Can't love this car because I don't TRUST it!

[Turbowned]

I'm part of the supposed 25% of people responding who has seen snow, and plenty of it. Our roads are salted like crazy every year. Yes, I undercoat my car. I also wash it obsessively to keep the rust at bay. Letting dirt and salt cake up in all the little crevices is certainly an invitation for the car to rust prematurely.

I guarantee you that two similarly-driven cars, one that gets washed once or twice a month vs. never will be in considerably better shape after 10 years of driving. My mother's 2000 Merc E320 is a perfect example of this. She never washed her car, and it's got a few noticeable rust spots popping up on the door and trunklid. I see a couple other cars like hers that have rust spots in similar areas. However I see many other similar E320's on the road, miraculously that don't have rust. Now I wonder why that is... And that's the difference between a 2000 E320 worth $2,000 on trade and one worth $5000. I think that's worth washing once in a while.

[NOHOME]

Originally Posted by Turbowned

I'm part of the supposed 25% of people responding who has seen snow, and plenty of it. Our roads are salted like crazy every year. Yes, I undercoat my car. I also wash it obsessively to keep the rust at bay. Letting dirt and salt cake up in all the little crevices is certainly an invitation for the car to rust prematurely.

I guarantee you that two similarly-driven cars, one that gets washed once or twice a month vs. never will be in considerably better shape after 10 years of driving. My mother's 2000 Merc E320 is a perfect example of this. She never washed her car, and it's got a few noticeable rust spots popping up on the door and trunklid. I see a couple other cars like hers that have rust spots in similar areas. However I see many other similar E320's on the road, miraculously that don't have rust. Now I wonder why that is... And that's the difference between a 2000 E320 worth $2,000 on trade and one worth $5000. I think that's worth washing once in a while.

Well, first thing I would do is see someone about the obsessive behavior. Last I checked that was a bad thing?

As to the $3000 dollar difference, that's what y'all are not getting. It is NOT worth it to me. A $30000 dollar car, deppreciated to zero at the end of ten years is only $3000 a year. I can afford that.

The car is not the pigsty that you guys are imagining. I am not a messy person by nature and don't use the car as a rolling dinner. Its a nice car that just looks like it could use a wash.

[jmaryt]

ehe he he! so wattta ya waiting for? wash it!, quiet the critics,
and maybe hang onto it for the ten years!

[SubieNate]

I don't believe in cars depreciating to zero. There is always some value left, either in the car's ability to serve it's purpose or in it's resale value. $3000 over 10 years is a crap way of thinking of it. It's $3k that you can put towards the next car you buy, or new toys, or whatever else you want to spend it on when you sell the car. Saying it's 3k spent over 10 years doesn't really make sense, because as long as you own the car that 3k is tied up in the vehicle. What you are paying doesn't change based on how much the car depreciates, why would you cheat yourself out of $3k when it's a simple 20 minute job to wash down the car once a week?

On function, I can guarantee you a car with paint that is taken care of will continue to function well much longer than one that's had all of it's paint rotted off.

If you want to run a car into the ground, go buy a high production number car with a bulletproof FWD I4 that's been around for generations. Let someone who will preserve the 86 to the best of their ability take care of the sports car.

Cheers
Nathan