by J. B. Griffin III.

That's More Than I paid for it!

There is a peculiar matter of pride for some used  car buyers in finding a car at a fantastically low price.  Fine.  But  why this obsession almost

invariably couples itself to some gem of  Hillbilly Logic that concludes, "Don't ever spend more to repair a car than you  paid for it" escapes me.  While the rest of us accept as fact the idea that good cars cost good money and maintaining that good car costs, well, whatever it  costs, these folks forever tie themselves to the original purchase price. When weighing the value of any and all repairs the over-arching question is always, "Is that more than I paid for it?"  The most dedicated among them keep a running total in their head that can stretch over a period of years.  If you would like to try this bit of foolishness  for yourself the formula goes something like this:  The purchase  price of the car + the tow bill home + the price of the parts to make it initially move under its own power = "whatch'uve got in it."  This will  establish the value of the vehicle now and forever to you, the

present  owner. 

Now if you want to play the game here are a few  more ground rules which I have observed.  The cost of oil and filter changes don't subtract from the value of the car.  In fact, the cost of a bottle of Slick Salesman or Marvel Mystery Muck can be part of "whatch'uve got in it." if you feel

that it helped get it running again.  Tags, Title and insurance don't count either.  Tires are a bit of a gray area and I'll explain why.  Let's say you purchased a Nissan four  wheel drive truck and your brother-in-law had a wrecked Honda Passport with  almost new tires on it (meaning less than three years old).  If you can buy the tires and wheels from him for $25 then nothing is subtracted from your  truck's value PROVIDED you can ride on them for at least another 30,000  miles. 

However, if you are such a fool as to go down to

the Goodyear store and buy a brand new set of Wrangler GT's then expect to be laughed out of town by all your buddies.  In this case the only hope at redemption for you will be to someday seven years from now to be able to tell those same buddies that you are still driving on "them same tires."  The cost of brakes,  tune-ups, belts, headlights and other minor expenditures will all have to be  mentally filed and added together in your head.  This is very important as you will now see.  Sooner or later something beyond your mechanical capabilities is going to happen, or maybe your just having to pull a lot of overtime on the job and won't have time.  Whatever the case, eventually  your vehicle is going to end up in a repair shop needing major repairs. 

In order to play your trump card on the poor unsuspecting mechanic you need to know exactly where you stand as far as past money spent so that when he quotes you a price for the repair you'll be ready to snort indignantly, "That's more than I  paid for it."  And then as he tries to persuade you that the vehicle would still have a value which you could realize by continued usage you can begin to quote the cost of all the items you have replaced over the years and end by screaming,

"By the time I pay you for fixing it I'll have more in it  than I paid for it!"

The mechanic may at this time ask you if you would  be interested in selling it to him for a very low price.  This is where you will win or lose the game you have been playing for, lo, these many  years.  If you say yes get ready for the derision of your  buddies.  If you say no then it will reveal a willingness to continue the repair discussion to the mechanic and he will press home the attack.  The  only winning move in this situation is to convince the mechanic to pay you the same price you initially gave.     


The Latin words  Caveat Emptor mean Let The Buyer Beware.  How the Romans crammed four words into a two word phrase may have you scratching your head a bit, but the  point is that you should expect to get about what you pay for and rarely any  more.


JB Griffin is an ASE Certified Master Technician.  He owns and  operates JB's Japanese and American Auto Repair in Evensville, Tennessee.  You may e-mail your car questions to jeepster1515@yahoo.com
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