own repairs( I don’t do bodywork).
If you can do your own repairs,
you’d be an idiot to buy a new car. If you pay
other people to do your repairs you have to do
some soul searching. The vast majority of
mechanics are idiots. The last time I took a
vehicle to the dealer for the air-bag recall
They blew fuses on my OBDII and could
not have possibly done a side job I asked
them to do.
I can pop in a used engine, transmission, and replace a clutch
on this 4WD truck for about $5,000. I paid $3,500 for the truck. The truck cost the original owner $27,000 in 2004( I have all the paperwork).
Ignoring the flaking clear coat, I get a virtually new truck for $8,500, good for another 250,000 miles.
The same model today is $32,000 and you can’t get a manual
transmission.
Rellik, I’ve always had to pay someone else to work on mine because I never went to school to become a mechanic. Never had the time for school. Either I pay someone to fix it or it just sits broken down. I don’t make enough money to even worry about stinkin’ credit.
I learned mechanics from the skool of being poor and having old beater cars lol. No way could I pay for a shop to fix stuff I had to figure it out with the help of my friends. I used to like working on cars, now I hate it…
I learned mechanics first from my Dad and then more from my first husband. Yes, I even have a certificate in my important papers file. My problem is that in a townhouse with no garage, doing any work on a vehicle is limited even though I have a decent set of tools. My son has a house with a garage but he loves to work on cars so I only get to supervise although big stuff goes to a local shop that’s very good (and they don’t treat my like an idiot because I’m a chick).
Funny I took my truck in for the airbag recall and the airbag light was on when I went to pick it up. So I told the lady at the pickup counter so she has some jamoke mechanic come over and he try’s to tell me the light was on when I brought it in. I said no it wasn’t I’d like to speak with the service manager. The service manager said I had to leave it so he could have it checked out to see if the light was on when I brought it in. I said fine. He calls me the next day and says they are gonna fix it but he has to order the part. I said fine calls me back on Monday and says to leave it again he will see it gets fixed. Anyway it got done the service manager wasn’t the problem stupid mechanics were. The less any shade tree mechanics work on my truck the better. Do it yourself if you can. I’ve changed my brakes alternator muffler oil filters all in my backyard myself without any problems. Recalls have to be done by dealerships. Buy vehicles with minimum options and service yourself. Less electronics and motorized junk means less to go wrong.
Another possible reason for poor car sales is changing demographics. Younger people aren’t enthusiastic about car ownership.
I went to high school in the 60s. If a guy wanted any chance of dating a girl he had to have a car. Same with older guys. Women don’t like standing at bus stops with a date. Plus a car showed some chick that the guy wasn’t a loser.
Many younger people today don’t consider a car a big deal. There’s no stigma for not having one. Public transportation, uber, and ride sharing is OK with them. They a see car as a major expense, which it is, and learn to get by without one.
I got my first car less than one month after I turned 16 and haven’t been without one since. I owned an ’87 Chevy Eurosport I bought used with 17,000 miles in 1990 and put another 110,000 miles on it all the way to my retirement 15 years later. It was my duct tape special. I even owned a 1969 Dodge Charger R/T 500 with a 440, brown with black interior landau top. That was before the Dukes of Hazzard TV show. Biggest mistake I made was selling it to my brother in law. He totaled it.
Anyway, if the SHTF I will need transportation. I got an old car but it always has good tires, brakes, and battery. It works fine.
Here’s a thought – maybe the auto manufacturers should realize the cost of their product is just too damn much. When one can buy a used vehicle with less than 100 k miles for 1/3 the price of a new vehicle. Simple economics to me.
People here constantly mention getting fabulous deals on used cars with low miles. I dunno where all this is taking place, but it sure isn’t happening where I am. My vehicle is pretty much toast — I absolutely have to buy a vehicle *right* *now* and all of the used ones have at least 80,000 miles and are only priced 10% to 20% below the cost of new. With numbers like that, I might as well buy a new one, even though I would rather not.
I need something that has decent carrying capacity, like a station wagon type configuration (with seats that can be removed) or a small van. A truck won’t do because I need to haul stuff that is sheltered from the rain and isn’t open to easy theft.
Unfortunately, I have not been able to find any used vehicles that are relatively recent, have low miles, and cost significantly less than new.
Autos today are far too ‘loaded’ if one desires basic transportation. A common car today has more “bells and whistles” than a Caddy did a few decades ago. Power windows, standard, auto trans, standard, cruise control, standard. A
“Loaded” car more or less drives itself. Of course they’re going to cost big. In all fairness their manufacture is far better. Getting 200,000 miles is not abnormal. Cars from the 1960s were shot at 100,000. In the end cars last twice as long, they’re safer, fuel economy is about double, hp of 1 per cubic inch, once the gold standard of performance is met or exceeded in a family car. Due to the great US industrial evisceration too few can really afford them. It’s not that cars are too expensive (as they last 2X) it’s that labors slice of the pie has receded. Thank “free trade”.
Kevin2, vehicles really are better than they used to be and I know one man who has 300,000 miles on his truck and it’s the ORIGINAL engine and when that wears out he’ll replace the engine. I’ve been looking on craigslist at some old trucks and found a few that interest me. You can get a decent old truck for between $5000 and $10,000. No need to spend $40,000 to $60,000; that’s insanity. I don’t make enough money to even WORRY about credit. The only vehicles I’ve found that have manual windows and door locks available are the Nissan Frontier trucks, a few of which my company bought just before Christmas and those were $24,000 each. I can live with a FEW bells and whistles like the power windows and locks, automatic, A/C. I just don’t want all the extra electronic crap that has come in more recent years.
Deplorable Renegade
When longevity of 2x is taken into account the cost in real dollars (compared to 4 decades ago) cuts in half. The $40k is in effect $20k. If they dropped the fancy stuff still leaving you with luxuries rivaling a fancy car of years gone by that real cost might drop to $18k effective. Down here there are boo-coo old people 80s & up. They kept their vehicles in tip top shape and drove them easy and not too much at that. One needs time to scout the estate sales, Craigs list and cash. 5k to 10k (especially $10k) will get ya something real good. A “Crown Vic” (the old guys loved them) with 60K miles, 8 years old might bring $4500. That car will owe you nothing when it passes on at 200,000.
You know, if a smart (intelligent) car maker had the brains to make a basic stripper car with no frills, no un necissary electronic shit, Just a basic simple analog car, it should be pretty cheap compared to other electronic piles of shit and I bet it would sell like crazy! Make it good quality and good materials and watch it fly off the shelves.
Yep. That would work. Make and sell what people need. It’s bound to happen some day. Maybe after things fall apart.
Your idea, as valid as can be goes against their conventional wisdom. There simply is more “wiggle room” of profit on a $35k car than an $18k car. This is up until the reality that those divorced from it sinks in that only trickery is getting those $35k vehicles to sell and they have ran out of tricks. In essence it’s the fable, “The Emperor has new clothes”. They all tell their bosses what they want to hear. I dealt with it at the bottom, no one really wants the truth in business, they only want good news.
This follows the attempts by Top Gear presenters in trying to kill a Toyota:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xTPnIpjodA8
TDR, I just bought a 2 yr. old GMC Terrain with only 25K miles for $20K cash on the barrel-head , taxes included in that total. No loan, no interest – out the door – full factory warranty from a local Chev. dealership. Part of the lease fleet. In absolutely perfect like new shape. Not one thing showed use. Still have my old Chevy pick-up with over a quarter million miles on it. Only real problem with it is that the electronics are crap. Still runs fine though. Like someone said here – hang tight and have cash in hand when the time comes…. some real deals out there coming real soon.
Kevin2, those old Crown Vics, Mercury Gran Marquis, and Lincoln Towncars are the only decent cars left out there and they do bring in a fair amount of money. If I didn’t need a truck I would buy one of those but there’s very little I can do with a car. A truck is an absolute for me. There’s a bunch of them listed in my area on craigslist for between $5000-$10,000 and I’ve got the cash on hand ready to go. I don’t even care how much mileage it has because eventually I’ll replace the engine and transmission to make it last even longer. I don’t have the income or even the desire for the ones built within the past 10 years.
My 93 F-150 has 230K on the original engine (5.0). I rebuild the auto trans at 200K. It runs like a champ but ya other parts are getting worn as expected. I use synthetic oil and duralube. I bought it in 06 for 4K and it was one owner with the original factory options list. It has EVERY available option! Dual gas tanks, factory tow package, skid plates, 5.0 engine, electric on the fly 4×4, high end wheels, ac, power windows, rhino liner bed, chrome bumpers, and a bunch of other stuff. And 13 years later it is still a good truck. If you take care of your vehicles and use top quality oils and parts you will get a lot out of them (provided they weren’t a pos to start with). Whatever you get be sure to change the oils asap with synthetic! (I use mobil 1). Lucas synthetic for manual trans and rear end.
DR, for 5-10K you should be able to get a decent toyota truck. That is my daily driver and it has 210K on it (2002). Not much of a powerhouse but toyotas never are. Last summer I replaced all the parts I thought would be wearing out before long ( alternator, power steering pump, water pump, all hoses and belts, fresh synthetic oil in the trans and rear end, brake pads ). It is good for another 150K at least now. I know a couple of people that have over 300K on toyota trucks!
I seen a paper about Mobil 1 at work. Their Research Facility was next to the refinery. Going over there was like entering a mansion from leaving a trailer. The place was medical grade clean. This place invented Mobil 1. They had a testing lab and literally purchased cars from local dealers, removed and dissembled the engines and put them back together to certified specifications. They reinstalled this back into the car and put them in a room that could simulate, and vary both load and environment. They tested oil and at the end they dissemble the engine. Low and behold at 200,000 miles the engine was still in factory specifications. It’s all I use. The engineers / chemists there were crazy educated having individuals with multiple PHDs from Universities like Oxford, Cambridge and MIT.
DANG! Glad I chose it! I use it in all my stuff, lawnmower, 4-wheelers (except the polaris) generators, cars. The only reason I don’t use it in the polaris is it calls for 0-50 oil. For that I use castrol synthetic (forget the name) made for air cooled racing motorcycles that is 10-50.
I forgot to tell you about duralube. Years ago I had 2 different experiences with running my engine out of oil. My neighbor recommended duralube so I put it in my honda 500 dirtbike and added a little every oil change. One day I was riding out back and was about 3 miles away from where I parked and unloaded the bike. A bee flew up my nose and I slammed the brakes on and almost crashed. When I got stopped I got off and got my helmet off and dug it out. I noticed my shin was soaked in oil (I couldn’t tell because I had tall boots and full length shin/knee guards on). I looked down and the oil cap was not on the bike, I had left it at the truck when I checked the oil before my ride. I rode the bike all the way back to the truck with no oil in it and loaded it up. I added new oil when I got home and it was fine. A while later I had the side cover off to fix the shifter and it was spotless! No sign of metal particles at all. I also was out on an old 4 wheeler and the side cover got loose and all the oil leaked out (pos suzuki). I rode that quad probably 5 miles back to the truck and same thing, fixed it and all was fine. That made me a believer in duralube. I use it in everything along with synthetic now.
Guys, great discussion and info about oils and lubes. I didn’t know why the big difference between natural and synthetic oil. Yes, I use the synthetic and my 2004 still runs strong. Last thing that happened was I couldn’t open the hood due to some corrosion on the latch so needed some help to fix since my arm doesn’t bend in enough directions to reach it from below.
One of the Research Engineers that occasionally when I was lucky enough to get over to their cafeteria (a fantastic place) ate with us explained it like this.
1. Petroleum based oil is a lubricant by accident, synthetic is on purpose.
2. Synethetic clings to parts, engine wear is greatest on start up.
3. It’s viscosity changes far less with temperature
4. Gasoline does not dissolve into it degrading the lubricating properties, it stays in suspension.
The engineers at the refinery, thrifty SOBs by nature, changed their oil filter and continued to use the existing oil until another change (maybe 2).
Genius, I’ll grant you that Toyotas last and last but I prefer a full-size truck. My 91′ F-150 was the best vehicle I ever owned until it got t-boned by an asswipe in a U-haul. I bought it from the original owner in 1998 for $4000 cash. Had 80000 miles on it at the time. It was a TRUE base model truck; manual windows and door locks, AM-FM radio, A/C. Regular cab short bed with the old 4.9L inline six. Had to get the tranny rebuilt at 160000. Full tune-up done first week I had it. I used to run it to GA and back a lot with no issues. Better than any stinkin’ car I ever owned. When that moron in the U-haul hit me I wanted to shoot the SOB. Yeah, yours truly was banged up a bit and got checked out by the EMT’s on the scene. I was sore as hell but OK. I literally LOVED that old truck. Every time something started going wrong on it I went ahead and had it fixed ASAP. You take good care of your vehicle and it will take good care of you.
“I loved that old truck”,a 91 a old truck?
Renegade,we really need to talk!
Warchild, go right ahead.
I have a 1993 Ford 7.3 diesel. Replaced the motor and refreshed the tranny at 500k, and added a bank’s turbo. It cost me 25k to completely redo every bearing, seal etc along with the engine. No stupid DEF fluid and other crap. It’s an IDI engine (mechanical injection), so if there’s ever an emp my radio won’t work. Worth every penny to keep it going!
Buyer Beware–the only thing with CL trucks/cars now is all the past flooding in so many states.
I always owned a junker for the past 15 or so years. That’s why I have a 15 year old Mazda Tribute with 48K miles on it.
I haven’t had a junker in 2 years…last being a Ford Ranger.
I’m finished with landscaping and really don’t need one; just every now and then get husband’s truck for top soil for my raised bed….:-)
The new cars not selling isn’t a recent issue…there are 100s of acres worldwide leased by auto manufacturers to park these autos…or so I read years ago. Remove the space in link.
ht tps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwiZ6kOMmDQ
Oprah Winfrey did a car giveaway show.
Maybe it’s time for another.
.
My 83′ Suburban keeps looking better.
Try to buy a used truck in Texas with less than 150k miles on it. It’s cheaper to buy new than used.
Uhhhhhh, buy one somewhere else and drive it to Texas?
Or,buy in Tx. a old beast and drop in said motor/tranny/rebuild transfer ect.,truck from hell!
As Warchild always says,either build or pay for one from late 70’s backwards(a few 80’s exceptions!).Get a nice body 4×4 from the 70’s back and go nuts on a build,i.e. new heavy duty pumpkins and axels/build transmission and tranny case/motor from hell ect.You can build a great vehicle for 20 grand or less and have something unique and easy to work on,no computers ect. except laptop when you travel.You can do the same for older cars,pay a few bucks upfront for a mint 70’s toyota ect. you just need transportation,a 20/22R motor the way to go,a van,the same thing or do as Warchild and drop a E-100 van body on a F-250 frame 4×4 and go from there!I see mint old trucks going for say 15-20,still way less then a new truck and solid,not garbage!My only weak point is heavy duty body work/paint,then the builds will go into over drive!
Ahhh, tis my evil twin brother! (just kiddin). Those sound like some way cool builds! I always wanted a 4×4 van. My alltime fav 4×4 I ever had was a 72 FJ-45 landcruiser. Factory straight 6 with rochester carb and GM centrifugal distributor and a bumper that would make mad max envious! Talk about a tough unit, damm you could plow over 6 inch trees no problem lol. Good to see yer still around, hope all is well!
Yep,we have discussed our builds including my FJ-40’s among other builds.
You want a 4×4 van,right now a 70’s ford with 460/auto so assume a C-6/good body but not perfect/no visible holes at the 1700 mark on ebay,look it up.I am very interested but as in Hampster Oregon a lot closer to you.Is what they say up to say 4 grand good,then,start the work and get her close to mint without turning it into a show car!
Been helping out family an dgoing crazy,will hopefully end soon.
I will say after 4.5 years Warchild tonight has added some of Tennessee’s best to his coffee(multiple coffees mind you!),am on a mild tear and really looking for th enext project but am tied up with the family nonsense.I can afford another build as was working prevailing wage and,oh……,did I forget to mention inherited 400+ thousand? Time to sell and as prices drop get more land in the Hampster,interesting times to say the least.
At moment building a new 1911,receiver started from chunk of steel with machinist friend guiding my progress,see machine gear in me future!
So does that mean your not coming to my end of the world deck party? Aside, Very glad to hear your doing well and investing wisely! I wish you the best of times and happiness. If you ever get a hankerin’ to come west, let me know!
Paint thinner deck party when I have ole #7 at me beck and call?!I really do not know what the spring/summer hold,would love to head out west/get van/stop by for a deck party ect.
I get new land will do a solar survey and send ya’s results,may go beyond water solar this go around,really depends on whether storage gets better soon.
Seriously,you want a 4×4 van I believe that candidate in Oregon at least on paper looks like the right candidate.I notice you said you hate working on cars,what happened,a accident that involved castration,how could a MAN not like working on cars?!I think someone needs a lift installed and a bigger tool box!
Cars used to be fairly easy to work on now the engine compartment is filled with vaccum hoses and other hoses and all manner of shit to the brim. Designed so you have to remove a bunch of crap just to get at something else. Our 98 4runner is a nightmare. The 02 tacoma you have to remove the intake plenum to change the spark plugs. FUUUUUCK who designs this shit? Ya old 70s are doable but even then my back is screaming after an hour and my knees are right there too. Sucks getting old and having to do this shit.
Gen
Agreed. I buy the factory manuals for every vehicle I buy.
The one for my Mazda( Ford) is 2.5 inches thick, there is a also a separate manual for the electrical side. My VW manual is also 2.5 inches thick. I keep one Windows Laptop to run my OBDII software so as to troubleshoot those engine lights and Tune the car.
I have several hundreds of dollars of “special tools”.
I also have the best special tool of all, a Hammer.
But this is all cheaper than a visit to the dealer where they charge you a fortune to do a bad repair job.
For you guys that like older vehicles, keep in mind parts can get hard to find. I had to scramble to find a right rear axle for my newest ( a 2004) vehicle.
The new vehicles are so loaded down with spy equipment that I want nothing to do with them. All of the electronic gadgets on new vehicles can be used to figure out where you have been, how long you were there, how much gas you used, which gas stations you used, how fast you were driving and whether you were speeding, and more. Anything added to vehicles to allegedly “improve safety” can also be used to build a dossier on me. To Hell with that. I want the government spies to work for their information if they want to spy on me, and not get it handed to them on a silver platter.
The buyers may be willing (and crazy), but you have to be credit worthy. Most American families can’t handle the debt they already have and can’t qualify to take on more. I’ve a really nasty feeling that they will lower their credit standards to allow more buyers to qualify. Haven’t we learned anything from 2008?
Hi guys:
I very much appreciate all the data you-uns have presented.
I agree that Mobil makes the best engine oil. We use synthetic oil in both vehicles and in our Kubota tractor and Kubota RTV. Shell Rotella T6 in the later.
OK. if you-uns know of an Issuz 1984 diesel P/U please let me know.
Cheers
BULLSHIT!
A couple of years ago “the shit fan sites” claimed that the US auto industry had tens of thousands of acres of unsold brand new automobiles just sitting unsold. I suspect the same shit story cycle continues here because it makes a wonderful click-bait to sell seed banks and do-it-yourself composing field toilets.
Henny Penny
These “sh*t fan sites” have succeeded in convincing their loyal followers that the sky is ALWAYS falling.. How many posters here were actually prepping in say 1994?
We began declining in the mid-70’s and by the early 90’s the vast majority of our manufacturing base had already been obliterated yet 98% of posters here were not prepping,
Car manufacturers in the US are nothing more than loan companies now.
“I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as servants upon the earth. ”
— from Ecc 10
Our business magnates must have been raised to poop in the gutter; the P/E ratio is probably taught by grammar school age, in the first world.
I would say, with a mathematical certainty, that overstock represents a frivolous, social promotion, which has yet to be granted by a tyrant.
will we see another cash for clunkers program to get all those cars sold?
How ironic yet fitting to store the automobiles that could find no buyer in the employee parking lots of abandoned factories. It’s like a baby bird going back to the nest awaiting its mother killed by a fox.
Here’s the problem as I see it and it’s mostly about money.
1. People generally are tapped out so they don’t spend on big ticket items like cars and houses. That’s also why retail stores and chains are shrinking or going out of business entirely.
2. Boomers are retiring. Retirees tend to be very thrifty because they have to. Most don’t have a summer house and and winter home in a warm climate.
3. The immigrants–legal or otherwise–don’t spend much, if any, of their own money beyond necessities. Those who are better off aren’t too interested in being the Great American Consumer; they have other priorities.
4. Health care (medical & dental) and taxes are up. That’s not news to anyone but it does eat into people’s income. Loan companies specializing in health care loans abound. Governments from federal to local are getting ever more creative in getting their hands in your pocket–er, I mean taxation.
5. There are also numerous regulations while not a tax cause people to alter their habits and cost money such as areas banning plastic bags where a customer either has to purchase the plastic or a reusable bag.
So, yeah, buy a new car….? Most couldn’t even afford the taxes on one given to them.
When money is tight the first purchase put off is a new car, the last is food. The economy of the USA at its manufacturing zenith was captured in the phrase, “Whats good for GM is good for America”. Certainly auto sales (without loan trickery) was a far more accurate measure of economic health than a stock market propelled by trickery.
ht tp://www.epicdash.com/thousands-of-unsold-new-cars-are-being-abandoned-and-left-to-die-in-lots-this-is-insane/
remove the space for an eye-opener
It’s usually used to keep people in debt servitude, or you walk.
This is something, which noone can easily have?
I understand primitive skills, but I thought we’ve inherited a civilization.
Does anyone else think that “says” is a narcissist? What a treat to have one individual take over the entire conversation…Didn’t your parents ever teach you any manners? Cherrio…Butch
C,mon…that’s the last name. We’re all in the same family, see.
Have been checking out used cars over the last month or so. Prices are quite high and not reflecting an abundant inventory so there is a disconnect somewhere.
One of my vehicles is a 2001 short-bed F-150 I bought new. In the last 3 years it has a rebuilt engine, new transmission & torque converter, new exhaust system, new rotors/calipers/ bearings, some suspension & steering parts replaced, and a real pretty new paint job, and regularly take care of all maintenance. I frequently receive unsolicited offers for my truck – no way.
The local dealership sent me a letter saying there is a big demand for used pickups, that they would give me a good price for mine towards a trade-in. No way – I couldn’t replace it for what they offer without incurring a huge cost to me.
Where I live, by taking care an older vehicle is a hell of a lot less expensive than property taxes and insurance on newer vehicles. But best of all – no vehicle payments.
Local tax rates here on vehicles are based on the Blue Book value. Unfortunately for the local gov’t, it appears a lot of people around here are keeping their vehicles longer, so as their vehicles gets older the assessment goes down lowering the tax rate. This causes local gov’t to collect less in property taxes. Now they are considering a different way of assessing vehicles in an effort to increase tax collection.
By taking care of your vehicles you lower your costs of living (but maintain your standard of living). A second benefit is starving the tax beast.
Man, saw a nice Ford 4×4 yesterday. 6″ lift. 20″ aftermarket wheels running some aggressive Mickey Thompsons. Duallies straight out the back, tinted, etc.
Man, it looked great on that rollback with flashing amber lights.