Ask Bark: Quick Bites

Mark "Bark M." Baruth
by Mark "Bark M." Baruth

When we started doing Ask Bark earlier in the year, I had no idea that it would grow into a weekly column, nor did I know that it would become the most popular series on TTAC. It’s rare that an Ask Bark is not the most-read post of the day when one runs, and I know that has very little to do with me. Rather, it’s an effect caused by the great readership of this site. Without your questions and your responses, this column wouldn’t exist. I thank you for continuing to send your questions and for your continued participation.

As a result, I have over 200 unanswered questions sitting in my email inbox. Not all of them require a full thousand-word response, so I’m going to tackle a few of the shorter questions today. Oh, and the hero image is just a pic of my son with the vehicle he designed for Disney’s Test Track that I’ve wanted to use. Click the jump and let’s help our fellow readers together.

Dean writes:

My wife owns a 2007 Mazda3 that she bought new. It turned over 100,000 miles this spring. She’s a thrifty sort and expects to “run it into the ground.” On the other hand, we live in New England and have to deal with winter. She’s expressed interest (in a general sense) in her theoretical next car being a Subaru. We have zero children (and that is not going to change), one dog, and rarely have other people in the car. We don’t need much space or carrying capacity. I’m sure an Impreza would suit our needs just fine; both of us think the Crosstrek is a little overdone-looking. Also, due to poor vision, I don’t drive so we are a one-car household.

I would like to replace her car at some point in the next six to 12 months (so this is not time-sensitive) as a gesture for emotional and financial support she provided during a period when I was out of work. I’m willing to consider leasing (which she fails to see the appeal of). And, having read your recent article on used-car purchasing, I would not have a problem with a young used car with a verified history. (I also have a family member who is a skilled mechanic and could check out the car for me.) Since I can’t drive, I’ve never bought or leased a car, but I do have excellent credit. Is it practical for me to pursue this on my own and present it as a surprise? Or are there too many obstacles for a person who doesn’t drive, and doesn’t even have a license, to buy a car for someone else?

Dean,

There’s no reason that a legally blind person cannot purchase a car. I consulted a lawyer friend, and he said there’s no law on the books that would prevent you from doing so. The only issue would be insuring the vehicle. A lending institution might require you to show proof of insurance, but that’s typically not required for about 72 hours. Assuming the insurance is under your wife’s name, she can then add the insurance when you surprise her with the car. If you can get the dealership to deliver the vehicle to your home (which most dealers would gladly do to close a deal), then it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’d recommend the same used car buying process to you that I would to anybody: get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent shop. You may need to get a friend involved to take it to the shop, or, again, you could ask the dealer to deliver it for you. With a new vehicle, there shouldn’t be any issues with you buying it literally sight unseen — not even with a Subaru!

Jim writes:

I’m 26, with a decent-paying middle class job, an unpleasant amount of credit card debt, and a 2013 Mazda MX-5 Miata. I got a pretty good deal on it ($14,000 out the door with 45,000 miles) and financed it through a credit union at a decent 3.5% APR over 48 months. Monthly cost with full coverage insurance is roughly $450. I love driving it and it does pretty much everything I require at this point (no kids, no dogs). With that said, my debt situation has me considering alternatives to the three years of servitude required before the title’s in my hand.

Enter the Prelude. My mom bought a 2001 Honda Prelude fresh off the lot at my 11-year-old urging. She loved it and put about 190,000 miles on it before buying a new FR-S six-speed last year. For reasons that elude me, my retired-mechanic father put about $1,500 worth of new parts into it to “get it ready to sell.” New clutch, brakes, shocks, sway bar bushings, ball joints, etc. In its last 10,000 miles, before my mom bought the FR-S, the Prelude received a new transmission and A/C compressor. It drives tight and feels like a Cadillac compared to the Miata.

I’m seriously considering unloading the Miata to Carmax and replacing it with the Prelude. I would miss the hell out of the Mazda, but I’m not upside-down on it and the value proposition of the Prelude is hard to resist. I’d like to pay her Blue Book for the car ($2,500-ish) and for a few months I could budget funds for a replacement engine for when this one kicks the bucket. Yea or nay?

If your credit card debt is stressing you out that badly, then I’d say that removing that $450 a month bill from your budget could be a godsend. Of course, you’ll still need to insure the Prelude, so it won’t be a complete wash, but the move should save you at least $300 a month.

However, I’ve got to think that the ‘Lude only has about 60,000 left on that motor. If, like most Americans, you drive about 15,000 miles a year, that means the Prelude has about four years to go. So here’s what I’d do: Drive the Prelude for that entire time, pay down some of your debt, and save the rest of the money for the eventual Honda replacement. It will suck to say goodbye to a car that you love, but the good news is there’s no shortage of Miatas for sale. When the time comes, and you’ve got a black number for net worth as opposed to a red one, then you’ll be able to go find another Miata. If you’re disciplined, it will be sooner than you think.

Richard writes:

Chevrolet Caprices are starting to filter through to the used market. I found this three-year-old example near me with 74,000 miles on AutoTrader.

At just $11,795, that seems to me to be a heck of a lot of car for the money and would suit anybody that wanted to tool around in something different.

What say you?

I say nay. $12,000 gets you an awful lot of used car. And yes, a Caprice would be something different. But in this case, I can’t say that different equals good.

What you’re getting here is essentially an updated Pontiac G8 V6 (please spare us all the Zeta platform codes, B&B) with a spartan interior and wheels that nobody wants to steal. Police vehicles are typically well maintained (depending on the budget of the municipality), but those 74,000 miles were likely driven by somebody who didn’t give a single damn about that car and treated it accordingly.

If the idea of a perp bleeding out in the back seat doesn’t bother you that much, then go for it. However, you could get an actual Pontiac G8 with fewer miles that doesn’t look like it’s been parked on a median for the last three years.

There you go! One article, three questions … and still over 200 to go! Keep sending them to barkm302@gmail.com and we’ll keep answering them.

Mark "Bark M." Baruth
Mark "Bark M." Baruth

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2 of 43 comments
  • Orenwolf Orenwolf on Jul 19, 2016

    Bark, that your youngin' at Test Track in the pic? :)

  • Rpn453 Rpn453 on Jul 19, 2016

    I guess I'll be the one to suggest winter tires to Dean. Unless the wife really wants to have fun with the nannies off in winter conditions. Then I'd suggest a manual transmission Subaru. On winter tires, of course. Audis with the longitudinal powertrain are a lot of fun in the snow as well.

  • Joe This is called a man in the middle attack and has been around for years. You can fall for this in a Starbucks as easily as when you’re charging your car. Nothing new here…
  • AZFelix Hilux technical, preferably with a swivel mount.
  • ToolGuy This is the kind of thing you get when you give people faster internet.
  • ToolGuy North America is already the greatest country on the planet, and I have learned to be careful about what I wish for in terms of making changes. I mean, if Greenland wants to buy JDM vehicles, isn't that for the Danes to decide?
  • ToolGuy Once again my home did not catch on fire and my fire extinguisher(s) stayed in the closet, unused. I guess I threw my money away on fire extinguishers.(And by fire extinguishers I mean nuclear missiles.)
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