Best car for ERE

[enigmaT120]

I passed a couple of those velomobiles a few weeks ago whilst riding my motorcycle home from work. I'd never seen one before. They didn't seem to be going very fast; we were approaching a hill I couldn't see over so I followed them up the hill and waited to pass safely. Very interesting. I see many recumbents but those were the first enclosed ones.

[enigmaT120]

2005 Honda Civic coupe with manual transmission (45+ MPG on highway)

I wish they hadn't quit making those cute hatchbacks. They can haul a lot of stuff.

[Mister Imperceptible]

I just want you to know, it may have taken 3 years, but I laughed heartily.

[7Wannabe5]

My new car



is the best, because

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YbF4waWNepw

OTOH, not the best, because I just checked and Jacob does not use the word "cute" even once in the book.

[Nuuka]

I have some experience of classic cars. I follow british journal “Classic Mercedes”. I have 3 mercedes models listed as classics in thar journal. They are 1976, 1982 and 1988 model year. Only one of the cars is restored to original and “museum” certified. Rest are just road-legal inspected.

These pre-93 mercedes cars are non-computerized and do not need any diagnostics gear to be maintained. Generally all spare parts are available from dealer, generic carparts stores, ebay, mercedes-forum members, or junkyard. There are active enthusiast forums in the internet so all imaginable repairs are supported for DIY owner

Prices of 70-90 mercedes cars are rising as there are less of these cars available mainly due to rust.

Another brand with similar level support is Volvo rear-wheel models up to 1998.

[Sclass]

That’s cool. What models?

I have some Mercedes W123 and 126 diesels. They’re pretty cheap compared to modern commuter cars. High quality and durable. Kind of a hobby. I spend a lot of time tinkering with them.

The parts are getting harder to find as time goes on. Luckily I’m in SoCal and there are plenty in the junkyards to strip parts from.

I don’t suggest them as ERE vehicles. They require some specific skills and knowledge to maintain. I know people who struggle finding a good mechanic then paying for his time when owning these cars. I take it you also maintain them yourself.

If you’re willing to do the work, they can be cheap and reliable cars. But so can a lot of other older models like Honda’s, Crown Victoria LTDs, Toyota or Ford pickups.

[Nuuka]

That’s cool. What models?

W123 300D manual 1976 (certified original condition); now in garage for rust repair on rear wheel arches & driver door bottom
S123 300TD turbodiesel automatIc 1982 (rare car in Europe); car I am using now till mid-Nov for commuting,
W124 260E automatic 1988 (I will use during winter months)
Volvo 940 turbo automatic 1998 (from April to Sept due to being only one of my classics with A/C)

I do all maintenance and repairs including welding and painting for rust repairs.

[Sclass]

W123 300D manual 1976 (certified original condition); now in garage for rust repair on rear wheel arches & driver door bottom

I do all maintenance and repairs including welding and painting for rust repairs.

Awesome. We rarely see a w123 1976 300d in the US.

If you do your own work these are great cars for ERE. My 82 240d was the four wheeled embodiment of my retirement plan - slow, deliberate, rebuildable and salvaged from someone else’s trash. Terribly underpowered at 50hp weighing in as a tank which made it useless in impatient hands. But extremely practical once I learned how to efficiently utilize the 50hp to push around a 3500 lb car. That’s kind of an ERE analogy. Burned waste fryer oil. Built from junkyard parts for $2000.

My S Class is all about stealth wealth too. Extremely comfortable and a joy to drive. Yet it looks like a 35 year old brick carrying around a pauper. People think I’m broke. I think these vehicles further confused ordinary people about how I managed to retire early.

So yes, I love these cars and they saved me a lot of money over the last twenty years. I basically drove around in $2000 cars that just drove longer than I wanted to look at them. I typically put 100k on in eight years and moved on to another when I got bored with a particular model. I also got interested in diesel and made some investments in Cummins and others that helped my retirement along.

The repairs can get expensive on neglected cars so I don’t recommend them enthusiastically around here unless people are good at wrenching and like spending their time doing that. And an affection for Mercedes helps since you can get similar money savings off other good quality makes.

[Nuuka]

I like driving these lazy diesels. Somehow you adapt a different driving style (cruising) along and I feel relaxed. I get often tumb-up signs and older people often come to talk and tell that they have owned mercedes as well.

My S123 touring I am currently driving, looks like a wreck since it has been driven already 650000 km (400000 miles) without repaint job.

[fiby41]

Tata Nano. It went out of print before it went mainstream

[take2]

I like driving these lazy diesels. Somehow you adapt a different driving style (cruising) along and I feel relaxed. I get often tumb-up signs and older people often come to talk and tell that they have owned mercedes as well.

My S123 touring I am currently driving, looks like a wreck since it has been driven already 650000 km (400000 miles) without repaint job.

Here is a small video clip about my S123 touring

https://youtu.be/2ckL13E453M

Excellent. My parents have a 1980 300CD that’s still going, though now garaged most of the time. My father bought it used in 1985 with 15,000 miles on it. I was almost born in the thing as my mom was rushed to the hospital in it. I took my drivers test in it 18 years later, and drove it for another 7 until I moved out of state.

The odometer stopped working around 210,000 miles sometime around 2002, so I’m sure it got north of 350k before being mostly garaged. Amazing cars.

[Sclass]

Here is a small video clip about my S123 touring

https://youtu.be/2ckL13E453M

Great 300TD. Love that color. I almost bought a 79 300d normally aspirated in seafoam green. Love it. Beautiful.

[Nuuka]

Color code is 881 silberdistel. Interior color code is 056 grunolive.

[ToFI]

A high mileage car but around 6 years old is better than an old rusted car with low mileage. The rust is still not too bad and the components are still new. Cars are meant to be driven.
I bought a 2012 Volvo XC60 with 125000 miles for only 8000 USD. I used clay bar to clean it and it looks almost like new. I plan to drive it for 6 years when it's 13 years old and get another car. I live in a snow/rust belt so rust is a big issue. The car will rust out before engine's dead.

[tonyedgecombe]

Do modern cars rust anymore, I thought they were all galvanised now.

We tend to buy cheap European hatchbacks, and run them into the ground. 150K is about the max you can get from them. A bigger diesel car might last longer but the costs of fuel, insurance, tax and servicing make it look worse in the UK. Anyway at this point the bodywork still looks fine, it's the cost of catalytic converters, fuel injectors, etc that starts to mount.

[5ts]

No salt in the UK means no rust. Where there is salt there is rust to this day.

[tonyedgecombe]

We salt our roads quite heavily in the UK in the winter.

[TopHatFox]

No car is not practical for a country build around cars. Look: even Jacob and MMM have one for all the talk about bicycling.

You don’t have to use the car to get down to the grocery store—and in fact you probably should live within walking distance of work—but a simple used car you maintain yourself is life changing.

Want to go on a date with a lady the next town over? Yes. Want to go to the state or national park 100 kn South on the weekend? Yes. Want to travel your state during vacation? Yes. Is that freedom worth you working more? Yes.

You don’t need anything fancy, just a used Toyota Corolla, Honda Civic, or Toyota Camry that you keep in tip-top shape. While you’re at it, avoid living in dense af cities or blue states that may charge exorbitant fees for a car space, parking, insurance, licensing, and other car expenses. A good used one should run you 7k and last many years.

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I also don’t think getting the smallest, most economical car is a good idea. You want a car that is common and therefore has plenty of parts, that has excellent safety statistics, and that is inexpensive to buy and operate. As of now, electric, hybrid, or diesel cars do not meet these standards.

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Apparently the Toyota Yaris has a Mazda engine in it, so that means its reliability is more akin to a Mazda rather than a Toyota.

[Gilberto de Piento]

Do modern cars rust anymore, I thought they were all galvanised now.

Modern cars definitely still rust, it just takes longer and it doesn't seem to hit the body panels as hard as it used to say 30 years ago. The underside of a ten year old car in areas where salt is used will most likely still be a rusty mess.

[Gilberto de Piento]

No car is not practical for a country build around cars. Look: even Jacob and MMM have one for all the talk about bicycling.

I agree with THF on this one. It is difficult to not have a car in most places in the US without having to restrict lifestyle and/or figure out a lot of work arounds.

That said, it comes at a cost for ERE purposes. My car, even though I work on it myself and it has less than 100,000 miles, is a constant money, time, and energy suck because it is low quality and is on the part of the life cycle where everything is wearing out. If I didn't have a car and made corresponding lifestyle sacrifices I would be closer to FI.

Cost depends on the particular model, the individual car, and even the owner, not just the brand. There are money pit Toyotas and Hondas and GM and Chrysler cars with low costs. The odds are with the Toyotas and Hondas though.