My trusty rusty old car
Well, now it’s my car.
I love my car. I’ve had it about fifteen years, though, and driven it mostly in New England, land of the salty roads.
The other day I saw an ominous sign: some rust way down under the rear door on the right. There wasn’t a lot of it, but I know this is dangerous. I took it to a body shop and they said, “Oh, no one does rust anymore.”
Someone else in the body shop piped up that there was one place that still did rust, and he gave me the name. I went over there and they put it up on the lift and studied it. Then they gave me the verdict, which wasn’t pretty: it would cost $8500 to fix it. Plus, the fix wouldn’t last long because there were other areas that would probably rust, too, and it would be hard to prevent it.
Well, the car’s value isn’t more than about $6,500. So it seems a no-brainer to get a new car (probably used). But that’s not easy for me because I have orthopedic problems (such as a bad back) that mean I have to sit for about an hour in each car I contemplate, and drive it a few times. Most cars aren’t all that comfortable for me. It takes me a lot of time to find a car that works for me.
Of course, I can try to get a lower-mileage version of the car I already have. I’ve looked, though, and there aren’t many for sale anywhere and none nearby. Plus, of course, even with low mileage it would be an old car subject to the same problems.
ARGHHH!
I sympathize. I drive a 2006 van…nothing special. Mileage is still relatively low … about 150K, and since the car has been it’s entire “life” in either California or Texas, rust isn’t much of a problem. My DIL is looking forward to the day when I no longer drive so she can take it over. Honestly though…new cars are so expensive that it’s worth the cost of getting the old ones fixed. But…I’m thinking that about engines, not about the problem of rust. Don’t know what you can do about that – even if you have it in a garage whenever you aren’t driving, you still have the problem of the salt they use on the roads when you have ice/snow – which you _do_ have! So…it’s partly the age and quality of the cars, and partly the problem of climate!
Everybody has their own issues getting comfortable in a car, each body is different. As a general rule, however, over many years the seating in Volvos has been excellent and orthopedically correct. I have never owned a Volvo but have often been tempted simply because of the excellence of the seats.
This is as true for old Volvos as for newer models. Being in New England, there are many older Volvos on the used car market, some at very attractive prices. Some models over the years were better than others, but in general most proved durable, so they should be decent ownership propositions for a customer of your profile. Just a thought.
Find a car with a very adjustable seat and then have it remade and contoured to fit you. Seems expensive, but would be worth it to have a comfortable seat.
In our case, our new Tesla seemed comfortable at first– but the seat was too firm. My wife bought a piece of high density foam that we sit on and it made an incredible difference. They make lumbar support “pillows” just add stuff until it’s comfortable. Once you make it comfortable for you, have the seat recovered with those pieces inserted under the cover.
I sympathize on needing to “fit” in the car comfortably. I love my car, but my husband just doesn’t fit comfortably in it. Mine is a Lexus (Toyota). He has been in other Toyotas and finds the same problem. His pickup truck is a Honda, and he fits well in it, and in my daughter’s CRV, also a Honda.
Try another car of the same make as the one you have. Their newer models may still have the same seating design. Rent one for a few days and do some driving.
Kate, do you mean the Ridgeline? I just traded my ’17 F150 in on a new Ridgeline and just spent 14 hours in it– 7 hours there and 7 back and I was surprised how well the seats held up. Usually after a few hours I’m very uncomfortable.