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Used vehicle prices

ah I understand if you are paying someone labor. I learned how to change oil without getting it all over me ;)

I usually go 7000 miles on my base level synthetic oils in all my cars. A change with base synthetic oil and a 'normal oil filter' I buy off rockauto for $5 (or less, got some on clearance for $2).

I do a synthetic oil change every 7k for $20 and less than 1 hour of my time (I have a bitch'en set of tools in my garage)

I assume you are paying extra for an extended drain oil filter too?

Those extended drain filters can run $14ish, I do not trust the regular filter to run that far (especially the included filter at Jiffy Lube), but I have no reason or evidence to support that thought other than marketing material the regular filter can't do the job to 15k.
 
Would you donate your old car to support Ukraine, for example. My friend told me about the project recently launched in support of Ukraine where you can give your old car for military or medical purposes in the war zone. Would you do this if you didn't need your old car?
Our economy is getting so bad we need people to donate cars to us so we can pay for eggs and gas
 
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Would you donate your old car to support Ukraine, for example. My friend told me about the project recently launched in support of Ukraine where you can give your old car for military or medical purposes in the war zone. Would you do this if you didn't need your old car?

Here is an idea, how about you and your countrymen STFU and stop asking for handouts when you have been given almost a billion dollars for your little CIA war over the past year and a large portion of that has gone straight into the pockets of your corrupt leaders that then get all in our faces and pout and stomp and demand we give them even more billions.

Not to mention your country interfering with our elections and messing around in our politics.

On the real side, how are you going to ship cars from the USA to the Ukraine at anything like reasonable costs?

This is just another money grubbing, corrupt, cesspit where the cars will be sold locally, and the money pocketed by everyone in your corrupt government.
 
What does a quart of typical Amsoil cost you? (inc shipping cost)

For most people, it probably does not make sense to spend the money because most people will not keep a car for 300,000 plus miles. I generally dump cars at 200,000 miles

I use whatever lower end synthetic is available and on sale/rebate.

Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic , Quaker State Full Synthetic, Castrol GTX Full Synthetic

I do realize these brands all make a higher end synthetic, I have not had to upgrade for my use.
In 200k of normal interval oil and filter changes, I have never had an oil related failure on many cars over the years.

I can usually pick up a 5qt jug of any of the above listed oils for $15 or so for 5 quarts, on sale or after rebate or combo of both
That price has been on going for years now, but I realize they can stop the rebates at any time.

If 5 quarts of Amsoil were $15, then I will add it to the list, but anytime I look the price per quart is insanely high.

I have had friends take vehicles to 400k miles using nothing but regular old fossil based oil

Sometimes I think people with normal grocery getter type cars in normal day to day driving waste a lot of money on high end oils, while I know those oils are 'better', they are overkill for the situation at hand. Meaning they go to 11 ;) and a solid 8 is good enough.
I enjoy the many different perspectives we share here..
No "One Size Fit's All"....
Just look at three things discussed daily...... Weapons, Women and Vehicles.
:cool:
 
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Would you donate your old car to support Ukraine, for example. My friend told me about the project recently launched in support of Ukraine where you can give your old car for military or medical purposes in the war zone. Would you do this if you didn't need your old car?
I am the recipient of an old "donated" car.... Have driven it daily for 4 years, 202,000 miles...I am grateful to have gotten it.
When an American decides to "donate" anything to Ukraine, the stipulation is they must accompany the donation and hand deliver it to the needy person.
2023 will be the year of the needy Americans. Think local.
JMHO

Tag Bigfatcock
 
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Stick a shop vac on the oil fill

Pull drain plug with no mess. Pull vac off oil drops
Will also depend on what kind of engine/car you are working on. Engineers are morons and make it hard not to get oil everywhere. Like when the oil drains onto the swaybar, or crossmember. Or when they design the engine with the oil filter upside down so there is a 100% chance you are spilling everywhere on the side of the engine.
 
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Stick a shop vac on the oil fill

Pull drain plug with no mess. Pull vac off oil drops

or do what I did and replace the oil pan drain bolt with one that has a on off valve :D The hard way works too I guess ;)
 
I avoid spilling oil everywhere by having the shop do my oil changes.
 
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Will also depend on what kind of engine/car you are working on. Engineers are morons and make it hard not to get oil everywhere. Like when the oil drains onto the swaybar, or crossmember. Or when they design the engine with the oil filter upside down so there is a 100% chance you are spilling everywhere on the side of the engine.
I love drenching that cross over exhaust exhaust pipe on those V8''s or that one hidden between the engine and fire wall on a Cavalier.... Start a list.
 


1674759051890.png
 


View attachment 8058347
Ill likely keep using Jiffy but this is nice to knw. They also make a pole switch for the battery terminal to disconnect the battery in cars with slow drain on the electric system. $13.00 No doubt produced by Father Mao's children.

1674760681446.png
 


View attachment 8058347
Ill likely keep using Jiffy but this is nice to knw. They also make a pole switch for the battery terminal to disconnect the battery in cars with slow drain on the electric system. $13.00 No doubt produced by Father Mao's children.

View attachment 8058388
 
Ill likely keep using Jiffy but this is nice to knw. They also make a pole switch for the battery terminal to disconnect the battery in cars with slow drain on the electric system. $13.00 No doubt produced by Father Mao's children.

View attachment 8058388

Don't use that on most modern cars, or all kinds of things go wonky, including your entertainment system bricking itself and such.
Many modern vehicles have computers running that never actually go to sleep and when they actually lose power completely it can take some time for them to come back up & sometimes require codes to be typed in.
 
Ill likely keep using Jiffy but this is nice to knw. They also make a pole switch for the battery terminal to disconnect the battery in cars with slow drain on the electric system. $13.00 No doubt produced by Father Mao's children.

View attachment 8058388

When I was traveling, I sat next to a young lady and sparked up a conversation. She was a lawyer for Jiffy Lube. She and 3 other lawyers worked out of the Baltimore office and their entire responsibility was to litigate cases where Jiffy Lube mechanics damaged or destroyed customer's engines by one mistake or another. She was traveling to Philadelphia because that office needed help with the number of cases.

She told me that Jiffy Lube had hundreds of lawyers around the country that were employed or on retainer for cases where their staff damaged or destroyed customer's engines.

I'll stay away from Jiffy Lube for my automobiles.
 
Ill likely keep using Jiffy but this is nice to knw. They also make a pole switch for the battery terminal to disconnect the battery in cars with slow drain on the electric system. $13.00 No doubt produced by Father Mao's children.

View attachment 8058388
Why not just find the problem and fix it?
 
Why not just find the problem and fix it?
Some electrical problems can be a real bitch to k=find, could be as simple as a tiny bit of scratched wire in a hidden spot.

Granted, this was used on my neighbor's 2000 Chevy PU, so it wouldnt fuck up any computers.
 
My wife and I buy off lease Toyota vehicles. Private party lease vehicles have regularly scheduled maintenance and oil changes per lease agreement. The cars/SUV's we purchase are at 3 years 30,000 miles generally. The Toyota warranty bumper to bumper runs until 35,000, and 100,000 on the drive train which gives you some peace of mind. Buying off lease saves you a good chunk of change and Toyota's generally run trouble free for a couple hundred thousand miles.
 
Where would one find such an item?

I use the Fram Sure Drain (not sure they sell them new anymore, but ebay has them)
The reasons I like this one
Its small and simple
has a brass cap that will work 100% if the internal valve ever fails
can still be used like a normal drain plug if you want

1674767654636.png


The oldest one I have is going on 17 years and no issues
 
Some electrical problems can be a real bitch to k=find, could be as simple as a tiny bit of scratched wire in a hidden spot.

Granted, this was used on my neighbor's 2000 Chevy PU, so it wouldnt fuck up any computers.

Yep! I had a 4Runner that wouldn't start some of the times. Then all of a sudden, without doing anything, it would start. It would NOT crank, it was like there wasn't a battery connected to it. I chased it from the ignition switch to the NEW ECU, through to the engine and back through the grounds (way too many of these).

After about a year of my son getting stranded, I sold it. Yes, with full disclosure. That one beat me.
 
Prices still elevated around here. Bought a 2021 model in late 20, the salesman called me up and offered me 41k for it. I paid 40k for it with insentives and discounts, that same truck new in 23 is 10k higher sale price than when I bought.
 
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Yep! I had a 4Runner that wouldn't start some of the times. Then all of a sudden, without doing anything, it would start. It would NOT crank, it was like there wasn't a battery connected to it. I chased it from the ignition switch to the NEW ECU, through to the engine and back through the grounds (way too many of these).

After about a year of my son getting stranded, I sold it. Yes, with full disclosure. That one beat me.

Some older model Toyotas had contacts inside the starter that would corrode or wear down over time. I had an old early 90's Camry that this happened to after it got some age on it. I found some random posting on a car forum with details on how to pull the starter, open it up, find and replace the connections. Parts were like $8 and took a couple hours.

I had the same symptom of randomly not starting, then it did, and no one could figure it out, replacing the contacts inside the starter solenoid fixed it

Something like this (but I never heard the click on mine, it was silent)
 
I once had a '96 Chevy half-ton that I bought new and thought that I would keep forever. Then the motor seized at 220k. I had a rebuilt put in to the tune of $2600. The air conditioning no longer worked and the transmission was starting to slip. And my work is such that I really cannot afford the time to be a "shade tree mechanic."

So, I bought a new small car and drove that a long time, had to get a re-built tranny put in near the end. Traded it in for a new 2016 Corolla. A few years later, traded in for a 2020 Corolla. Nice cars but I missed having a truck. So, last spring traded that 2020 in for a 2022 Tacoma and it was the best deal, so far. They are hungry for used cars to keep the cash flow going. They gave me 14k trade-in. No down payment, swapped keys.

Then, in December, the dealership kept calling me saying that they could get me in a 2023 for a lower payment (I am golden with Toyota Financial.)

Well, they could not lower the payment but they could lower the interest rate. Transferred my coverages and I have a 2023, no down payment, swapped keys, kept my Bakflip tonneau and seat covers (interior color was the same.)

Guaranteed they gave it a bath and turned around and sold it. I kept the interior Pristine, with a capital P.

So, I am probably driving up the cost of used cars.
 
Wow, newbs unite eh ?

Those oil drain valve things....they leak.
EVERY-FUCKING-ONE
Brand does not matter....they all leak, every one, every time.

Learn to remove the drain plug slowly, use common sense, have it under control every second.
No mess.

The battery disconnect.
Just fucking no.
Disconnect 1 battery cable, use 12v test light, connect between battery cable end and battery terminal.
If there is a drain the test light will be lit.
Pull 1 fuse at a time till the light goes out....obviously it will tell you which circuit the drain is on.
Should cut way down on the time it takes to FIX YOUR SHIT instead of bandaids and geritol.
Just fucking fix it the right way ya losers.

That starter contact fix....
Every mechanic worth a flying fuck knows it, and has known about it since the 80's when they first came out with gear reduction starters.
You don't have to replace the contacts, just use a file and some sandpaper and remove the worn groove.
Done, cost ZERO, just some time.

BTW, if you want the *good* oil....
Try and find the Valvoline in the blue bottle called "Dura-Blend".
They took it off the market a while back so it won't be easy to find.
Why ?
It was that good, honestly, it was the only thing I'd run if I could still find it easily......if I see it on a shelf somewhere I will buy every single bit the place has in stock.

I wrenched for near to 30 years, seen shit you guys could never imagine.
Only 1 car I was never able to fix, it had a intermittent vibration.....the (at the time) Chrysler corporation bought it back from the customer, and they couldn't fix it either....they ended up crushing it and wrote it off.

If you have an actual vehicle issue.....ASK.
It costs nothing and makes you look like less of an ass.
Note: less, you'll still be an ass, it just won't be so obvious.
 
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Wow, newbs unite eh ?

Those oil drain valve things....they leak.
EVERY-FUCKING-ONE
Brand does not matter....they all leak, every one, every time.

Learn to remove the drain plug slowly, use common sense, have it under control every second.
No mess.

The battery disconnect.
Just fucking no.
Disconnect 1 battery cable, use 12v test light, connect between battery cable end and battery terminal.
If there is a drain the test light will be lit.
Pull 1 fuse at a time till the light goes out....obviously it will tell you which circuit the drain is on.
Should cut way down on the time it takes to FIX YOUR SHIT instead of bandaids and geritol.
Just fucking fix it the right way ya losers.

That starter contact fix....
Every mechanic worth a flying fuck knows it, and has known about it since the 80's when they first came out with gear reduction starters.
You don't have to replace the contacts, just use a file and some sandpaper and remove the worn groove.
Done, cost ZERO, just some time.

BTW, if you want the *good* oil....
Try and find the Valvoline in the blue bottle called "Dura-Blend".
They took it off the market a while back so it won't be easy to find.
Why ?
It was that good, honestly, it was the only thing I'd run if I could still find it easily......if I see it on a shelf somewhere I will buy every single bit the place has in stock.

I wrenched for near to 30 years, seen shit you guys could never imagine.
Only 1 car I was never able to fix, it had a intermittent vibration.....the (at the time) Chrysler corporation bought it back from the customer, and they couldn't fix it either....they ended up crushing it and wrote it off.

If you have an actual vehicle issue.....ASK.
It costs nothing and makes you look like less of an ass.
Note: less, you'll still be an ass, it just won't be so obvious.
Easy easy hahaha
 
Yeah like the Landcruiser ;)

you member.. the one made of metal.. I member
Funny you mention that. As I work on older equipment that thought often crosses my mind. We always hear about vehicles having a "built in lifetime". In most cases, today, it's not the engine, trans or electronics, it's the "plastic". The more plastic, the more the useful lifetime becomes evident.
 
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Only place I have used those quickie oil drain things is on SOME equipment. Riding lawn mower, why is the drain right over the frame rail, so I can open it up and have all the oil run all over the frame and start to drip from a thousand different places making a total mess. The oil drain for the compressor is the same, set roughly one mile back and when you open it up it will just pour everywhere.

On the mower I did one of the things you can attach a rubber line to and have it run into the pan. After the first oil change I used about a case and a half of brake clean to get all the oil off. You are aware of what mowing and oil will do, it will turn into a muddy grassy yucky mess quickly. There is always a mess there, and I second guess myself, guess I missed some oil that went here there or yon. Finally came to the conclusion it has to be leaking. It does not take much of an oil leak to look like the Exxon Valdez.

The compressor I 3D printed a little V channel out of plastic, that I can slide under the drain, and the oil will run down the length of this channel and into the pan. Still a huge pain, but it works.....and oddly no leak.
 
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My wife and I buy off lease Toyota vehicles. Private party lease vehicles have regularly scheduled maintenance and oil changes per lease agreement. The cars/SUV's we purchase are at 3 years 30,000 miles generally. The Toyota warranty bumper to bumper runs until 35,000, and 100,000 on the drive train which gives you some peace of mind. Buying off lease saves you a good chunk of change and Toyota's generally run trouble free for a couple hundred thousand miles.

Unless buying a toy, I generally buy new. But I also drive them into the ground. The wifes old car was my mothers. After she died I paid it off and the wife used it, and loved it. One of the big ole Volvo AWD wagons. It got to the point where every month it wanted something new. Roughly a $1k to $3k repair. It was always something different, but it was clock work. Car had roughly 250k on it. Parts started to get hard to find, "real" parts that is. So time to go. This time the wife did what you did and she has had good luck with it.

On a side note, and just another sign of the times. "They" make it hard for you to keep them, you must consume. If you want to keep your old car going after the "law" requires you are going to be using chinese parts. It is that or nothing.....or you buy in advance every part your car could ever need, and that is just not realistic.

1674825405129.png
 
If you have an actual vehicle issue.....ASK.
It costs nothing and makes you look like less of an ass.
Note: less, you'll still be an ass, it just won't be so obvious.
We are all asses. And like all asses, at the center, we have bad breath.
 
My wife and I buy off lease Toyota vehicles. Private party lease vehicles have regularly scheduled maintenance and oil changes per lease agreement. The cars/SUV's we purchase are at 3 years 30,000 miles generally. The Toyota warranty bumper to bumper runs until 35,000, and 100,000 on the drive train which gives you some peace of mind. Buying off lease saves you a good chunk of change and Toyota's generally run trouble free for a couple hundred thousand miles.
Are those at local dealers or sold through Toyota?
 
Those oil drain valve things....they leak.
EVERY-FUCKING-ONE
Brand does not matter....they all leak, every one, every time.
No. I have them in a bunch of equipment (from the factory with them. ). These engines cost $50-70k to replace. None of them leak. They are 1/4 turn valves those with stiff resistance not the gimicky crap posted here


Also the vacuum trick works to keep the oil from flowing till you want it to
 
Last week I stopped by one of the local car dealerships to get a part. Couldn't help but notice over on the used car side was a 2022 Jeep Rubicon 4-door with $89,xxx in the window. Seeing that really makes me feel better after paying over MSRP for my Land Cruiser, which is 10X the vehicle compared to a Rubicon.

Screenshot_20230127-183241~2.png
 
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Are those at local dealers or sold through Toyota?
Toyota Dealership. I live in Connecticut. Bought our vehicles In Massachusetts. Richie rich Connecticut Dealerships want $1500 to $ 2000 more than Mass Dealerships. Yes Connecticut does suck the big dick! When the wife retires we will be spending most of the year down south. Can't wait.
 
What does a quart of typical Amsoil cost you? (inc shipping cost)

For most people, it probably does not make sense to spend the money because most people will not keep a car for 300,000 plus miles. I generally dump cars at 200,000 miles

I use whatever lower end synthetic is available and on sale/rebate.

Mobil 1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline Advanced Full Synthetic , Quaker State Full Synthetic, Castrol GTX Full Synthetic

I do realize these brands all make a higher end synthetic, I have not had to upgrade for my use.
In 200k of normal interval oil and filter changes, I have never had an oil related failure on many cars over the years.

I can usually pick up a 5qt jug of any of the above listed oils for $15 or so for 5 quarts, on sale or after rebate or combo of both
That price has been on going for years now, but I realize they can stop the rebates at any time.

If 5 quarts of Amsoil were $15, then I will add it to the list, but anytime I look the price per quart is insanely high.

I have had friends take vehicles to 400k miles using nothing but regular old fossil based oil

Sometimes I think people with normal grocery getter type cars in normal day to day driving waste a lot of money on high end oils, while I know those oils are 'better', they are overkill for the situation at hand. Meaning they go to 11 ;) and a solid 8 is good enough.
Blackstone Laboratories, Inc. 2023
 
Have 2 sisters still waiting on vehicles they ordered. I is waiting on a Ford transit 250 to replace her current transit 250 (nephew is a little person with a powered wheel chair). The other sister is waiting on a Toyota highlander i think. Possibly the hybrid. Don't remember how long they've been waiting though.
Sisters Toyota highlander finally came. 11 days short of a year. Other sister waiting on the transit will be at 16 months on the 17th.
 
Went with the son to look at trucks last week. Test drove a few and told sales guy to give him a total on a 22 GMC Sierra with 9K miles. Guys comes back with 10K higher than what was posted online.

We're getting up to leave and salesguy says, hold on, I'm sure we can do better. He pulls up the vehicle in his computer and starts showing us where the 10K came from. $3900 to "recondition." I asked what did you do to an almost new truck. "Oh, we sanitized the cab, repaired paint defects, replaced the tires..." Me: "You had to replace the tires after 9K?" Looking at son: "You don't want this truck." Salesguy: "Oh, no. I meant if we have to." Then I noticed a $150 fuel charge. Son: "You said I would get a tank of gas. Looks like you're charging about six bucks a gallon." Salesguy: Deer in headlights.

Son tells him he will pay tax, tag and title and the manager can pay all the reconditioning, documentation and because we can fees (he got that from me). Guy walks away for a few minutes come backs and says, "Hey, my manager said we can knock off 2K." Son gets up and we're walking to the door while sales guy follows and begs us to hold on. He walks away and I tell my son if he comes back with a yes to demand new brakes (slight vibration under braking). A couple minutes later he comes back and says OK. Kid demanded brakes and I thought the guy was going to cry.

Ultimately, they did the brakes and delivered the truck the next day.

PS: I looked at the brakes before we left and when delivered. New pads and rotors all around.
 
Interest rates will cause vehicle prices to fall back to at least normal with no add on bs
 
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Went with the son to look at trucks last week. Test drove a few and told sales guy to give him a total on a 22 GMC Sierra with 9K miles. Guys comes back with 10K higher than what was posted online.

We're getting up to leave and salesguy says, hold on, I'm sure we can do better. He pulls up the vehicle in his computer and starts showing us where the 10K came from. $3900 to "recondition." I asked what did you do to an almost new truck. "Oh, we sanitized the cab, repaired paint defects, replaced the tires..." Me: "You had to replace the tires after 9K?" Looking at son: "You don't want this truck." Salesguy: "Oh, no. I meant if we have to." Then I noticed a $150 fuel charge. Son: "You said I would get a tank of gas. Looks like you're charging about six bucks a gallon." Salesguy: Deer in headlights.

Son tells him he will pay tax, tag and title and the manager can pay all the reconditioning, documentation and because we can fees (he got that from me). Guy walks away for a few minutes come backs and says, "Hey, my manager said we can knock off 2K." Son gets up and we're walking to the door while sales guy follows and begs us to hold on. He walks away and I tell my son if he comes back with a yes to demand new brakes (slight vibration under braking). A couple minutes later he comes back and says OK. Kid demanded brakes and I thought the guy was going to cry.

Ultimately, they did the brakes and delivered the truck the next day.

PS: I looked at the brakes before we left and when delivered. New pads and rotors all around.
Those games are why I HATE buying a new vehicle.
 
Those games are why I HATE buying a new vehicle.
It's the same bullshit every time.
U get to the dealership and they jerk around for hours wearing you down with frustration and fatigue.

Last time I bought a car it was brand new on the showroom floor paid with a check for the full amount of the vehicle.
The steelership was insistent that they were going to charge me $1500 over MSRP for a bunch of bullshit.
I kept repeating to the salesman "paying the MSRP for the vehicle and that's all I'm paying".
There's no sales tax in Oregon and licensing fees should come to about $160 for four years.
Found myself a nice comfortable chair in the show room.
Out came my cooler of snacks a laptop played the waiting game.
 
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Well fellows, that is one of the reasons, I hold my Brenda in High Esteem. Talk about a salesman wearing the customer down, not her, she is so tight with money, she Wears Them Down. They all but pay us as well as giving us the truck/car just to get us to leave. Yes she watches my spending like a hawk. But heck, I got money to spend thanks to her eagle eye. Fellows, you have to love a lady like that.
 
I am getting to the point I need to get a new work truck pretty bad. I have been holding off for over a year. I just hate to finally do it then the values drop way off
Buy something that is as depreciated as possible man, new vehicles were bad investments when things were stable, now it’s pure insanity to buy one
 
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