How many cars do you own?

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I lease a 2018 Hyundai Tucson. It's a very "basic" car. No "internet."

my '97 CRV [mom gave it to me when she passed] is as basic a car as can be, but it gets me from point A to B with a minimum of fuss. but I still would love to test-drive a Citroën DS.

I have a 2002 Grand Marquis which I will drive into the ground and then buy another one. Due to problems with my grip, I cannot use the steering wheels on more modern economy cars. I occasionally have to rent a car while this one is being fixed, but that is way cheaper than buying new or new/used. And, as natural plastic said, occasionally I'll get an upgrade. Last time I got a BMW and everyone was fawning over it and it didn't drive any better than my GM.

Rust is more deadly than bullets. I keep after the maintenance on that. I have had some very tough old Toyotas. A friend had a Honda Civic that he was planning to convert to electric "when the engine goes."
"Better take out the oil drain plug, if you want a useful body shell" I advised. He had to nod.

If I could drive I would probably own a Nissan Sentra like my cousin has or something similar as a first car.

So my 2002 grand marquis I was just bragging about stopped suddenly in the middle of an intersection yesterday and after much messing around with two auto repair shops and consulting with another, it is a case of a timing chain being broken and everyone seems to agree that is expensive and time consuming to fix. So I am going to donate it to NPR and look for a new (used) one.

Not enough but my Volvo can occasionally do truck things even though it's a tiny sport wagon. I'm hoping to get into enough surveying that I'll need a work truck, but I also might get my dad's beater Honda Element.

_________________
"Standing on a well-chilled cinder, we see the fading of the suns, and try to recall the vanished brilliance of the origin of the worlds."
-Georges Lemaitre
"I fly through hyperspace, in my green computer interface"
-Gem Tos

When shopping for used cars, we have to consider the possibility of a timing belt failing. Shop for a "non-interference" engine - one where the pistons can never hit the valves. That makes the repair something most people can do with a few tools and a manual. The other kind is almost never worth fixing. You have to replace the timing belt by mileage records, or as a precaution.

BTW, I had an old Toyota, and the windshield wipers stopped while I was otherwise homeless. What saved me was having the manual, and a few basic tools. The manual told me how to get access to the problem, which might have taken a week otherwise. I saw an easy way to fix it with a twist-tie, and was done in under an hour. Then a big rainbow appeared, and I was still pretty dry. The thing finally died on the highway, but I just fiddled with the carburetor, and probably dislodged a bit of dirt, and was on my way again.

When you buy a used car, change all the fluids, and look for bits of gears, etc.

Reliable, economical, respectable looking, but unfashionable cars cost me less than $200 per year for parts and depreciation. Buy for function, and let the NTs worry about the image.

Dear_one, I love your story about fixing the old Toyota. When I was in college I had a VW bug and learned to do all the mechanical stuff. Did my own oil changes, rebuilt the carburetor etc. Even took out the engine once. But since then cars have become too complicated. I have admiration for people who can cobble things together that work.

I like the old Fords because they were built with actual metal and the engines last forever. Timing chains were something I didn't know about or had forgotten. I had 135,000 miles on it and was hoping to get at least 150,000.

Auntblabby, thank you for the wishes. One good thing about where I live is that there are millions of elderly people who drive these cars and sometimes only for six months out of the year. So I am reasonably hopeful I can find one. The song part is less likely

Timing chains seldom gave trouble. Timing belts are "consumables." Cars that are less than 20 years old are harder to fix, to the point that junk yards don't even try to sell used parts from them. Auto supply stores are closing, and the old parts are harder to find. Even new replacements are sometimes junk. I have a parts car that has saved me a lot of time and money for $50.
Car repair may seem daunting, but I know a guy who re-built his motor himself after he learned what the oil light meant the hard way.

It was a timing chain that was the problem. It was going to cost $1600 and take four days of labor. I verified that with a mechanic I trust. I calculate this last car cost about $1500/year amortizing the purchase price over almost 5 years and counting repairs.