Coffee Crone: Taming Coffee Blog

July 14 2006

You get what you pay for

It's now time to sell our old car, the one the BBC replaced. Mebbe I've watched too much Judge Judy, but I want to be very sure that whoever buys the car completely understands what he or she is getting. For that reason, I've created the following written statement, which as a devotee of not just Judge Judy, but also Judge Joe Brown, and Judge Marilyn, I will have the new owner sign, before driving it away.

The car you are buying is a 1993 Nissan Altima with almost 180,000 kilometers on it. There is no warranty, guarantee, or even a vague promise that comes along with the pieces of metal, plastic, and rubber that together form this car. It really is 14 years old, and it really is a high mileage vehicle.

The car has been reasonably reliable daily transportation for those 14 years. A couple of months ago, the alternator failed, and we replaced it with a rebuilt one. Last month, the muffler died, and we got a new one. Last winter, we had a whole lot of work done on it including new shocks and struts. I'm pretty sure we are still paying for that.

You might drive it for a fairly long time before you have to put anything in it but gas, or some part--maybe even an expensive part--could break five minutes after you pay for the car and pull away from the curb. We're not having any problems with it at the moment, but with a 14 year old high mileage vehicle, you just never know.

The car has lived outside for most of its life. Those reddish brown spots on it really are rust. Cars that live through 14 Alberta winters tend to get rusty. The car was never abused, but neither was it driven by a little old lady who made one trip a week to the grocery store and another trip on Sunday to church. It was babied (as most cars are) when it was new and under warranty. That time is long past. We've had the oil changed more-or-less regularly, but it's been years and years since everything recommended in the new car book was done to this car.

If you're smart, you have had a mechanic look at the car before handing over your money.

We hope you enjoy the car (as we did) and that it lasts until you can afford to get a car that is hot and new, or at least better than this one.