4 Stages in the life of a car
#1
4 Stages in the life of a car
Stage 1 – I am a new car
Shiny and new. Generally lasts from mile 0 until the end of warranty. Maybe a hair past the warranty. This is essentially the honeymoon phase. Its new, ding free, paint looks great. Interior smells nice still. Dealership repairs any quirk you may have under warranty, and aside from oil changes and fuel, you just keep puttering away driving and enjoying.
As the stage 1 car gets closer to the end of warranty, little things start creeping up. Needing tires, small dings or scratches. Most of which get taken car of as cheaply as possible, but they do get taken care of as the inevitable trade-in value or private sale value is on top of your mind. Touch up paint or paintless dent repair keeps the body looking pretty good as the car ends stage and is sold to someone as the car enters stage 2. Major services like timing belts are often 5k miles away. Time to sell this thing before it starts costing any real money. Repair what you need to make it 'show' as good as possible to prospective buyers. Nothing more. Nothing less. Man, gonna miss this car. It was awesome.
Stage 2 – I am used, and getting ready for needing love.
Warranty has just ended, but the previous owner has the car looking pretty darn good. Not perfect, but man you got a good price on it, so it's all good. You love your 'new' car.
2 months later, time for a timing belt (if you realized it was due for one. If not, 3 months in, you are doing an engine rebuild). Odds are you need brakes at this point, and a quick pad replacement wont be enough. Time to do full brakes including rotors, flushing all fluids and new pads.
Ahh great. The major services are up to date. Summer is here and time to party. Why is it so hot? Oh right. The air conditioner which worked when you bought the car decided its done working. Time for a recharge and hope that's the end of the problem. Usually its not, and several hundred dollars later, you finally have AC again. Just in time for fall/winter. On the upside it will work next summer, right?
Well, with summer over, its time to throw your snow tires on. You are busy or don't have the tools at home so into the shop to have the wheels swapped out. Good thing you did. Odds are you wouldn't have noticed the worn out from suspension (tie rods on last legs, bushings shot, etc). Maybe that explains some of the 'noises' you have heard lately. 500+ later, suspension is smooth as silk again and ready for winter. This settles it. Your good deal of car seems to be costing 500-1000$ quarterly. You make the decision to ride it out through this winter, and then sell it in the spring for cheap just to be done with it. You drive it the rest of the time with nothing more then fueling up. Oil changes jump to double the normal interval. You just want to get till spring till you can sell it. What a POS this has been.
Stage 3 – Im old, well worn, but doin alright for my age. Im a great beater.
Car is on sale for pennies on the dollar. 2000$ or less for this one time 30K car. You buy it, take it home. Throw in a fresh timing belt because god only knows when it was done. While you are there, you do your first oil change and some fresh cheapy plugs/wires. Air works great. Body and paint is what you would expect for the age. Suspension feels fresh and tight. Hrmmm. Seems to be a pretty good deal. Hell you paid next to nothing for it, and its only gotta last me the rest of this year. 2 years later, you have done nothing but oil changes and fuel ups. This has really been a great little beater. Does everything within the expected tolerances. Nothing major has broke. Maybe a battery, but heck, you haven't put any money into aside from the few hundred when you first got it, whats a battery in the grand scheme of things. I love this beater, I dont think I could kill it if I try. Too bad the wife wants something new and shiney. For sale as parts. Gonna miss you buddy.
Stage 4 parts
It is now a parts car. OR it's a car some poor kid has decided to try and rebuild into something 'cool' again. At least till he gets bored, and it becomes parts 4 Stages of a cars life..
Shiny and new. Generally lasts from mile 0 until the end of warranty. Maybe a hair past the warranty. This is essentially the honeymoon phase. Its new, ding free, paint looks great. Interior smells nice still. Dealership repairs any quirk you may have under warranty, and aside from oil changes and fuel, you just keep puttering away driving and enjoying.
As the stage 1 car gets closer to the end of warranty, little things start creeping up. Needing tires, small dings or scratches. Most of which get taken car of as cheaply as possible, but they do get taken care of as the inevitable trade-in value or private sale value is on top of your mind. Touch up paint or paintless dent repair keeps the body looking pretty good as the car ends stage and is sold to someone as the car enters stage 2. Major services like timing belts are often 5k miles away. Time to sell this thing before it starts costing any real money. Repair what you need to make it 'show' as good as possible to prospective buyers. Nothing more. Nothing less. Man, gonna miss this car. It was awesome.
Stage 2 – I am used, and getting ready for needing love.
Warranty has just ended, but the previous owner has the car looking pretty darn good. Not perfect, but man you got a good price on it, so it's all good. You love your 'new' car.
2 months later, time for a timing belt (if you realized it was due for one. If not, 3 months in, you are doing an engine rebuild). Odds are you need brakes at this point, and a quick pad replacement wont be enough. Time to do full brakes including rotors, flushing all fluids and new pads.
Ahh great. The major services are up to date. Summer is here and time to party. Why is it so hot? Oh right. The air conditioner which worked when you bought the car decided its done working. Time for a recharge and hope that's the end of the problem. Usually its not, and several hundred dollars later, you finally have AC again. Just in time for fall/winter. On the upside it will work next summer, right?
Well, with summer over, its time to throw your snow tires on. You are busy or don't have the tools at home so into the shop to have the wheels swapped out. Good thing you did. Odds are you wouldn't have noticed the worn out from suspension (tie rods on last legs, bushings shot, etc). Maybe that explains some of the 'noises' you have heard lately. 500+ later, suspension is smooth as silk again and ready for winter. This settles it. Your good deal of car seems to be costing 500-1000$ quarterly. You make the decision to ride it out through this winter, and then sell it in the spring for cheap just to be done with it. You drive it the rest of the time with nothing more then fueling up. Oil changes jump to double the normal interval. You just want to get till spring till you can sell it. What a POS this has been.
Stage 3 – Im old, well worn, but doin alright for my age. Im a great beater.
Car is on sale for pennies on the dollar. 2000$ or less for this one time 30K car. You buy it, take it home. Throw in a fresh timing belt because god only knows when it was done. While you are there, you do your first oil change and some fresh cheapy plugs/wires. Air works great. Body and paint is what you would expect for the age. Suspension feels fresh and tight. Hrmmm. Seems to be a pretty good deal. Hell you paid next to nothing for it, and its only gotta last me the rest of this year. 2 years later, you have done nothing but oil changes and fuel ups. This has really been a great little beater. Does everything within the expected tolerances. Nothing major has broke. Maybe a battery, but heck, you haven't put any money into aside from the few hundred when you first got it, whats a battery in the grand scheme of things. I love this beater, I dont think I could kill it if I try. Too bad the wife wants something new and shiney. For sale as parts. Gonna miss you buddy.
Stage 4 parts
It is now a parts car. OR it's a car some poor kid has decided to try and rebuild into something 'cool' again. At least till he gets bored, and it becomes parts 4 Stages of a cars life..
#2
Senior Member
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 3,837
Likes: 0
From: Floating around the AUDM
Vehicle: X3 Sprint, S-Coupe Turbo
had my fair share of ladzy stage 3 cars in my time. stage 1 cars annoy the sh*t out of me, people have them because they are shiny and are nice status symbols but don't really care about the car that much. grr.