Mundane News
- Thread starter Merkurologist
- Start date
chazt
Forum !
I’ve had an annual prostate exam for 16, soon to be 17 years. When the first proctologist retired, a younger colleague of his became my new doctor. The difference in their bedside manner was fascinating. The older guy was like Dr. McCoy, gruff, quick and harsh. His replacement walked into the room and chatted me up for a few minutes before donning his rubber glove. It was the proctological equivalent of flowers and a movie.
Vacumatic
Testy
It is when they take a run up that I get worried.
I have a friend who is a retired doctor in Texas, he happily goes and has this done every three years for his peace of mind.
For me the issue is all the stuff you have to go through before the exam, the evacuation and the fasting.
p.b
Forum GOD!
Out of interest- how long do you think a vehicle should operate without failure?
chazt
Forum !
Apologies in advance for my 2p...
in my experience, Nissan and Saturn cars with regular maintenance i.e., oil changes, tire inflation/rotation, have been incident free for the duration of the 3-4 year lease, every car for the last ~30 years we’ve been leasing.
In 1984 I bought a new Toyota Tercel 5 speed station wagon. I drove it until 1998 and put on some 219,000 miles. It was perfect for the first 100k miles. Around that time things started to go one by one. Timing chain, radiator, windshield wiper motor, rack and pinion assembly, but I had an excellent mechanic who i trusted completely and he kept that car on the road until I concluded it had become a mobile money pit.
Scattered amongst all those experiences i had the great misfortune of leasing a 1998 Chevy Malibu for 3 years. That p o s broke down on my first drive home from the dealership. The faulty electrical system was always a wonky mess, but it was before the so called lemon laws and I had little recourse.
In the early-mid aughts when my kids were away at school and each needed her own reliable car, i leased them new Nissans in addition to my wife’s leased car. The payments were really stretching us, so I borrowed on permanent loan, my Dad’s Toyota Camry as he’d recently hung up his driver’s license. The Camry was mechanically original, 20 years old and tattered. But it got me to and from work for a good three years while the kids were in school simultaneously.
p.b
Forum GOD!
Did all the switches work on the Camry when it was 20 years old?
Do you have different expectations for something like and engine / transmission / wheel bearings that are ‘working’ all the time vs switches / lamps / heating system etc. that are turned on and off?
Twelvefret
Ne'er-Do-Well
The reason I went to trucks in 1994 was because I began to notice trucks tended to last longer than cars.
I was picked up for a river shuttle in a mid ‘80’s Suburban and decided to replace an ‘85 Plymouth Voyager with 100k miles with a ‘94 Suburban. The Suburban burned in our 2001 house fire. I found a ‘99 Tahoe to replace the Suburban for which has become my daily driver with 317 K miles.
Had the engine rebuilt in 2012 and the transmission last year. I once calculated the Tahoe has cost me $32k since i bought it which includes the $19k used purchase price. It was financed for 24 months so whatever interest would be more .
I was picked up for a river shuttle in a mid ‘80’s Suburban and decided to replace an ‘85 Plymouth Voyager with 100k miles with a ‘94 Suburban. The Suburban burned in our 2001 house fire. I found a ‘99 Tahoe to replace the Suburban for which has become my daily driver with 317 K miles.
Had the engine rebuilt in 2012 and the transmission last year. I once calculated the Tahoe has cost me $32k since i bought it which includes the $19k used purchase price. It was financed for 24 months so whatever interest would be more .
chazt
Forum !
Yes, the switches all worked. I have no specific expectations about longevity of parts relative to their function. I figure stuff ought to just work. If something breaks and i feel anecdotally that it lasted a sufficiently long enough time, I’m ok with either repair or replacement. However if something fails before I feel I’ve gotten my money’s worth, then I get a bit pissy about it. Like for instance, I think the transmission on my 5 months old, used but once or twice a week GE clothes washer is going to fail shortly. When it does I’ll be highly cheesed off.
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Twelvefret
Ne'er-Do-Well
The Tahoe was built in the Spring of ‘98. it might need stitches from time to time.
Bought my Shindawa weed eater in ‘93. My tractor was made in ‘64. Gotta learn how to take care of stuff.
Bought my Shindawa weed eater in ‘93. My tractor was made in ‘64. Gotta learn how to take care of stuff.
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purerockfury
Forum GOD!
only ever could afford old used vehicles... and worked as an auto & truck parts counterman... the last vehicle we had/have is a 05 Chevy Malibu... 270k miles... just basic maintenance has been done... and only ever had major work to do on 2 vehicles... a trans that never could be fixed... and a in the engine coolant leak... we're furtunate to have a few of our people that are mechanics... prefer older vehicles... less crap in them and "easier" to fix...
chazt
Forum !
I too fully believe this is a good number to aim for but also understand the laughter emojis expressed by others. Expectations vs reality are seemingly incompatible here..
p.b
Forum GOD!
I also agree - and Toyota/ Lexus seem to achieve it with most vehicles, so expectations are not always incompatible with reality.
Mark12
Forum GOD!
I wish I had a tractor but it's not really compatible with the flat I live in
The bigger the better
Shave to the grave
Forum GOD!
Who knows. How long's a piece of string. I was referring to Audi particularly because I drive one. A while ago, I had to have something looked at. A very minor issue . The vehicle was under warranty and they quoted a price just to look at it. That's like having a tradesman look at a job you want done in your house and charging you for the privilege. Audi contact their customers to remind them when a service is due. I'm was contacted earlier this year. They quoted about £750 for the service which is really only an oil and filter change. Thankfully I have a very good garage near my work who did the service for a lot less. Audi are no different to other car manufacturers once they sell the vehicle. Really I should re phrase that and say they're all thieving bastards.