My car cost me less than I was earning a week at the time. It certainly wasn't expensive (my PC cost six times more than my car), and I don't see anything cool about it either. It's been handy, certainly, but not cool. Don't get me wrong, I certainly think there are cool cars. Mine, however, is not one of them.

That's nice, and it shows that your car does reflect your personality and style. But to some of us, a car is no more or no less than any other object.

I work (when I'm able to work) in an industry where appearance counts more than pretty much anything else, so appearance is important to me. However, since I can't have my car behind the bar, I don't really give a damn that it looks like a piece of crap.

Even the expensive cars are a fashion statement. Think to it, what else would you do of a 300 horse power car when you can only drive to 130 km/h max on highways ?

Thank you, sir!

Definitely. I need to wash it again. Black goes dirty quick!

Okay. So I think we're confusing generalities with specifics.

Your computer, means something to you. You like computers. You can tell the difference between an AMD and an Intel. It represents you in some way or another. So you put money into it and you like doing that. But most people can't tell the difference.

I plan to start a car company... so I definitely like cars. And while I know that no car makes me valuable (just as no nice set of clothing makes me valuable), I do enjoy it and am willing to pay more than someone would for a clunker. Especially for something reliable because I'm moving away.

The same applies to anything. Archery, fishing, and so on. Your checkbook shows where your heart is. Some people love ATVs. Some people love knitting. There's nothing wrong with that as long as it doesn't possess your life to the point of hurting other aspects of it.

Given archery: To everyone else, a bow is a bow. They can't tell your finely crafted compound bow with the 150 lb test with the guided laser range finder. But amoungst people who do know their field, they can tell the difference. My VR6 is just a black car to many. But to those who know cars and know what it is, it's something special (personal preference aside).

At the very least, it's special to me.

You just described every American company except... VW still does it better in fuel economy and interior quality... and ride quality...

German designed then. On that level, there's more American parts in a Jetta or Corolla than a Mustang.

Get speeding tickets. And occasionally go to licensed race tracks. Besides, it's not all about top speed. It's also about how quickly you can get to the speed limit.

Not at all. My point was that a car does not have to be expensive. It's only expensive if you're willing to spend a lot of money on it.

As I said, just like any other object.

Or are you trying to say theirs no such thing as a cheap car in the USA? Because there's a lot of them over here (granted, we probably have a much higher percentage of cheap Japanese imports than America does).

I know that fact all too well...

If that is true, I really wonder how much my last car cost... My current car is about $10,000 new.

Mmmmmz, 426^[1]... That's a lovely number, isn't it.

I've been driving a 1997 Ford Crown Victoria for the last 3 months as a cab, and I love it. It's already got 225K? miles on it, got new ball joints and bushings on the front end a month ago (been T-boned twice since then) and it still can outrun, outhaul, and just outdo any "stick your pinky out when drinking the foreign tea" car any day. There are several little problems, such as the climate control tempurature servomechanism being sluggish, and there seems to be some permanent disfigurement in the windshield directly in front of your eyes, but I love it. Oh, yeah, it's an old cop car. (hope the boss ain't reading) It's been beaten light to light drag racing by a new version Dodge Charger (sounded stock), a Ford Mustang that sounds like a top fueler, and a Honda was so hopped up it couldn't idle at the red light without feathering the throttle. I haven't maxed it out on curvy roads because that requires serious practice without passengers and also not adding too many unpaid miles to the meter, but I wish it had the full monty bucket seats to keep me from sliding around.

That's probably a "backwards compatible" thing from the old days before power steering. The old fogeys that normally buy big cars like Crown Vics hate the 10 inch steering wheels with hard foam so thick you can get a handful of grip.

Also, the owner of this cab asked a junkyard how much it would cost for a "normal" engine computer to tame the power down, but they wanted $250 US, so she declined. I didn't mention the possibility that lots of stock Crown Vic owners would be very glad to swap at no charge . OTOH, I drove a stock Crown Vic a year ago, it was able to beat a Mustang whose owner had more lead in his foot than sense. The passenger probably teased him in front of all their buddies all the next day about how his hot Mustang couldn't beat a taxicab.

I love my integra, she pulls strong, perfect running condition!!

However, buying any car is buying a time bomb. The only difference between new and old is how far back you want it the spring to be wound up. If you can afford to be towed, and can afford to be randomly out of a car--buy an old one. It'll save you tons of money. However, people away at college can't really afford that luxury. Especially those who want to road trip long distances.

Moreover, a $150 clutch is a $150 clutch (plus $300 labour). Regardless of it being an $8000 car or an $800 car. The first is a no brainer. The second is a consideration for a "new" beater car.

Ford is afloat because of the F150. GM is too huge to survive with only one good vehicle. Chrysler can't make a good truck ( horrible transmission failure rates).

Congrats Chris! Enjoy your sweet ride I own a cheap little hyundai but I found it and I bought it, so I love it! I am surprisingly very attached to my car.