Car sales

[Robinjopo1]

I'm on my 4th Mazda. (Made in US). I get over 200k miles on them then sell for $800 to $1000.

I've always bought manual transmissions, but this one is automatic because my daughter was learning to drive with it.

My goal is to teach my daughter to drive a manual because it's becoming a lost art and may be needed during the zombie apocalypse. You never know what you will be forced to drive.

 

[Arcticdude]

I wouldn't bet on it lasting that long. Cars are made like crap now. A friend owns a body shop. The emblem for the front of a 2017 Toyota Corolla was $495 (that's his cost). That much because there is a sensor (an additional $800) behind it that reads through the emblem.

Henry Ford said that he could give Model T's away and still make profit off the parts..... Kinda got that way now, it seems.

That's why I don't buy "cars". Most cars today are cheaply built and are what I call "throw-away" cars. My F250 is over 20 years old, my Wrangler Rubicon is 11 years old and the wife's Grand Cherokee is 7 years old. We've had zero problems with any of our vehicles. All were bought new and were ordered exactly the way we wanted.

 

[TexasFreedom]

Robin,

I challenge the need to 'drive' if SHTF. At least not for months and months after the event. Sure, if you need to get to a BOL, but that's it. Roads will be blocked with dead vehicles and driving is the perfect chance for a thug to kill you with a rifle or surprise you with a road blockade. It might be handy if you're out on a 10k acre ranch. But if you think you're driving on existing roads around town, think again.

Note that I've got a few SHTF vehicles. They will be handy once things settle down. Driving a manual is really handy with tractors and other equipment, and a dying skill. But I don't know that it will be a value-add.