Thanks for the input guys. I guess the main reason my mom’s thinking i"m spending too much on my Teg, is because she’s comparing my expenditures with the expenses of my dad’s 1996 Integra.
Now my dad’s the very definition of cheap. Frig- the only difference between him and Chris Rock’s dad is that he doesn’t know the prices of all the groceries. That’s because he grows his food (incidentally, he went ultra vegan because it was cheaper). He uses the gas grill side burner even in the winter, because gas is cheaper than electricity. Birds who flock near him don’t chirp- they “cheap”!
In 5.5 years of driving, he spent about 2000 for maintenance: alternator + belt, fuel lines, brakes, tires, battery, distributor, spark plug wires + spark plugs (shoot, I forgot to include that in my expenses- 16$ for copper NGKs I replaced before my emission test in June 2010), timing belt, and rust proofing… (there may be more, but I can’t remember off the top of my head now). The car runs alright (except the brake rotors need to be replaced- the car rumbles during high speed braking).
He replaces things only if its important, or when its completely non functional.
Why did he have to get an Integra?
And as for my mom- shes an accountant. Nuff said.
[QUOTE=91akira;2170045]Consider this as a hobby. In any hobby, you’ll pay for things. If your really an integra enthusiast, and have a decent paying job, you won’t care of the expenses.
And no your not spending too much. Your car will last longer for the things that you replaced.
Your mom probably said “with that money spent, you could have bought a new car”. YOU choose. Either do that OR spend the time to rebuild the car you love. Thats all I have to say about that.[/QUOTE]
I"m a student now, and I make enough money to barely pay for maintenance, insurance, parking, etc, with OSAP covering for tuition expenses. Thankfully I live with my folks, otherwise I wouldn’t be posting here.
I love the Integra- it is the product of perfect engineering and design in every aspect. My teg captivated me back in 2003 when I first saw it in the used car dealers, and 7 years from now, at age 21, it still leaves me in awe.
If I find regular gas that did not have any ethanol in it, I would switch in a heartbeat. Granted, I have not conducted any specific long term studies yet, but driving around in ethanol laden silver gasoline dropped my mileage considerably (480kms per fill up- subject to driving habit and many other variables though, which is why a proper test should be done before being sure). Ethanol, being a slightly polar molecule, has a higher surface tension and a lower ability to vaporize, and as far as I understand, it is the vaporization ability of your gas that contributes to higher fuel efficiency, (smaller particles in vapor have higher surface area than larger droplets).
Granted though, the price of regular gas outweighs the savings incurred from increased gas mileage. I’ll test it out long term.
I find that important too. I’m also going to start stocking up on important parts when I find them for cheap (usually on Craigslist of Kijiji). Timing belts, oil pumps, master cylinders, and synthetic oil- stuff that I know I"ll replace in the long run (by the way, can anyone add to that list?). Unfortunately, the money I save on the parts, I lose on the labor, with shady mechanics. I wish I could do all the stuff myself, but I just don’t have the time to learn and do everything.
Funny you say that- my mom was actually considering getting me a barely used TSX. In her logic, its cheaper if she buys one year used (so very little needs to be replaced, but you’re not paying for the extra depreciation value). No problems for the next 5 years. But is that a guarantee? Would you shell an extra 27,800 just for that piece of mind? Doing proper maintenance, in my case, was less than 9,000. So for 11,200- I have a pretty solid car for the next 5+ years. I know what may fail on me soon, because a car that’s been around for 20 years develops a pattern- with newer cars, you never know what may go wrong and when.
I like my car. I don’t intend to upgrade it, because with chicks driving Porsches and Corvettes- its pointless to expect your 20 year old Acura to be a status symbol or a chick magnet.
But I like it because its everything I want in a car. So I’ll maintain it.
