Hammer Time: Polishing a Turd. Or Not.
The Honda Accord [shown] had at least seven things wrong with it. The non-primed hood was the color of pure rust because, well, it was. The tranny would need at least a computer and probably a vehicle speed sensor as well. Damn. Those few things alone were going to cost as much as a junkyard transmission. The trunk hinges were bent. The driver’s window regulator was bad. The chrome windshield trim was missing and shade tree glue was all over the place. The radio was kaput, and the tires were as worn out as an old broom. A $250 trade-in with at least $1000 in repairs . . . would it be worth it to fix?
Hell no! The one thing I’ve learned through the years is that absolutely nothing can make up for the stupidity of a neglectful owner. Nothing. The engine compartment alone would tell the tale with shoelaces and cardboard (yes, you read that right) intermingled with filters that hadn’t seen the light of day for quite the while—if ever. The Accord would be wholesaled for the trade-in money I had in it and that would be that. It’s a shame because these particular models are rarely worth more dead (parts car) than alive (running). This one is destined to be a parts car or a Frankenstein. A car made out of two to three other cars.
More by Steven Lang
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Trust me oldyak. With this one there is no walkaround.
My first car was a sweet 1990 Accord Coupe bought Presidents day weekend 1990 for $12988 + tax. 190k miles later (and nothing more than a generator and radiator) I had a minor accident bashing in the right rear quarter panel (not my fault). With rust in the rear wells from winter weather each year, ins company gave me a check for $1250 (500 deductible) and I pocketed the check and traded it in on a 1999 Pathfinder XE (got pathfinder at invoice -3000 rebate/dealer incentive) and got $2000 for it. Pathfinder was POS which I got rid of in 2004 after replacing struts 3 TIMES (only 1 covered by warranty and no offroading) at 90,000 miles (HVAC fan also broken). Got a Pilot which is running fine at 115,000 miles today.
ridelife - I do the same thing when I interview a prospective employee. I walk him to his car at the interviews conclusion. If his car is full of trash and generally uncared for, his resume hits the circular file.
That's pretty lame. My cars are immaculate and my housekeeping sucks. That doesn't tell you anything. My work record is impeccable. For over 20 years. One has nothing to do with the other. With that sort of standard my employer would have missed out on the best and most loyal and most productive and honest employees they have had over that same amount of time. And the General Manager is the opposite. His car is a mess on the inside. Always. But he's helped build their business to the point that he is an integral part of the company over the past 20 some odd years and to replace him would be a disaster. They've had some real neat freaks that stole them blind though, but if that's your system, by all means...... Checking Facebook and My Space is a far better gauge of the person you want to have working for you rather than some arbitrary yardstick such as how well they keep their car cleaned.