Would you pay $24,000 for a brand-new mid-sized family sedan with a V6 engine? Someone just did, according to the vintage and classic car auctioneer at Bring a Trailer.
The car in question is a 20-year-old Oldsmobile Alero with less than 100 miles on it that someone bought back in 2004 that has been preserved as-new ever since. It is one of the last Oldsmobiles – 2004 was the final year for this division of General Motors – but that is not the source of its value.
When it was new, the Alero was just another mid-sized family sedan and a definite also-ran vs. the plethora of similar V6-powered mid-sized sedans that were then available, especially the Honda Accord and the Toyota Camry.
But there are no such sedans available now.
Honda stopped selling V6 Accords about four years ago and Toyota just stopped selling V6-powered Camrys. Both of those sedans are now four-cylinder-only sedans. Mazda doesn’t sell the eponymous 6 sedan at all anymore and Chevy just cancelled the Malibu, which also used to be available with a V6.
A new (2025) Camry with a four – partially electrified; i.e., hybridized – stickers for $28,400 to start. A new Accord with a four stickers for $27,895. And – as just mentioned – that’s about all you can still get as the other sedans you used to be able to get are pretty much gone.
You don’t even get a V6 when you spend almost $60k to buy a new mid-sized luxury sedan, such as a Mercedes E”350″ – which used to come with a 3.5 lite V6 but now comes with a 2.0 liter four. Same as regards the current BMW “530i” – which used to come standard with a 3.0 liter inline six. The Benz and the BMW now come standard with 2.0 liter fours.
It’s telling, isn’t it, that Benz and BMW haven’t downsized the nomenclature to reflect the diminished reality; e.g., “E200” and 5 “200i”
So spending $24k to get a brand-new 2004 V6-powered Alero sounds like more than just a pretty good deal – to anyone who isn’t completely deaf to the unappealing realities just enumerated about what nearly $30k (or nearly $60k) doesn’t buy today.
Like, for instance, a “car journalist” who described the person who bought the Alero as “nuts.”
“Take away all the special Final 500 stuff,” the writer wrote about the last-of-the-Oldsmobiles’ special trim, to commemorate the end of Oldsmobile, “and you’re left with an Alero, which was never all that special to begin with.”
Which entirely misses the point – and the reason why someone paid $24,000 for what has become very special indeed.
Italics to reiterate the point missed.
Certainly, it would have been “nuts” to spend $24k on an old (even if essentially brand-new) Alero as recently as five years ago – because five years ago, you could still buy a brand-new Camry or Accord with a V6.
But you can’t anymore. And that is apparently a fact – and an implication – beyond the ken of “car journalists” such as the one who describes the ’04 Alero’s buyer as “nuts.”
We are now in undiscovered country, so to speak. For the first time in the 120-plus years that there have been cars, the older stuff is esteemed more than the new stuff by more-than-just-a-few easily disparaged Luddites. This is not a case of stubborn hillbillies and cheapskates clinging to their 1930s Model A Fords into the 1960s. Only a few such did that because the cars being made in the ’60s were better than the cars made back in the ’30s.
Instead of a flathead V8 that made 130 horsepower, overhead valve V8s that made twice the power. Synchronized gearboxes; automatics that had more than two forward speeds. Cars that could cruise all day at what were top speeds back in the 30s.
Progress, in other words.
Now we have regression. Cars cost more – and you get less. As for example a four-cylinder-powered sedan that costs thousands more than a V6-powered sedan used to cost. Or a four cylinder almost-$60k luxury sedan that has less engine than a family sedan used to commonly have a mere 20 years ago.
And you pay in other, subtler ways – including the invasion of your privacy you’re buying into when you buy any new vehicle, irrespective of what it costs.
That ’04 Alero didn’t have microphones built into it or cameras watching you; there was no touchscreen, either – and that’s worth a lot to people who aren’t interested in one. Like the “nuts” person who paid $24,000 to buy a brand-new Oldsmobile without one – but with a V6 – that isn’t “connected” to anything, either.
That old-new Alero probably does not have “drive-by-wire” anything. You can disconnect the battery without the car going into a state of catalepsy that only a dealer can salve.
“To whoever got the winning bid, congrats I guess?” – writes the Japlopnik hack. “I look forward to seeing this thing listed again in another few years as the owner tries to get back what they paid for it.”
Once again, entirely missing the point.
Whoever bought this car does not see it as an “investment.” They see at as an escape. A way to drive a brand-new car that is not like brand-new cars because it was made back when new cars were still made like this.
As opposed to how they’re made now.
. . .
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I just saw this piece this morning.
That Alero would have been right up my alley, as having been an N Body owner since 1994, they have appealed to me since introduction.
My newest car is an ’05. I paid $16,000 total including financing. It has 84,000 miles on it.
To replace it with the equivalent would cost me $18-30,000.
Before I saw this article, I wrote this in my journal:
Things I don’t have to deal with driving a 20 year old car:
Direct injection, oil dilution, oil burning, variable valve trains, cylinder deactivation, boutique half baked transmissions like dual clutch and short lived CVTs [though I might be persuaded…it would be super-maintained though], TPMs [tire pressure monitors], driver assist, touch screens, touch HVAC and radio controls, ASS [automatic stop-start], expensive 18-22” wheels and tires, poor visibility, terrible workmanship, sensors monitoring sensors monitoring sensors, keyless entry, electronic parking brakes, stupidly large consoles taking up asinine amounts of front seat space, automatic transmission dials, push button start, rear seat visibility blocking headrests, 10-20 potentially defective air bags, GPS integrated to a central data collecting system, power windows, power door locks, heated seats, heated mirrors, heated steering wheels, sensor laden automatic climate control, turbos, frantic over stressed hyper-active 3 cylinder engines with wet timing belts, off shored engineering, parts and assembly.
The only thing I would find useful is a back up camera. The rest of that shit is just ripe for high diagnostic and repair costs. For the pleasure of paying twice what I paid for what I have. Fuck. Off.
Stellantis has Jeeps out there whose electronics are haunted and won’t buy them back. Junk is being made. It’s ugly, over-complicated, compromised and overpriced.
So yeah. Kudos to the guy who bought the Alero.
BTW: my 05 looks like late model, gets 32-36 on the freeway, comfortable, quiet, excellent ride.
Buyer’s Strike, people.
I like perusing the local craigslist “cars+trucks” section for older cars. I’m not currently in the market for a car, but I see cars there all the time I’d buy versus anything new, nearly all of which are well under the average price for a new car and look well maintained. Unfortunately, for now I’m full-up on cars (4): no more space and no free time.
Vehicle safety….
Regulations made cars more dangerous…not safer….
Vehicle safety has more to do with how well balanced a vehicle is…how it responds and handles….braking, cornering, changing direction…..how heavy it is….how agile it is…
These new 5000 lb EV’s and SUV’s and huge 6000 lb pickup trucks are not safe….
An F1 car responds very well……and…up to 6 g cornering…5.5 G braking….
and only weighs 1800 lb…..it is safe with a properly trained driver…..
A WRC rally car responds very well too…has the best engineering….
These new 5000 lb EV’s and SUV’s…… and huge 6000 lb pickup trucks…if driven past 6 or 7 tenths become very unstable, dangerous……or if driven at very high speed….
A Super7 or a Caterham is very agile…it changers direction like nothing else….they are very light…about 1200 lb so do little damage when hitting something….
A Porsche 944 is very well balanced…you can drift it and it will come back…no snap oversteer….and is absolutely stable, planted at high speed…..
This is why I will never get rid of my pristine 2002 F-250 turbodiesel with the 7.3 Powerstroke and NO emission controls. It looks factory fresh and has 110,000 miles on the odometer. I’m also planning on keeping my 2010 Escape on the road for the rest of my life and I might be buried in my ’71 Custom/10 Deluxe.
I have the skills to restore old vehicles, so I should be good unless they won’t title them in the future, then it’s Red Barchetta time.
You gentlemen get it. The very things Eric mentions are the reason I bought the best 2011 Ford Ranger I could find as my personal vehicle in 2021. This one had been rustproofed, undercoated, and bed-coated by the original owner. Sold.
I did all the 100,000–mile service just after purchase and made significant upgrades, such as replacing the plastic thermostat housing and (more recently) the factory aluminum/plastic radiator with aftermarket all-aluminum replacements. Just did the 150,000–mile service.
This truck is the last of its kind. No tracking, no nanny, virtually none of that annoying tech—only ABS and traction control.
The Ranger forums are booming, and several members of the one I post on are swapping their engines for Ford small-block V-8s. This is the way a lot of people are preferring to go instead of newer vehicles. You understand why.
Wasn’t the Alero the product placement car in the “X Files: Fight the Future” movie?
Want a simple, easy to repair, reliable, well made car…that will outlast anything?
Volvo P1800…one of the best cars ever made…has the highest mileage longevity record…3.2 million miles…the new EV’s are done at 100,000 miles…pure junk….progress….
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7owiK2TPbO0
(old) Volvo’s business model used to be brilliant: They’d just keep selling the same car over and over in replacement parts. No need for obsolescence or model changes.
VW pulls $97 BILLION from EVs to fund more ICE cars
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vzxz9YEgLOs
Why is Quentin Wilson trying to DESTROY the Classic Car industry…?
Quentin Wilson is an automotive journalist…he shills for Tesla…
He says people aren’t buying EV’s because of misinformation….that is the new narrative…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OEj2DrzUFGk
“misinformation” and “not getting our message out” are the two ways leftists explain why anyone doesn’t agree with their socialist/collectivist/Marxist ideas. It’s a way to call those that disagree with you “stupid” without coming right out and saying it. But, that’s what they mean.
‘Nuance and ‘context’ are other weasel-words they use.
“I work with a bunch of auto industry engineers, and they’re all car people, like me. They get it. They love the noises and the smells that cars make and they love driving. Car people are drawn to car engineering, go figure.”
As a former automotive engineer of 27 years I can tell you almost none of them are actively resisting the nonsense. They design what they are told to.
If that means driver monitoring and nanny features – consider it done. If that means a car that will eventually self report you for a suspected DUI – no problem!
Even worse is how many within the ranks believe the climate hoax and they work with glee to comply with the emissions mandates and CAFE requirements.
They believe they are doing the Lord’s work.
I hope to live to see the day I can see it all implode.
Only then can we get back to building cars customers want instead of government. Only then can we get back to improving the product instead of regressing.
You are going to reform it. A cancer cell will never mutate back. Gotta cut the F***ker out.
The easiest path is when the feral government inevitably collapses like old Soviet Union we need to bulldoze the remains, salt the ground and be double vigilant to make sure that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING will ever grow up like that again.
Trw
Ain’t our children from a young age. For the first 2 years while resting peacefully come in with a loud bell clang clang…government..clang clang.
When older whenever he or she fills the diaper, cone on honey let’s clean all the government off you.
That’s “train our children”
To call a Jalopnik writer an automotive journalist is a bridge too far.
This is from a Go Media listing for a Jalopnik job I captured from Linked-In
Qualifications
• Have 1-3 years of writing experience.
It’s not necessary to have worked as an automotive journalist, some of our best staffers have come from non-traditional backgrounds
I’ve been posting on TikTok and Instagram since junior high school. Do I qualify?
Asking for a friend.
You’re hired. Welcome aboard comrade!
Hi Burn it,
Yup. So – no background/experience in the field that would qualify a person to write intelligently about the car industry/cars. The car press used to police itself; Dweezils who had no business writing about cars were quickly laughed out of the profession – if they ever managed to get hired to write in the first place. And they ask me why I drink…
Calling all Queer Dance Theory majors i suppose
What that Jalopnik moron failed to see is the built in goodness we used to take for granted that is lacking today.
Starting with those Olds seats – adult size not kiddie size. Skinny center console allows more seat width, and the outer edges are near the door not tucked back 8 inches. Modest size bolsters built for comfort not to hide another airbag near your shoulder.
Because that modest size car is powered by a V6 with proper care it will likely go many years and many miles – it’s not over pressured beating itself to death at highway speeds up the pass.
Watching cool older stuff on BaT is one of my hobbies. I’ve seen some great old 4Runners and Lexus GXs bring big money. But this is my favorite of late:
https://bringatrailer.com/listing/2005-chevrolet-tahoe-18/
I suppose this dipshits would say the buyer was an idiot for paying that much, but having owned a 2003 I think it’s a screaming deal. And will definitely outlive any new 50K vehicle.
My 2002 Tahoe has 287k miles when I gave it my grandson. He’s had it 6 years now. He easily put another 100k on it.
Chevy V8, no beating it.
Jalopnik is a bunch of anti-car Manhattanites at this point. As long as a car connects to their iPhone and has a cup holder big enough for their soy lattes and a place to store the tampons, they’re happy.
I work with a bunch of auto industry engineers, and they’re all car people, like me. They get it. They love the noises and the smells that cars make and they love driving. Car people are drawn to car engineering, go figure.
Who really doesn’t “get it” are the tyrannical regulators. Their goal is indeed to stop all CO2 emissions, but they can’t do it right away, so they come up with plans on how to do it slowly to give people time to “adjust”. If the status quo continues, this is what happens.
Personally, I want to quit my day job as an engineer and open a chain of angry mob supplies stores all over the world, near each country’s capitol. I’ll make sure the pitchforks are fair-trade, the ropes are organic hemp, I’ll even buy the carbon credits for the tar that I sell with the feathers.
“Engineering” practiced by CO2 cultists who actually know better. They feed those max yield 401k funds. Pure evil to the core just like the former USA.
Carmas a bitch.
I do like your idea. I’ve been accumulating wine bottles and rags myself, may have to work out a franchise. The best merchandise is, of course, out of sight behind the counter. Too bad we lack tech like AE Van Vogt postulated in Weapon Shops of Isher…
‘I work with a bunch of auto industry engineers, and they’re all car people, like me. They get it. They love the noises and the smells that cars make and they love driving.’ — OppositeLock
Oh, my! *shudders in horror* That is so 20th century; so carbon-blackened. Here’s what landed in my inbox today from Veloz, a Commiefornia-based ‘public-private nonprofit driving toward 100% zero-emission vehicles through strategic communications’:
GreenWealth Energy is proud to be the first woman, minority-led EV charging company certified in CA, with 70%+ women and 85% people of color. We activate billions in EV charging subsidies through project development, equity goals, and strategic finance. Partnering with enterprises and public agencies, we design and implement EV infrastructure. Our mission focuses on social impact, reliability, and ROI-driven programs, with equity at our core, fostering prosperity for all.
https://www.green-wealth.com/new-page#meet-our-team
What an excellent grift! No dogs or white males allowed.
One thing that you might not know about CA is that the government gives preferences to DEI-correct companies in contracts. Look up SSDP.
When you have a minority led company, you can bid higher than the competition and still have your bid accepted as the lowest one.
Yep. These minority/women-owned preferences shaped a consulting team I worked on decades ago, serving the public sector. GreenWealth Energy is exploiting that business model. Their suppliers and partners live with the inefficiencies, since everyone gets a share of the take.
Imagine the absolute hell working in a place like that as a male. Yikes!
Opportunities abound for a nice POC on our side to infiltrate and expose the shenanigans in places like these.
Hell, I might would consider applying there just for a good discrimination lawsuit when they fail to hire me cause I ain’t black.
Are these the same folks that built Buttplug’s 5 changing stations for $7.5 billion?
> angry mob supplies stores
https://www.denverpost.com/2017/06/26/coors-glass-maker-rocky-mountain-bottle-company-settles-epa-air-quality-violations/
Or, you could just save the empties from your “planning” meetings.. 🙂
Wouldn’t be great to locate the person who bought that Alero and invite him/her to the comments section here? I’d love to hear his thoughts! If he bought it as an escape from a new sedan than I’m on the “good decision” team!
That’s an excellent idea. Or perhaps EP might consider reaching out to him to do a follow up piece.
Lose the stupid plastic spoiler before clearcoat bubbles. Otherwise a superb barn find.
We have reached the point where it is economically feasible and preferable to buy a $5k, 25-year-old Toyota 4-Runner, Nissan Xterra, Izuzu Trooper, Jeep Grand Cherokee, etc. and spend $10k on rebuilding some of the worn-out mechanicals and freshening up its appearance.
Any vehicle built after about 2014 (and maybe even as early as 2007) contains nanny and spyware, and they are built to be disposable. I will have nothing to do with them.
I also see this with farm equipment and household appliances. The pinnacle in quality and engineering seems to have been around the year 2000, and with few exceptions it has mostly been down hill from there.
Exactly.
Another howler from the Jalopnik know-nothing:
‘[the Alero] has a performance suspension, which doesn’t matter much as this thing is powered by a 200-horsepower 3.4-liter V6 paired with a four-speed automatic.’
Oh, the jadedness! Two hundred horsepower may not be impressive by today’s standards. But that doesn’t mean you can’t drive the Alero on twisty mountain roads and still reap the benefits of a tauter suspension.
When it comes to the transmission, Jalopnik’s EeeVee-licking soyboy probably thinks eight speeds are twice as good and twice as fast as four speeds. Makes sense to a non-binary Gender Studies grad, one supposes.
It doesn’t occur to the limp-wristed scribbler in his wrinkled pink shirt that his snarky conclusion applies PERFECTLY to the EeeVees he lusts for: ‘I look forward to seeing this thing listed again in another few years as the owner tries to get back what they paid for it.‘
Somebody take my EeeVee … please!
He probably is nuts to spend 24k on a 20 year old Olds Alero even though I understand the points made in this excellent article. It would have been wiser to buy a used V6 Camry or Accord.
Buying a new vehicle is like joining the army, you’re hooked and headed for eight years of grueling dreaded drudgery. The US Marines sent me a letter hoping for another enlistment. I had and have better things to do.
Cash for Clunkers is nothing more than a car holocaust.
All internal combustion engines must die!
We will burn them to death with lithium ion batteries that will self-immolate when immersed in water.
Water will be the fuel for the ignition state to happen to kill all internal combustion engines!
Everything must die!
There is no hope whatsoever, the whole world has gone crazy!
Crazy pills for all!
Such a lame car, would never have wanted one, but the window of what a good car is has moved so far off the reservation a 2004 olds alero actually looks appealing. Its superior to anything sold new today that’s not almost halfway through 7 figures like those Spyker C8 cars that are made simple without screens and have metal switches, but are exotic
that 3.4L engine was not good, drove them.
The better car around that time was the Chevy Impala which came with the same 3.4 std. BUT you could get the great 3.8L which we did, and owned many of them.
In ’06, the engine choices became a 3.4 or 3.9. The 3.9 was the way to go, owned those too.
Recently I have acquired TWO new to me pickups, both in this same vein. The first is a 88 F150 with a 300 six and a 5 speed. It has wing windows and no AC, 2 wheel drive, a standard cab and a long box. A neighbor was going to scrap it so I gave him 300 bucks for it, later that day he stuck a key in it and drove it to my place. It is smooth and trusty and unpretentious and I like it more than any of my newer stuff.
I’d keep it forever except I put a lowball bid on a patina’d 66 Chevy C10, also with a 250 six and a 3 speed. Started it up and drove it home.
Now I have a choice to make…
At no point did I consider a pickup newer than 2000. And even with necessary repairs I have less than 2000 in both.
As I got the bill for the plugs and coils replacement on my Cherokee (you have to take the whole intake off, along with a bunch of accessories. Gasket replacements are above my home gamer status), my thoughts turned back to dad’s ’76 Charger Daytona (Dodge’s Cordoba) sitting in the garage. No problem finding the plugs, coil, rotor and cables on that beast. And easy to wrench on too, sitting low and plenty of space, mostly due to dad’s decision to only get the 318 instead of the 440*. See, he never bought it to keep, just that circumstance and global politics made it much less appealing. He had the space so why not just park it?
I could probably get it “early” if I wanted it. But that sub-15 MPG is a tough sell, especially with gas at $3.39 this week. Maybe I could throw an aftermarket throttle body and electronic ignition on and get it up to about 20, but then what? Still dealing with a vehicle that hasn’t had any spare parts available since 1980 or so, and it would be a crime to turn it into a daily driver anyway.
Too bad Obama destroyed all those decent throttle body V6 cars from the 1990s and early 00s. The engines would have outlasted the bodies for sure, even if GM had their planned obsolesces.
*Yea yea yea, I know the Daytona trim package came with the 440 engine. He special ordered it with the 318 because he wanted AC and the premium accessories, so it says “Daytona” on the side even though it’s the smaller engine. Probably didn’t make much difference in fuel economy but try telling that to an engineer who used to keep a slide rule with him at all times because he didn’t want to buy batteries for a pocket calculator!
Mind me asking what the Grand Cherokee spark plug change ran you $$$?
I’m about due on my ‘18 with V6 and curious what it set you back?
Close to a grand with parts and 3 hours labor. The shop didn’t charge me for the “labor” of installing new coil packs (recommended by FCA) so that’s a little bit of a break. I’m sure the dealer would want over $1K
Oh boy, well off to watch Ytube vids again for another Sparkey DIY task. I was guessing $500 I’ll have to start doubling my estimates!
I did bookmark one the guy did an excellent job of detailing each step.
Thanks for the info!
Let’s not forget the “cash for clunkers” program which removed a massive amount of good vehicles from the market.
This happened with diesel trucks 15 years ago. Because of government emissions meddling ruining new diesels older diesels became more valuable. The new privately owned diesel market has pretty much evaporated and even many governments have switched to gasoline.
The other thing about diesel is that modern gasoline engines are pretty close to par. By plugging up the exhaust and forcing DEF down everyone’s throat the balance has shifted toward gas (at least if you live in an area with emissions testing… delete kits bring back a lot of the benefits)
Great article Eric.
The industry has jumped the shark. I was recently lamenting about the cost of new cars with colleagues at work. Specifically I was complaining about why perfectly functional features were being “electrified.” Like parking brakes, door latches, etc.
What did I learn? Our company is working on a “smart” rearview mirror. Meaning adding a display and another camera -which can “see” behind you better.
I asked what these will sell for: About $200. That’s the OEM cost. Add 20-30% for profit. Great. Let’s replace a $5 mirror with a $200 rear view camera, monitor, wiring, processor module, and associated wiring.
I’m sure that will help with new car costs.
Here’s more of my thoughts on this outrage:
https://socialmediaiskillingyou.com/2024/05/10/the-new-car-unaffordability-crisis/
Thanks for the objective perspective at the link. Not bad information.
So who gets the bonus for the patents associated with the mirror?
That’s what the push for more gadgetry in cars is really all about.
Unfortunately, i’ts so much worse than “jumping the shark”, for us consumers, by the manufacturer’s actions.
The car maker’s are now suggesting, creating and offering expensive suggestions to FEDGOV for increasing vehicle prices thru new SAAAFFFEETTTYY equipment and requirements.
FEDGOV’s just thrilled to enshrine these ungodly expensive nuisances into law, crushing our finances even more.
Old cars and vehicle stuff gonna be going thru the roof, pricewise, moving forward…as intended and by design, per our (((overlords)))
You heard it here first….
Good luck y’all…
We slowly at first, then now all of a sudden, becoming Cuba:
Buy a communist Trabant or keep your old car working with somehow engineering;
You are being watched;
Your political views can get you in prison;
Propaganda is 24/7;
Political Opponents are prosecuted;
Healthcare is a political tool;
A funny looking dictator is running the country.
People appear to be waking up to the reality of new automobiles in the same way they woke up to the reality of vaccines that have been endlessly peddled as “Safe and Effective!” for decades but really aren’t. If people continue declining new vehicles, even gas vehicles, what are the odds that the Biden Thing will try to FORCE people to give up their older gas powered vehicle and buy an EV under, say, a declared climate emergency? Or, perhaps the government declaring bird flu a “Public Health Emergency” and decrees that ALL chickens & cows are to be “vaccinated” with some brand new, untested mRNA bird flu “vaccine” that the Biden regime wishes to give Moderna LOTS of taxpayer dollars to make?
It’s almost like “the scales are falling from their eyes”…
If I were a gifted mechanic, I’d find a way to re-engine all the 4-cylinder twin turbo’d cars with either a crate V-6 or V-8 if available. Or maybe open a foundry and make my own blocks & components. Wonder if such a business model would succeed? After all, the stupid federal fiats apply to the manufacture, not the consumer.
The problem isn’t technology, the problem is communism. Many of us could do this, but communist corruption everywhere makes it unprofitable to do so. And if you’re going to black market anything it has to be inexpensive on a macro scale, high profit, small and concealable, with motivated buyers. One such market is drugs, another is weapons. You may note that both are manufactured elsewhere for sale here.
No way to scale such a model to current usery driven inflation. Besides ,its already been done.
Icant fixit sorry.
Hopefully the new owner won’t drive that Oldsmobile Alero in winter salt. With good maintenance and no salt exposure it will probably run for decades more. The only problem I can see is it’ll be harder to find parts. Mechanics that threw away their old scan tools because they figured they would never see a car that old again is a possibility also.
This story reminds me of ads that say something like 93% of current owners would buy it again. I’ve long suspected that does not necessarily mean for example that the 2000 Camry owner would buy a 2025 Camry but that they would still be happy if they could buy a “new” 2000 Camry.
All the cars I’ve had to quit driving ended up that way because they rusted out—not because the engines or transmissions conked out.
The Jalopnik writer, his style(?) & intent, reminds me of this:
‘Wellness is a Gateway to Right-Wing “Fascism”?’
“The Guardian’s advocacy journalism attacks the physically fit.”
“… a threat to the very foundation of the socialist regime which they support.”
https://rwmalonemd.substack.com/p/wellness-is-a-gateway-to-right-wing
Hi Helot,
The terms “Far-right” & “Right wing” appear to be the latest pejoratives used by the establishment, the global elites, technocrats, or whatever else one wants to call these psychopaths bent on destroying humanity for their own sick benefits. They’ve used other terms as well over the past several years to smear those who speak out against their sick agendas, such as “White Supremacist”, “Anti-vaxxer”, “Trumper”, “Tool of Putin”, “Russian Asset”, “_______ DENIER!”, “Transphobe”, etc.
White supremacist? Check. I esteem western Christian civilization above all others.
Anti vaxxer? Check. My body is a temple and I don’t allow poorly researched experimental and theoretical stuff to be shot into it.
Trumper? Check. I acknowledge his many human flaws and egregious mistakes but absolutely support someone with the resources who chooses to risk it all and stand against the communist narrative.
Tool of Putin? Hmm, I do acknowledge that Russia has become the most prominent worldwide defender of western values. So maybe.
Denier? Check. Until it is well proven to my satisfaction I deny every propaganda push.
Transphobe? Check. The practice is disgusting and should be strongly discouraged to protect the feeble minded 2/3 of the population from corruption. If they have the decency to hide it nobody will care.
And as a bonus, Racist? Check if that means I love and defend my own against subjugation. Hate is counterproductive and has nothing to do with it.
Hi Ernie,
Here’s another term that has been bandied about to manipulate people who’ve been propagandized…..CHRISTIAN NATIONALIST.
Oh yes. I was introduced to that by Claire Wolfe decades ago. Check.
Hi John,
You probably noticed how the MSM labeled all the parties winning elections in the EU as “far right” when actually the other side was so far to the left that the “far right” is more like moving back to the center, and sanity. Someone I read said the label should be “right so far”. Gives me hope that we can get similar results here but the PTB are in such a panic over those results that I wonder what kind of crazy “emergency” crap they’ve got planned for us to hang onto power.
When one is self-reliant and has no use for society but society has use (to be used that is) for that individual, you have to believe that society is corrupted and beyond saving.
I’m with you, John B. I don’t believe there is or ever has been a “right.” I think it’s just Leftist authoritarians and then the rest of the population, which is in the vast majority. The most radical of the Leftist authoritarians just make up terms like right, far right, alt right, phobes, deniers, nationalist, etc. to disparage the non-Leftist majority and to create these bogeymen. They absolutely hate the majority of the population and any populist politicians as well.
There are people in my family who blame the problems we’ve been forced to endure the past few years on Trump or capitalism instead of where the blame BELONGS, that being government that has gotten way too big and has way too much control over every aspect of our lives.
It is crazy how quickly so many car companies have quit making all the things people want. V6 sedans, trucks with v8’s, pony cars, diesel anything. I was fortunate to find a used long bed, v6, Chevy Colorado in 2019. Great truck. No bells and whistles just does what a truck needs to do. The other day I went to move a newer GMC 2500 from the parking lot into my shop and I couldn’t put it in gear until I put my seatbelt on. This truck would have been close to 60k new. No thanks GM. I think I’ll keep my little Colorado forever, or until they make something like it again .
It – Is – crazy how quickly so many […] companies have quit making all the things people want.
A laptop without A.I. or other extra add-on crap.
A snow-thrower or garden tiller with a lever for a throttle instead of a grip-lever which is a super duper thumb muscle workout.
A chainsaw which doesn’t require a person to stand on one foot while rubbing your belly & your head at the same time in order to start it up.
A portable music device which isn’t a sthmart phone.
… etc., etc., etc.
Nice find on your long bed. They do seem to be about as rare as hens teeth.
Hi Helot. If you can find an old Poulan chainsaw and treat it as good as you would a Stihl or Huskvarna you’ll probably find that as far home use it will last a very long time and starts easier than a Sthil.
There’s plenty of MP3 players on Temu and some are quite good. I’m doing that “The Road Not Taken” (Robert Frost) thing and going with the individual items instead of a smart phone but every now and then I’m wondering if I should get one of those new fangled ultra-sonic parts cleaner and meat tenderizer/ crock pots.
Spoiler Alert: I’ve already got one but I’m only using it for carburetors at the present time. From what I’ve seen on YouTube it really will make beef more tender.
Amen, Twayne –
I despise being parented by anyone – or anything.
Two reasons this comment section still exists are our hosts fastidious detection and removal of non human blather and that our human emotional whining feeds some psychopaths deepest need, endless increasing pain and suffering .
I think that person got away with a steal. That’s a damn good price for that car. I’d pay $15,000 for a new-old chevette – if they existed.
I don’t know who owns Jalopnik but, it must be some Globalist outfit or division thereof. More and more people are waking up to the crap that is being shoved down our throats and refusing to partake in the insanity.
In talking to a friend yesterday he mentioned how he was able to re-route the heater on an old Fiat and make it work using hardware plumbing. It’s that kind of “Cuban Engineering” we’ll be faced with to keep our old stuff going.
Based on the writings of Pepe Escobar and others our future will be led by the likes of the BRICS+ nations, the global majority. You know that Mahindra jeep? India will probably take over the auto manufacturing along with East Asians that don’t bow to Davos. Much like the craft beer alternatives to AB-InBev many small companies will crop up to provide unique transportation choices.
The biggest kidney stone we’ll have to pass as a civilization is the purging of the Marxist takeover of what is now known as The West.
Oh, and one more thing, you need to quit reading Jalopnik, it’s bad for your health.
Much like the craft beer alternatives to AB-InBev many small companies will crop up to provide unique transportation choices.
Not so sure. The king owns the roads and dictates what’s permissible. The only reason why craft breweries came about was because a few prohibition era laws were allowed to sunset. Yea, maybe the same thing could happen under a different regime, but the auto industry is so tied to national status there’s no way the rulers would allow unfettered free markets… because who knows what might happen? Besides, a million small factories don’t have the same visual appeal as “the world’s largest.” And is much easier to bully and regulate too.
RK, You are operating on the assumption that the current tyrants will remain in place. I think not. We’re in for a massive tectonic shift on a global scale and the grifters in Rome on the Potomac will be swept away.
I think Escobar is on to something…
https://www.unz.com/author/pepe-escobar/
If you’re referring to the “convicted felon,” he’s just as excited about the hyperbolic “world’s biggest” projects as the Stalin and the CCP. He still gushes about his “beautiful vaccines” and how many ‘est suffixes he can apply to his accomplishments
No, RK, he’ll be just another turd down the can. The whole stinkin’ mess will be swept away.
I hope the next iteration will have some sense of liberty…but, I’m not holding my breath.
The wife drives a Chevy Trailblazer and I hate the HVAC controls with the electronic servos that always crap out. I’m thinking of machining a plate to hold old school cables with pull knobs to control the flappers and get rid of the electronic controls. Would not be too much of a problem for a permanent solution.
What does it say when a NOS, 2004 Olds Alero is more prized than any new car being made today? To ask the question is to answer it.
When my Friend was looking to replace her Honda CRV, like many people, she wanted to purchase something new which would give her no problems. After “counseling” her on what new cars have become, she ended up getting a 2006 Golf 4 door with 36.000 Miles. Standard transmission, manual air conditioning and no monthly car payment. I refreshed the brakes, changed the timing belt and for less than $11.000, she now has a practical, reliable car she has no fear of driving anywhere.