Hoovies Garage

Can this $200 Jaguar XJ8 Be Saved? Hooptie Rescue Mission
I've been watching Hoovie's videos lately and I enjoy them. Generally, he is talking about old, fancy, expensive cars that he has purchased for cheap and how much of a disaster they are and what an idiot he is for buying them. He's often right, but not always. Sometimes what looks like a complete disaster turns out to be something that can be fixed for a couple of hundred dollars.

The whole scene is very different from when I was working on cars 40 years ago. Then I was dealing with $200 cars which were complete junk and I was just trying to make them run for another week. There were no computers. Tune ups, which included changing the points, condensor and spark plugs needed to be done once a year. A timing light (strobe light) was the epitome of high-technology.

Anyway, he gives a very good view into the current used automobile business. I do not understand new car dealers. Years ago we purchased two new cars and neither dealer was any fun to deal with. The last two cars I bought were rebuilt from 'wrecks' and they have proven to be great cars. I say 'wrecks' but that just means there was enough damage that it was cheaper for the insurance company to write it off than to fix it. There is something funny about this business. I do not understand how a $20K car with $5K of damage becomes 'totaled'.

If you are buying a car, remember that even an economy car costs around $500 a month to own and operate. Doesn't really matter if it is new or used. Used cars cost less to buy but are going to have higher repair bills. If you are careful you might be able to get by on slightly less money, but you should put any money left over in the cookie jar because inevitably you are going to need it. If you can't afford the $500 every month, don't buy a car.