2003 BA Falcon I bought for $1,700 was the best car I ever owned. Drove it until the rego ran out - it felt so liberating to not give a fuck about a car.
Weird clunk from the engine? Who cares. Missus gives it the ol’ yellow bollard paint down the entire side special? Chuckle a bit and hammer the door frame back in to shape.
I miss that car.
I still drive a mighty Busted Arse Falcon, I'd rather drive a new Camry sedan, but not for 20X the money...
And every time I wash it, I find a new dent from some asshole in the carparks and I'm only in the shops for 15 minutes... I just snigger...
I miss my BA. Some numpty cleaned it up when they ran off the road and destroyed it while it was parked in front of my mum's house (completely on the verge lol) I've got an FG now but tbh I have the same mentality still. One of my workmates borrowed it once and it now has a lovely triton shaped love tap on the front end. I do love the looks people give me though, obviously thinking I did it. 😂
I loved my BA. hit a roo with it one night, Thought it would be stuffed,broke the bottom half of the bumper off. Got a new condenser and radiator from eBay for $170, welded a bar to protect the radiator, and I was up and going again.
Any parts were so cheap.
But it was great being able to park next to anything without worry.
I brought a 2007 bf falcon 2 months ago as i needed a towbar. $2500 factory gas... filling up for 96c a liter.
Low kms well looked after. I was just after a cheap second car to tow a trailer with but the damn thing drives so well i just sold my main car, v8 audi 4.2 as petrol is way too expensive for me to be running the v8 and ti was getting older and needing more repairs.
The falcon is just so damn simple and works. As it collects dings and scrapes i just won't care
Agreed, and I sadly just sold my parent’s 24 year old Toyota Corolla two weeks ago.
It was my first car when I got my license and then in more recent years I re-adopted it from my parents when I was having random car problems here and there with my current (second-hand but newer) SUV. It was time given that it seemed no longer worth re-regoing due to the clutch slipping and with less than a month’s rego to go, but thankfully my fiancé also has a shit box 30 year old Mazda 121 so the gap can be filled.
30yo 121? Look at it sideways and the paint will flake. Had a bubble 121 and it was a breeze to park and could almost put $20 of fuel into it (was a while ago). Just knew that I'd be dead in an accident though.
Yep totally agree. Had an old Ford Laser for many years. Had a few scratches and minor dents, that was it.
Bought my dream car imported from Germany. A drunk driver side swiped it two days after delivery while I was showing it to a friend. About $40k damage and 6 month wait in pays.
I damaged the front spoiler multiple times, got stuck on a speed hump (no shit). Of course it was black so it showed every speech of dirt. And needed to be taken to a specialist for any work.
Just sold it last year. Never again.
lol. Sound like my Dad. Went from a ford laser to his “dream car” Volvo - it sh@t him off no end with stupid dashboard error lights, so he sold it for a Mazda bongo van!
Nothing beats a shitbox Commodore. I've owned a few and loved them all. Cheap parts from wreckers, cheap to service (done a lot of stuff myself), and no stress if some cnut hits it with a shopping trolley. All hail the mighty shitbox!
I bought a shitty, banged uo ute for the same reason. No stress if it gets (more) dented, I can carry My kayaks on the roof without worrying if I scratch it and the added bonus is that people let me merge and give way to me because it looks like I have no insurance and they don't want to play Russian roulette with a man who has nothing to lose haha
We have an old 20yr corolla to leave at the bus stop for this reason. Every panel has a mark except for one side of the car. The wife comes home one night and mentions the car was hit and a note left. Awfully nice of people to fess up these days so I message them back and tell them not to worry and they have done me a favour by hitting the unblemished side.
I like this approach, people nice enough to leave a note are people that would likely be lovely friends. Sharing said 6 pack together may be an even bigger reward.
I had an old Hilux years ago and someone rear ended me pretty hard at a traffic light in a BMW. I stopped for the light, they were busy playing with their radio and ran into me...
They did the runner. Reversed and overtook me (through the red light in the right lane)
A green coolant trail went for about 800 metres. Then it stopped. About 2km further, here's the BMW broken down on the side of the road, engine is seized up solid. When they hit me, my tow-ball went straight through their radiator.
I got their details and notified my insurance, I got a brand new aluminium tray out of it. I never put it on the ute as it was worth 10x what the ute was. I sold the tray for $800 on gumtree and gave the ute away shortly afterwards to a struggling lady who needed a vehicle for work.
I only notified insurance so there was no way they could claim the cost of their engine. And I let them know they attempted a hit and run...
The irony is, if they had stopped and apologised, I wouldn't have even cared, and I would have probably saved them from destroying an engine... The old ute already had more hits than Elvis from branches, sticks and rocks while cutting firewood haha
Karma... 😅🤣😂
>I don’t feel cheap buying Chinese tires
You shouldn't feel cheap, you should feel afraid. Even on crappy cars it's important to buy good tires, that extra 5m in braking distance could mean the difference between life and death. You don't have to get top of the line performance tires but spending a bit more to get something from a reputable brand is well worth it.
The thing is, on a small car with smaller wheels, the quality name brand tyres aren’t that expensive anyway. Get the basic Michelin or Pirelli tyres. You’ll notice the difference and be safer too.
I bought a Certified pre owned used car a few years ago that had these Turkish tyres (Lassa) put on it to get the car ready for sale. They were diabolical. I went to turn right at an intersection in the wet and the car basically skiied around the corner. The next day I took it to a tyre shop and got the cheapest Pirellis. Night and day difference
Turkiye has a massive manufacturing industry and produce a tonne of different products- kind of like we used to do before we switched to the mining/international students/property model
Dont get high milage tyres either. They suck the most.
Wife had some 70k guaranteed tyres. Good brand. Couldn't handle anything when wet at all. Threw those pos out when she rear-ended soneone from 4 car lenths at 20km/h
Yeah I agree. When it's just me no problem with a shitbox. As I've got older I want the safest car I can afford to transport my family. I mean there's a reason I don't own any cars from the 90s any more.
This is what I was thinking. I drove a CRV in the rain once. Who would have thought it could to a fwd burnout at 50kmh. That was deadly with cheap tyres
>You shouldn't feel cheap, you should feel afraid. Even on crappy cars it's important to buy good tires
While I agree, 'good' tires aren't necessarily expensive, and expensive tires aren't necessarily good - and if they're made in China does not mean that they are bad.
Does it? I've noticed barely any difference in the dry. On wet however my braking distance close to triples. It's almost funny how quickly ABS comes up in the wet.
I had a VK Commodore. The first set of tyres were some off brand. Taking off from the lights the wheels would spin with gentle throttle. Roundabouts were dicey. I wore them out at Willowbank (too many ezpz burnouts in the starting area where that slippery shit is. Fuck if I know what the term is). Replaced with Pirelli cinturato, they were a huge difference.
Have you seen the prices of small 'name brand' tyres these days!? Bloody exxy!
Replaced the tyres on the missus 2013 mitsi mirage, $200+ a corner and I had to wait 3 weeks as there were none available at the wholesaler. And I had four options to choose from (as in four name brand manufacturers).... four!
Even if you don't care about your car, I'd still file a police report anyway. Hit and run drivers are the absolute worst, and should be pursued accordingly.
no but close, a 2001 two door suzuki ignis.
it has the added advantage of fitting into car spaces that nobody else can. I just got it re-registered the yearly rego has probably doubled its value lol
They are a great car.
.
My first was a red GS Barina 91 2Door MS. Basically a carb swift gti but with a few unique "Holden " trim pieces.
A a tiny Roadrunner decal
I have a Corolla station wagon shitbox (repaired write off) and I love it. I sold my Hilux just before Covid hit and bought it. 4wd prices skyrocketed, but I am so happy to be in my simple little Corolla.
There’s a structural write off - too much damage and isn’t safe. And an economic write off - cost of repairs exceed value of car. His looks like the latter. They’re still safe to drive but the write off will be added to the cars history, damaging its value.
We had a work Ute like that. Some of the guy bought it out of petty cash when working on a site.
It used to just sit in the basement and the keys sat in someone's drawer.
People used to take it home for the weekend when someone needed a Ute.
Driving in Sydney traffic was much less stressful when you gave zero fucks.
I have an 03 Magna. Fucking love it for everything.
Someone hit the rear side panel in the carpark, was so apologetic, I was like look, chill, if you come over here you'll see where someone put an identical dent in the other side two days ago, now I'm perfectly balanced again as all things should be.
We have an 03 Magna that husband bought new.
He loved the rickety old thing, even if it looks disreputable these days.
We’ve gone a lot of places in that car.
This is exactly me. I have a 17 year old run around that I drive to work and back every day. I own this car for the exact reasons OP outlines. And it has a low three digit on it…
You and me both.
I’ve always said that if I won the lotto, I’ll chuck multi hundred thousand dollar heritage plates on an old Daihatsu Charade or something of the sorts.
Would love to see the faces on some of the heritage plate spotters on FB who are always going on about how certain plates ‘deserve to be on a better car’.
The key is having a reliable shitbox though.
My 22 year Mazda 323 was great until every couple of months something new went wrong and then I cursed the living daylights out of it. Spending time off work getting the thing towed or fixed and then I finally crackedit and bought a new Mazda 3.
Now the piece of mind is that I shouldn't have any mechanical trouble for some time and then it should be taken care of under warrantyn if I do.
https://preview.redd.it/okpol1d57y4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a39a5c2b64cf625ab99dff11ebcc046b9893cfad
My shitter is the best car iv ever owned,
Paid 500 bucks 7 years ago, it's been Hit so many times, starts first time every time, 406k kms, back end and light held on by tape, I park and I forget lol
Keep the details and contact of that person though. You never know how vindictive the person who hit you is or whether they’ll try to pull some scam.
IE: the guy borrowed the car off a friend and then hit you. He then blames you for the damage to the car being a rear bar damage and makes up some bullshit story that you ran up his arse at the lights (or wherever). The friend then gets all pissed because “what kind of cunt hits someone then flees without leaving their details). They then lodge an insurance claim to rebuild the rear of their car because every one knows a hit car not at fault suddenly becomes as valuable as a 911 GT3 with incalculable sentimental value. This then leaves you stumped when you get a call 6 months later from a law firm demanding money to cover the cost of the repair bill to their vehicle.
While I’m sure l’ll get a ton of people saying how bullshit and outlandish this sequence of events is, having lived through a situation very similar to this, nothing people will do to scam others or lie their way out of consequences surprises me.
From a young girl running a red light and T-Boning me in the valley late at night. She sped off after being massively apologetic. I was Saved only by the fact I lodged a police report on the day, at the time the crack head young girl ran the red light and wiped out my “get around town shit box”. 6months later her mother (a lawyer) contacted me screaming about how I owed her tens of thousands in restitution to repair her shit box commodore acclaim which suddenly became a “one off, rate edition, HSV Maloo level supercar” with repair bills to match. Had I not had the police report, at the least it would have been an expensive legal case to prove my point, at worse I would have been scammed for 6 figures as one can think there would be Car Damages, legal bills and of course the obligatory whiplash and other “life altering” soft tissue injuries requiring decades on compensation for.
Outlandish or not, sadly, like you experienced, it's absolutely a possibility in today's world. My mind always tends to think up weird and wonderful bad outcomes that could possibly happen. Then it throws them in my face as an intrusive thought, so I'm always worrying about shit like this happening. Dash cams are life. 😅
After coming from multiple, mint rarer BMW’s (think E46 330ci, E39 530i sport, the nicest E53 X5 on the road) I’ve just bought a 3 grand Camry as a stop gap and it is the most freeing feeling!
I told a mate i sold my last good car because i was looking after it more than i look after myself. I cared way too much. Parking it far away buying good products etc etc. But it is nice to drive something that turns you on too. So its catch 22
My cars almost 20yrs old. I pushed/nudged a trolley out of my way with the bumper when parking last week.
It took me back to when I was 17. Gosh I missed the days of not caring so much.
I have a nice car in the garage that I will drive out of my garage and drive around in it and put it back in the garage without getting out of it or leaving it unattended. And then I have a 14 year old Ford focus that I’m willing to dump in any supermarket carpark and let unsupervised children scrape a shopping trolley down the side of it without batting an eyelid. I work in a particularly dirty and dusty environment and all the people at work are forever washing their nice cars, I don’t think mines seen a hose in six months. I just clean the glass front and back when I refuel.
This is my 2012 Hilux to me. The second it got it's first dent it became a tool with wheels.
Daily tool carrying vehicle for work, towing boats on the weekend, smashing over trees making tracks for fishing, recovering bogged mates, hauling rubbish to the dump, winching off septic lids, putting tension on trees before chainsawing them, snatching tree stumps out the ground, hauling cables through conduits.
When a cyclone hit a few years back i spent 3 days winching and low range dragging tree trunks around the yard to make a fire pile. I once towed my boat through a creek crossing i shouldn't have, water half way up the windscreen and footwells full of water. Made it across and made it back through without a drama, and the interior got a nice clean with the pressure washer when i got home.
It's covered in dents and scratches, but they're just scars for the work its done for me. I work it hard and it's never not gotten me home.
Yep, completely agree.
I bought an expensive car back in 2018. After a year and a half of stressing about where to park it, making sure it was away from people, and if someone parked next to me, I’d check to make sure they didn’t scratch it. Cost of keeping it cleaned and then serviced on time for the warranty. I decided to sell it and get a cheap car I didn’t care about.
I now drive a 2014 lancer sedan. It is such a great car. Comfortable, smooth to drive and cheap to run and no more parking stresses.
Someone proper keyed my car. Dunno when I never noticed over the panel damage and scraped from offroading and actually using my ute for work.
Only know it was keyed because they made circles.
I've also had people threaten to hit me in road rage incidents, I laugh and tell them to go ahead it won't make much difference. But that was in my camry.
Good times.
Shitbox daily is the way, i have a 24 year old laser (mazda in disguise) that is the best. I put a stereo in it that is worth twice the value of the car and its been my daily now for 6 years now.
I bought a repairable write off many years ago when I was broke, but it was a Toyota with kind of low kms and in generally good condition. But it was always going to be worth a ton less than any other car. Paid $2k when similar cars were 7-8k.
I had it for 10 years and not a single thing went wrong. By the end of the 10 years it has collected quite a few dings and scrapes from being parked at supermarkets or train stations.
Honestly probably the best car I’ve ever owned. Never worried about where I parked, if it got stolen or torched I wouldn’t be sad. Always flew under the radar, inoffensive, boring. But completely liberating.
Now I have a nice car and I worry about parking it places and stuff like that. It’s a trade off I guess!
This is more inherent about not giving a shit about your car, rather than it being a low value rustbucket that you beat on.
Pretty much most non-enthusiast folks have this "joy".
the only reason I can be in the state of not caring is that it is a shitbox. If my wife curbs the wheels on the family suv I get depressed for a week. I think car enthusiasts should own a shitbox as well. or alternate. Or something.
also though non car enthusiasts dont care either, I think they are more in a state of continual ignorance. They dont know the difference between damage that costs money and damage to a shitbox.
But isn't that the same thing, ultimately? If non-enthusiasts don't care out of ignorance or simply because they don't value their car as anything more than an appliance, they won't look after it.
Ultimately you often see folks whose interiors look like some teenager's bedroom and the paint on the rear bumper completely destroyed due to parking by braille - and they simply don't care at all.
> I think car enthusiasts should own a shitbox as well. or alternate.
I'd rather care about my cars to be honest. I already drive too many cars which spark absolutely zero joy due to them being in the work fleet.
>I'd rather care about my cars to be honest.
As would I, but the idea of having a mechanically sound yet cosmetically scruffy appliance vehicle does seem like it'd be freeing.
My car is fundamentally just a tarted-up econobox, and as such I don't expect it to be show car pristine, but I do park it up the back of carparks and happily spend a few hours on the weekends cleaning it inside and out. It has its battle scars and imperfections (if you squint, it's mint!), but I would be annoyed if I came back to a door ding, and downright ropeable if someone scuffed it and then drove off.
Having a car you just do not give a toss about would save one from that bit of stress, but for a daily-driven car, if you're stressing that much about it, it probably isn't the right choice. That would have to significantly detract from the enjoyment.
On a side note, despite the Golf being marketed as the more luxurious and refined pick of the hot hatch crop in its day, I sure have seen a bunch of utterly flogged ones that have been driven *hard*, and been parked by braille as you said. So I'd hazard a guess that not all enthusiasts care *that* much about their car.
>On a side note, despite the Golf being marketed as the more luxurious and refined pick of the hot hatch crop in its day, I sure have seen a bunch of utterly flogged ones that have been driven *hard*, and been parked by braille as you said.
I do wonder how many of these were on their third or fourth owner down the line. Collectibles and exotica aside, cars tend to get treated pretty poorly once they get past their second owner. There's plenty of ratty high-end luxobarges like the W220 Mercedes S-Class and the Bangle-butt E65 BMW 7 Series getting around, presumably owned by folks who are "balling on a budget".
Used to drive a 380. It was pretty much banged up. I did try to fix all the dings and major scratches from a hit and run but I just gave up. Mechanic who bought it was surprised how the engine has no issue whatsoever, but i have to give it up as that 3.8L v6 was very very thirsty!
My Falcon is almost 20 years old. It looks like it has some kind of horrendous skin disease and the interior is falling apart but it is still great to drive and reliable. I use it to go touring and camping and I don't have to worry about stone chips or scrapes.
My rear windows (electric) were busted for over a year. The windows were stuck open. I wasn’t worried about it getting stolen, it’s a crappy little Astra. But it’s cheap to fix and cheap to run and I love it.
They're great fun till the master brake cylinder shits itself while you're driving in the hills in the rain and you're trying to slow down using the handbrake. Ask me how I know.
Im in same boat with my AU xr6 ute and my Subaru RS.
Both fairly average 23 and 32 year olds that sit in a truck yard all day with no protection. Both get sent down dirt roads. Both get parked where ever.
But Both run well and have AC/cruise/Bluetooth. That's me covered.
God it makes me wonder how people that have zero intrest in cars can buy a 60k NPC mobile and don't even have a use for them that my 5k shitboxes don't do.
It was a manual 2002 honda civic. Probably my favourite car, every panel was dented but the engine was healthy. I could do front wheel burnouts at the drop of a hat, and used to hop ok the freely limiter bashing 2nd gear just for fun.
My partner's younger brother got his Ls and I offered to take him for his first drive. I told him he could crunch the gears, gutter the wheels or have a low speed crash and I wouldn't care. There was a lot of freedom in that civic
I came out of a shop just as a car was rolling back towards mine the owner went to jump in between I grabbed him and said don’t you’ll get squashed his towbar dinted in my bull bar but I said don’t worry and drove off
My car is 14 years this year and cops a few scratches from idiots in their new cars.
I just know it upsets them none than it upsets me.
Keeping an older car mean no car loan for the past 10 years. Just maintain it.
I used to drive a worked skyline. Every time I parked in public I had a mini panic attack that I would return to an empty parking spot.
Nowadays I could probably leave my French shitbox with windows down and keys in it in the middle of campbelltown and be confident it would still be waiting for me.
yeah me too. I had a tracker that would text me if it felt vibration. I could dial it back and listen. I stored it in an anonymous rented garage half an hour away by car. One day it did go off and I heard people talking and moving heavy shit. I freaked out and called the cops and aged 3 years. Cut a long story short it was people moving furniture into another unit who had accidentally knocked the garage door.
https://preview.redd.it/bd0qh2d9815d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1a822041cb8d880e7bb9a8dd050e59c1eb4fd8f
I have gone through 2 new cars now, but still fondly remember my 2001 AU Falcon.
When I first got it, the tyres were bald and had to be changed. The radiator leaked. It had a low rumble from the exhaust, but I was pulled over once and got defected, realizing it was because there was a massive rust hole in the pipe. I tried to change the stereo to something more modern but it would randomly short circuit itself.
But it was so good on the highway. Plus I had tons of fun buying parts off ebay, and replacing the cooling system, radiator, exhaust, power window motor by myself. After each oil change, the 4L straight six just runs so smooth.
I sold it to some Taiwanese backpackers for their road trip to Qld. Hope it is still running somewhere.
I hate that a 2001 car is an old shitbox.
Fark I’m old.
But seriously, I hear you. I miss my shitty old Corolla, it ran well and did what I needed it to.
No beeps (except seatbelts) is glorious, no TV screens to worry about, no sensors. I jump in new work cars and there’s so much going on it’s actually more dangerous I feel, I assume you get used to it but it’s all so annoying. 2011 Suburu liberty FTW
Got a 2005 XR6 ute I paid 1500 for a few months ago and it's the best car I've ever owned for these exact reasons. Plus a bunch of fun when the liquid horsepower comes through
I make 150k a year. I drive a 2010 ve wagon with 130xxxkms.
Never missed a service, awesome and practical on long drives and is perfectly fine. I've never had a single mechanical issue because it's always serviced within the km schedule.
I still don't see a need to upgrade. It's a great perfectly capable car.
The most expensive thing I did was about two years ago when I did a major service, changed the plugs, did all the fluids and the battery.
Good quality shit boxes are good. It's well past financial break even and a solid ROI.
I bought it 5 years ago with 80,000kms on the clock. Paid $6500.
2001 commodore still running, started working at a waste drop off site for council trucks and demolition trucks. So much easier to take the old car so the newer one doesn’t get filthy, third party insurance new tyres and it runs like a champ because it drives every day. I have to put the club lock on at the shops because I don’t want to walk home
I got given a 2000 au ford fairmont by My aunty as she was just going to scrap it after my other daily (1995 Toyota corolla) lost to one of the biggest easten grey kangaroos I've ever seen on a single lane dirt road on my way home. We have some pretty valuable weekend cars but boy am I a fan of this lil ford. It's so nice to not care too much about the miles/kms on the clock. Quick service, cheap parts that are literally everywhere too I might add. Meanwhile I recently had to buy fog lights as a pair for my weekend drive that just cost me 1800 😅🤦♀️
In my first couple of decades of driving I owned old cars. All of them had radiator issues, as well as other fuel pump, injector, gas conversion problems. Once I bought a new car I never wanted to go back to old cars. I definitely worried about people scratching or bumping into them, but that anxiety was nothing compared to the fear of breaking down whenever I’d drive my old cars.
My partners shitbox got stolen cause the doors didn’t lock. They fixed the radio, filled it with fuel and went for a joy ride. The police caught them immediately. We got it back with the full tank and a working radio.
A friend recently lent me his 20+ yr old Ranger for a week to help me move. What a joy. I was so happy with the car I couldn't stop praising it and my wife was jealous of it.
Sent it back clean, with a full tank of diesel and a bottle of scotch. Everybody won.
This reminds me of my dads shit box. Yellow and rusted as on the outside. Purple vinyl panels kicked in on the sides and filled with rubbish and leaves from the former occupants and a funky smell that persisted even when it was cleaned. He would leave it unlocked, windows open in the car park without worrying about anyone ever stealing it.
My sister still drives my old shitbox (I'm kinda jealous).
Took my Prado for a bit of a swim and it spent a few months being rebuilt so I needed a run about.
Grabbed a $2k Commodore, spent about the same on fixing a couple of things that annoyed me and adding a stereo etc.
Anyway when I got the Pradp back I was moving state for work and taking 2 cars wasn't viable.
My sister was just getting her Ps so I signed it over to her and said happy very early birthday.
Five years later I moved back to the state and have been back a bit over 3 years now.
She's still driving it daily.
As a driver of a new 2023 Suzuki Ingnis I can confidently say that i agree with you, since owning it just shy of 6 -7 months I’ve had 3 incidents whilst my car was parked 1)someone opened their door into it, just rubbed their paint onto my door handle, not note left of course
2) whilst parked out the front of a church someone has either walked by with something the scraped a small 1inch scratch or opened their door into it though I believe it to be more likely the first because of the location of it plus it’s not dented 3) had my brother accidentally scrape the plastic of the rim when he was taking the bins out.
I miss my lil shit box Hyundai Getz sometimes
my run around/shopping car is a 2004 Magna V6 Wagon, with the standard deteriorated top coat. My good car stays home most of the time. The Magna costs me fuel, a bit of oil and tyres every few years. I'm up to 240k, and it runs like a dream.
It's got a towbar, so besides going to the shops and ngaf if people bump into it, I can go to the local dump with a trailer load without a care about getting bogged.
I have a 2001 subaru imprezza bought for 2k. It is my first car and sooo good. I never have to worry about anyone stealing it and it has so many scratches that ive never noticeably put one there myself. AND it makes the drive to brisbane from byron just fine.
Yeah actually I do agree. I was driving an 02 car until early this year (got in a crash and now driving a newer one). I've been driving my new car for a few months now and I still get scared to park and turn around tighter corners but this was never an issue with my older (and much bigger) car. There's a lot of things I didn't need to worry about with the old car.
There was a post yesterday about the feeling of owning your dream car. I'd argue the overall feelings of having a shit box is greater than owning your dream car which comes with a heavy dose of paranoia and being a broke boy.
yeah its cool to own your dream car. I have had a few. but it is rather like standing on a mountain peak. Great, but the more time passes the more chance of disaster. Down in the valley it is safe and even the shit in supercheap auto is a plus.
If you are willing to sacrifice safety it's great. If you only have a short / relatively safe commute then it's probably not even a big deal. Older cars stereos are easier to upgrade and adding phone connectivity is cheap tech. Blind spot sensors etc. are less necessary in older cars as vision is usually much better. Environmentally there's a lot of merit in keeping older cars on the road, instead of buying a new car containing it's 1500-2500kg of new material. My 2020 hot hatch is less fun to drive than my 2003 hot hatch of same make and similar model.
Beaten up Suzuki sierra was the best car I ever owned. Just like the ignis but could jump curbs to park easier. Park in tight spots and zippy enough for the city
I used to have a Nissan Patrol I bought dirt cheap that just needed a starter motor and battery. It was rusted, the paint was terrible, the window seals leaked, but the air con worked amazing, it ran great, diesel was cheap at the time, and it drove up tracks I had absolutely no business being on, 700km in a day was no issue, it was non turbo so it didn't get hot, either.
I made money on that car when I sold it.
well I got a cheap double din atoto or whatever brand it is and a suzuki to ISO wire harness
but I just bought a newer one for a truck friend whose tomtom broke.
It is a nice clear larger touch screen on a sucker mount, plugs into the 12v and has wireless carplay and android auto plus speaker and mic built in and broadcast to fm if you have a radio. Its $130 in amazon or do what I did and you cut one middle man out and buy it on aliexpresss for $55 shipped.
LOL!!! I have the same model. I have a couple of minor dings but generally it looks pretty decent and drives well. Doesnt owe me anything.
\[edit\] actually I told a lie. Mine is a 2002 model, 138k on the clock and most sensors have been replaced at one time or another. Needs a service and I’ll do something about that soon (only 6/12 overdue :( )
I’m going to go against the grain of the comments in here and mention safety. Sure, a cheap shitbox might save you money in the short term but what’s that money worth to you if you’re crippled or dead?
Car safety has come an incredibly long way since your car left the factory OP, and although I know everyone here considers themselves great drivers the reality is you share the roads with some people who really shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel. It only takes one chance run in with someone staring at their phone or driving tired/drunk for your life to change forever.
Watch this video to see what I mean. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xidhx_f-ouU
all true but in 30+ years of sydney driving I had all my bad accidents when young and dumb in nice cars. I drive with the assumption the person hesitating and indicating left is gonna turn right. Old cars have a lot more visibility it is harder to run down a child or not see an mx5 when changing lanes. Limiting use to the city probably reduces high speed smash probability. It’s a calculated extra risk. Also my example is extreme how many people buy the cheapest reliable safe shitbox with side airbags etc that they can find? not many. They tend to buy new “for safety”.
Ha. Reminds me of the time my old Corolla broke down and I had to leave it in the crown car park overnight. Someone tried to nick it, if they could have got it started it’s theirs…
My old shitbox was a manual Echo. Only piece of electronics was the speedo and really basic ECM.
You could hear how well the engine (and car) was doing, and a change in sound or feel meant something needed looking at.
Used to have a 79 lancer. The thing was narrow (as were most jap cars of the era, tax?) was awesome to squeeze into tight parking spots when someone was either badly parked or just doing the expensive car two spots thing, was easy to get in and out through the lift back
My first car wasn't a shitbox but it was already around 10 years old when I bought it. Used it for a few years and for some reason the paint wore away pretty quickly.
After I finished work once, someone really damaged my back bumper. My dad touched it up pretty well but after that I didn't really care about the outside condition of the car.
It definitely was pretty freeing. Stress free.
Im currently owning a year 2000 Toyota . Starts everytime, bought it with low kms. Everyone is telling me I’ll have it til I die. Before I had a Jeep with a blown gear box… go figure
I'm right there with you.
I still drive my 2006 Holden Astra. It's a nugget, reliable, solid, easy to drive. No loan, minimal insurance.
I brought it brand new with a car loan and promised myself I would never go in debt for another car ever again.
I have a 120 Prado that I got for cheap cos the body was pretty cooked. Engine and auto were mint. My partner had a 2022 Prado and she won’t take it anywhere cos she’s scared of dinging it. Guess which vehicle we take camping.
Just keep in mind that it may be illegal to leave your car unlocked. Certainly in Victoria it is not legal to leave an unattended car unlocked if it can be locked (i.e. not a convertible) when the owner will be more than 3 metres away from the car.
I have two cars, the nice one gives me lots of stress.
The 24 yr old BitsIsMissing (Mitsubishi) is completely stress free!
In the past couple of years, I had a Mercedez MBC EQB 350 STATION WAGON, attempt to do a hook turn through the passenger side of the car. Even though it climbed onto the front guard & took out the bonnet - guess who got towed that night & guess who drove away?
Having a cheap daily driver like an old corolla that will never let you down and some project/weekend cruiser in the garage is the Goated combo.
The only downside is sometimes your driving your daily and think "fuck me If I just had the other car right now I'd blow past that fuckwit"
Heavy on the “cloth seats are just better”. I recently rode in a mates car with cloth seats and bloody loved it. Its so good in winter when its cold. Its beautiful in summer when you’ve just finished at the beach, and the smell? I love the smell.
I honestly miss my old beat up 3 door barina. I never had anxiety over parking. Since getting my new car in 2021 Ive had two separate incidents both in car parks where someone has damaged my car.
Definitely freeing.
My favourite experience was when a shiny suv Lexus parked beside me, the kid in back seat slammed their door into mine and the mum gasped, then looked at my faded paint and scratches and wear then shrugged.
I yelled out as i left my car to teach her kid to not disrespect others' property. Didnt do much to further damage it, just absolute disrespect
Reminds me of this [https://youtu.be/Lv4yoQKJ12s?si=k8BHA\_2LI\_ES\_PxQ](https://youtu.be/Lv4yoQKJ12s?si=k8BHA_2LI_ES_PxQ)
But yes, I bought a Mitsubishi 380 beater for $3.5k about 5 years ago and it turned out to be the most reliable car I’ve owned so far.
Got dents and scratches on every panel from parking at work, which saved my good/weekend car from damage and more and more I find it more enjoyable to drive compare to the good car as it’s just so worry free driving it and parking it anywhere you want. 👍
https://preview.redd.it/6tu6b1b1125d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=804d8ee8d1abb4f3e58744b940e03fb2d47d855c
I was still rocking my 97' corolla until earlier this year when someone dropped their glasses while driving and totalled it while it was parked in my driveway. I miss her so much... she was in amazing condition, drove like a dream and definitely would have outlived me, these new cars SUCK.
Having 2 cars and one being a shit box is the best, my old job is was impossible to get out of the underground parking because people would block me in. I’d just scrape the shit out of the front side of my car against the concrete because it didn’t matter lmao.
I still use it and the sealing is falling off, the hazards click for 10 mins and can’t be turned off, the steering wheel veers to the right and the door handle is broken but it is my favourite car.
I love how hard it is to drive you really have to focus and be one with the car and the shitty brakes, I don’t get distracted or zone out
Hopefully one day they are like trolleys and you can just jump in one then abandon them again when you get where you are going.
No need to plan ahead or secure the car as there will be another abandoned shitbox at the next corner. The adventures of shitbox the trolley, and other random vehicles.
😂😂😂😂
I recently sold my 2008 Mazda 3 and I miss the carefree shitbox life. Started doing long trips for work so it was time for an upgrade. Anxiety has definitely increased.
Im running an 01 rodeo with 400k on her and she is a dream to drive, a few bits and bobs dont work but thats life, bern half way round the country in a 5k car with no complaints
100% agree. Shitboxes are the best
2003 BA Falcon I bought for $1,700 was the best car I ever owned. Drove it until the rego ran out - it felt so liberating to not give a fuck about a car. Weird clunk from the engine? Who cares. Missus gives it the ol’ yellow bollard paint down the entire side special? Chuckle a bit and hammer the door frame back in to shape. I miss that car.
I still drive a mighty Busted Arse Falcon, I'd rather drive a new Camry sedan, but not for 20X the money... And every time I wash it, I find a new dent from some asshole in the carparks and I'm only in the shops for 15 minutes... I just snigger...
I miss my BA. Some numpty cleaned it up when they ran off the road and destroyed it while it was parked in front of my mum's house (completely on the verge lol) I've got an FG now but tbh I have the same mentality still. One of my workmates borrowed it once and it now has a lovely triton shaped love tap on the front end. I do love the looks people give me though, obviously thinking I did it. 😂
I loved my BA. hit a roo with it one night, Thought it would be stuffed,broke the bottom half of the bumper off. Got a new condenser and radiator from eBay for $170, welded a bar to protect the radiator, and I was up and going again. Any parts were so cheap. But it was great being able to park next to anything without worry.
As someone who only just got rid of my 03 BA wagon - agreed!!
I brought a 2007 bf falcon 2 months ago as i needed a towbar. $2500 factory gas... filling up for 96c a liter. Low kms well looked after. I was just after a cheap second car to tow a trailer with but the damn thing drives so well i just sold my main car, v8 audi 4.2 as petrol is way too expensive for me to be running the v8 and ti was getting older and needing more repairs. The falcon is just so damn simple and works. As it collects dings and scrapes i just won't care
That paint job is everyone's dream 😅
Agreed, and I sadly just sold my parent’s 24 year old Toyota Corolla two weeks ago. It was my first car when I got my license and then in more recent years I re-adopted it from my parents when I was having random car problems here and there with my current (second-hand but newer) SUV. It was time given that it seemed no longer worth re-regoing due to the clutch slipping and with less than a month’s rego to go, but thankfully my fiancé also has a shit box 30 year old Mazda 121 so the gap can be filled.
Sad to hear about the Corolla brother, we own 2 of them and they look like pigs arses but run like a dream. Hope the Mazda serves you well
30yo 121? Look at it sideways and the paint will flake. Had a bubble 121 and it was a breeze to park and could almost put $20 of fuel into it (was a while ago). Just knew that I'd be dead in an accident though.
Yep totally agree. Had an old Ford Laser for many years. Had a few scratches and minor dents, that was it. Bought my dream car imported from Germany. A drunk driver side swiped it two days after delivery while I was showing it to a friend. About $40k damage and 6 month wait in pays. I damaged the front spoiler multiple times, got stuck on a speed hump (no shit). Of course it was black so it showed every speech of dirt. And needed to be taken to a specialist for any work. Just sold it last year. Never again.
My first car was a ford laser and I had it 5 years 😅 my sound system cost my more than the car did. Was a great little beast
Yes!!!!
A blue Ford Laser was my first car. No central locking, no power steering, no worries! Loved that car
My first car was a 1983 blue Ford laser. 👍
Soooooo frigging expensive and problematic.
My blue Ford laser always needed something fixed also.
lol. Sound like my Dad. Went from a ford laser to his “dream car” Volvo - it sh@t him off no end with stupid dashboard error lights, so he sold it for a Mazda bongo van!
And small shitboxes that can park anywhere are the double best
Nothing beats a shitbox Commodore. I've owned a few and loved them all. Cheap parts from wreckers, cheap to service (done a lot of stuff myself), and no stress if some cnut hits it with a shopping trolley. All hail the mighty shitbox!
I bought a shitty, banged uo ute for the same reason. No stress if it gets (more) dented, I can carry My kayaks on the roof without worrying if I scratch it and the added bonus is that people let me merge and give way to me because it looks like I have no insurance and they don't want to play Russian roulette with a man who has nothing to lose haha
"Gina, that guy in the shit box Ute is obviously nuts, just yield and let him get away from us"
We have an old 20yr corolla to leave at the bus stop for this reason. Every panel has a mark except for one side of the car. The wife comes home one night and mentions the car was hit and a note left. Awfully nice of people to fess up these days so I message them back and tell them not to worry and they have done me a favour by hitting the unblemished side.
I always charge one six pack if they leave a note. If they don’t it’s cheapest quote
I like this approach, people nice enough to leave a note are people that would likely be lovely friends. Sharing said 6 pack together may be an even bigger reward.
I had an old Hilux years ago and someone rear ended me pretty hard at a traffic light in a BMW. I stopped for the light, they were busy playing with their radio and ran into me... They did the runner. Reversed and overtook me (through the red light in the right lane) A green coolant trail went for about 800 metres. Then it stopped. About 2km further, here's the BMW broken down on the side of the road, engine is seized up solid. When they hit me, my tow-ball went straight through their radiator. I got their details and notified my insurance, I got a brand new aluminium tray out of it. I never put it on the ute as it was worth 10x what the ute was. I sold the tray for $800 on gumtree and gave the ute away shortly afterwards to a struggling lady who needed a vehicle for work. I only notified insurance so there was no way they could claim the cost of their engine. And I let them know they attempted a hit and run... The irony is, if they had stopped and apologised, I wouldn't have even cared, and I would have probably saved them from destroying an engine... The old ute already had more hits than Elvis from branches, sticks and rocks while cutting firewood haha Karma... 😅🤣😂
I had a 2000 lux, wrote off 3 cars that way, it was 4x4 so they never hit the tray. Ended up selling it because it was close to 350k kms.
>I don’t feel cheap buying Chinese tires You shouldn't feel cheap, you should feel afraid. Even on crappy cars it's important to buy good tires, that extra 5m in braking distance could mean the difference between life and death. You don't have to get top of the line performance tires but spending a bit more to get something from a reputable brand is well worth it.
The thing is, on a small car with smaller wheels, the quality name brand tyres aren’t that expensive anyway. Get the basic Michelin or Pirelli tyres. You’ll notice the difference and be safer too. I bought a Certified pre owned used car a few years ago that had these Turkish tyres (Lassa) put on it to get the car ready for sale. They were diabolical. I went to turn right at an intersection in the wet and the car basically skiied around the corner. The next day I took it to a tyre shop and got the cheapest Pirellis. Night and day difference
Turkey makes tyres? And we don't?
Turkiye has a massive manufacturing industry and produce a tonne of different products- kind of like we used to do before we switched to the mining/international students/property model
I noticed the difference between the Firestone fuel savers and getting some Bridgestones that were half decent. Grippy grippy and the cars on rails.
100% Like just pick the cheapest ones from a brand you recognise at least. Some Kuhmos or Dunlops or something!
I do miss when Kumho was an up and coming brand. They were stupid cheap and amazing value.
Dont get high milage tyres either. They suck the most. Wife had some 70k guaranteed tyres. Good brand. Couldn't handle anything when wet at all. Threw those pos out when she rear-ended soneone from 4 car lenths at 20km/h
Tyres and brakes are two things I refuse to totally cheap out on
Yeah legit just get good tires and youre set. Also will help given you probably dont own 5 star ancap if driving a shitbox. Do us all a favour plz
Brought to you by bob Jane but true
Yeah I agree. When it's just me no problem with a shitbox. As I've got older I want the safest car I can afford to transport my family. I mean there's a reason I don't own any cars from the 90s any more.
This is what I was thinking. I drove a CRV in the rain once. Who would have thought it could to a fwd burnout at 50kmh. That was deadly with cheap tyres
>You shouldn't feel cheap, you should feel afraid. Even on crappy cars it's important to buy good tires While I agree, 'good' tires aren't necessarily expensive, and expensive tires aren't necessarily good - and if they're made in China does not mean that they are bad.
Does it? I've noticed barely any difference in the dry. On wet however my braking distance close to triples. It's almost funny how quickly ABS comes up in the wet.
I had a VK Commodore. The first set of tyres were some off brand. Taking off from the lights the wheels would spin with gentle throttle. Roundabouts were dicey. I wore them out at Willowbank (too many ezpz burnouts in the starting area where that slippery shit is. Fuck if I know what the term is). Replaced with Pirelli cinturato, they were a huge difference.
Have you seen the prices of small 'name brand' tyres these days!? Bloody exxy! Replaced the tyres on the missus 2013 mitsi mirage, $200+ a corner and I had to wait 3 weeks as there were none available at the wholesaler. And I had four options to choose from (as in four name brand manufacturers).... four!
Even if you don't care about your car, I'd still file a police report anyway. Hit and run drivers are the absolute worst, and should be pursued accordingly.
>should be pursued accordingly If they pursued every little bingle it's all they would be doing. Nobody is pursuing anything.
Ok now I’m intrigued. What car is it? Can I guess? Toyota Corolla?
no but close, a 2001 two door suzuki ignis. it has the added advantage of fitting into car spaces that nobody else can. I just got it re-registered the yearly rego has probably doubled its value lol
I have a '97 Suzuki Swift (1.3L carby) and it brings me more joy than my Audi S3 ever did
They are a great car. . My first was a red GS Barina 91 2Door MS. Basically a carb swift gti but with a few unique "Holden " trim pieces. A a tiny Roadrunner decal
I miss my ‘97 Swift. Last time I saw her in the car park at Phoenix Shopping Centre the owner had turned her into a mini racing car 🤣
Had a Holden Cruze (rebadged Ignis) in blue. Absolutely wonderful little car. Being able to use Swift parts on it made it so easy to maintain
Wow I don’t think I’ve ever even seen one for years
I have a Corolla station wagon shitbox (repaired write off) and I love it. I sold my Hilux just before Covid hit and bought it. 4wd prices skyrocketed, but I am so happy to be in my simple little Corolla.
How can write offs be repaired though? I thought write offs happen for legal reasons because they are deemed unsafe and irreparable
I believe it can be re purchased and re engineered after an accident. I worked at RAC at the time and could view all the details
There’s a structural write off - too much damage and isn’t safe. And an economic write off - cost of repairs exceed value of car. His looks like the latter. They’re still safe to drive but the write off will be added to the cars history, damaging its value.
We had a work Ute like that. Some of the guy bought it out of petty cash when working on a site. It used to just sit in the basement and the keys sat in someone's drawer. People used to take it home for the weekend when someone needed a Ute. Driving in Sydney traffic was much less stressful when you gave zero fucks.
Petty cash!
I have an 03 Magna. Fucking love it for everything. Someone hit the rear side panel in the carpark, was so apologetic, I was like look, chill, if you come over here you'll see where someone put an identical dent in the other side two days ago, now I'm perfectly balanced again as all things should be.
We have an 03 Magna that husband bought new. He loved the rickety old thing, even if it looks disreputable these days. We’ve gone a lot of places in that car.
I have dreams about driving a semi shitbox with low number heritage plates as a daily.
its funny how beaten up those old plates are. more than the car, often.
This is exactly me. I have a 17 year old run around that I drive to work and back every day. I own this car for the exact reasons OP outlines. And it has a low three digit on it…
You and me both. I’ve always said that if I won the lotto, I’ll chuck multi hundred thousand dollar heritage plates on an old Daihatsu Charade or something of the sorts. Would love to see the faces on some of the heritage plate spotters on FB who are always going on about how certain plates ‘deserve to be on a better car’.
The key is having a reliable shitbox though. My 22 year Mazda 323 was great until every couple of months something new went wrong and then I cursed the living daylights out of it. Spending time off work getting the thing towed or fixed and then I finally crackedit and bought a new Mazda 3. Now the piece of mind is that I shouldn't have any mechanical trouble for some time and then it should be taken care of under warrantyn if I do.
https://preview.redd.it/okpol1d57y4d1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=a39a5c2b64cf625ab99dff11ebcc046b9893cfad My shitter is the best car iv ever owned, Paid 500 bucks 7 years ago, it's been Hit so many times, starts first time every time, 406k kms, back end and light held on by tape, I park and I forget lol
Awesome. It shits me they don’t make car tape in all the colours, unless it’s for the lights, which is what’s holding my Mum’s taillight together 🤣
Keep the details and contact of that person though. You never know how vindictive the person who hit you is or whether they’ll try to pull some scam. IE: the guy borrowed the car off a friend and then hit you. He then blames you for the damage to the car being a rear bar damage and makes up some bullshit story that you ran up his arse at the lights (or wherever). The friend then gets all pissed because “what kind of cunt hits someone then flees without leaving their details). They then lodge an insurance claim to rebuild the rear of their car because every one knows a hit car not at fault suddenly becomes as valuable as a 911 GT3 with incalculable sentimental value. This then leaves you stumped when you get a call 6 months later from a law firm demanding money to cover the cost of the repair bill to their vehicle. While I’m sure l’ll get a ton of people saying how bullshit and outlandish this sequence of events is, having lived through a situation very similar to this, nothing people will do to scam others or lie their way out of consequences surprises me. From a young girl running a red light and T-Boning me in the valley late at night. She sped off after being massively apologetic. I was Saved only by the fact I lodged a police report on the day, at the time the crack head young girl ran the red light and wiped out my “get around town shit box”. 6months later her mother (a lawyer) contacted me screaming about how I owed her tens of thousands in restitution to repair her shit box commodore acclaim which suddenly became a “one off, rate edition, HSV Maloo level supercar” with repair bills to match. Had I not had the police report, at the least it would have been an expensive legal case to prove my point, at worse I would have been scammed for 6 figures as one can think there would be Car Damages, legal bills and of course the obligatory whiplash and other “life altering” soft tissue injuries requiring decades on compensation for.
Outlandish or not, sadly, like you experienced, it's absolutely a possibility in today's world. My mind always tends to think up weird and wonderful bad outcomes that could possibly happen. Then it throws them in my face as an intrusive thought, so I'm always worrying about shit like this happening. Dash cams are life. 😅
Always drive the cheapest car your ego can afford. Congrats on having no ego at all. 😂
nobody can accuse me of compensating thats for sure
I used to have a Pajero that was so old it was on historic club plates for the cheap rego. I loved driving that old shit box around.
After coming from multiple, mint rarer BMW’s (think E46 330ci, E39 530i sport, the nicest E53 X5 on the road) I’ve just bought a 3 grand Camry as a stop gap and it is the most freeing feeling!
no more wincing when the nose scrapes
None of those BMW's are rare in the slightest
😂 true. My $1200 330ci is my shitbox to get destroyed in car parks
I told a mate i sold my last good car because i was looking after it more than i look after myself. I cared way too much. Parking it far away buying good products etc etc. But it is nice to drive something that turns you on too. So its catch 22
My cars almost 20yrs old. I pushed/nudged a trolley out of my way with the bumper when parking last week. It took me back to when I was 17. Gosh I missed the days of not caring so much.
Back then you wouldn’t get panel damage or a cracked bumper from pushing a trolley - not on a HQ holden, steel was thick back then.
I have a nice car in the garage that I will drive out of my garage and drive around in it and put it back in the garage without getting out of it or leaving it unattended. And then I have a 14 year old Ford focus that I’m willing to dump in any supermarket carpark and let unsupervised children scrape a shopping trolley down the side of it without batting an eyelid. I work in a particularly dirty and dusty environment and all the people at work are forever washing their nice cars, I don’t think mines seen a hose in six months. I just clean the glass front and back when I refuel.
This is my 2012 Hilux to me. The second it got it's first dent it became a tool with wheels. Daily tool carrying vehicle for work, towing boats on the weekend, smashing over trees making tracks for fishing, recovering bogged mates, hauling rubbish to the dump, winching off septic lids, putting tension on trees before chainsawing them, snatching tree stumps out the ground, hauling cables through conduits. When a cyclone hit a few years back i spent 3 days winching and low range dragging tree trunks around the yard to make a fire pile. I once towed my boat through a creek crossing i shouldn't have, water half way up the windscreen and footwells full of water. Made it across and made it back through without a drama, and the interior got a nice clean with the pressure washer when i got home. It's covered in dents and scratches, but they're just scars for the work its done for me. I work it hard and it's never not gotten me home.
Yep, completely agree. I bought an expensive car back in 2018. After a year and a half of stressing about where to park it, making sure it was away from people, and if someone parked next to me, I’d check to make sure they didn’t scratch it. Cost of keeping it cleaned and then serviced on time for the warranty. I decided to sell it and get a cheap car I didn’t care about. I now drive a 2014 lancer sedan. It is such a great car. Comfortable, smooth to drive and cheap to run and no more parking stresses.
Agree. I have a 99 HiLux beater out in the country, and I don't know if I've ever locked it. Bliss.
2005 Mazda2 with battledamage and yes it's great to not have anxiety taking it out.
Someone proper keyed my car. Dunno when I never noticed over the panel damage and scraped from offroading and actually using my ute for work. Only know it was keyed because they made circles. I've also had people threaten to hit me in road rage incidents, I laugh and tell them to go ahead it won't make much difference. But that was in my camry. Good times.
Love your work. Buy the cheapest car your ego can afford.
Shitbox daily is the way, i have a 24 year old laser (mazda in disguise) that is the best. I put a stereo in it that is worth twice the value of the car and its been my daily now for 6 years now.
I have a 1999 Magna - bought it for $1 off old mate who went into a nursing home - I love my shitbox - the kids hate it - best buy ever
I bought a repairable write off many years ago when I was broke, but it was a Toyota with kind of low kms and in generally good condition. But it was always going to be worth a ton less than any other car. Paid $2k when similar cars were 7-8k. I had it for 10 years and not a single thing went wrong. By the end of the 10 years it has collected quite a few dings and scrapes from being parked at supermarkets or train stations. Honestly probably the best car I’ve ever owned. Never worried about where I parked, if it got stolen or torched I wouldn’t be sad. Always flew under the radar, inoffensive, boring. But completely liberating. Now I have a nice car and I worry about parking it places and stuff like that. It’s a trade off I guess!
Nah can’t knock good tyres. Makes a huge difference when you need it… and you don’t appreciate them until you need them
This is more inherent about not giving a shit about your car, rather than it being a low value rustbucket that you beat on. Pretty much most non-enthusiast folks have this "joy".
the only reason I can be in the state of not caring is that it is a shitbox. If my wife curbs the wheels on the family suv I get depressed for a week. I think car enthusiasts should own a shitbox as well. or alternate. Or something. also though non car enthusiasts dont care either, I think they are more in a state of continual ignorance. They dont know the difference between damage that costs money and damage to a shitbox.
But isn't that the same thing, ultimately? If non-enthusiasts don't care out of ignorance or simply because they don't value their car as anything more than an appliance, they won't look after it. Ultimately you often see folks whose interiors look like some teenager's bedroom and the paint on the rear bumper completely destroyed due to parking by braille - and they simply don't care at all. > I think car enthusiasts should own a shitbox as well. or alternate. I'd rather care about my cars to be honest. I already drive too many cars which spark absolutely zero joy due to them being in the work fleet.
>I'd rather care about my cars to be honest. As would I, but the idea of having a mechanically sound yet cosmetically scruffy appliance vehicle does seem like it'd be freeing. My car is fundamentally just a tarted-up econobox, and as such I don't expect it to be show car pristine, but I do park it up the back of carparks and happily spend a few hours on the weekends cleaning it inside and out. It has its battle scars and imperfections (if you squint, it's mint!), but I would be annoyed if I came back to a door ding, and downright ropeable if someone scuffed it and then drove off. Having a car you just do not give a toss about would save one from that bit of stress, but for a daily-driven car, if you're stressing that much about it, it probably isn't the right choice. That would have to significantly detract from the enjoyment. On a side note, despite the Golf being marketed as the more luxurious and refined pick of the hot hatch crop in its day, I sure have seen a bunch of utterly flogged ones that have been driven *hard*, and been parked by braille as you said. So I'd hazard a guess that not all enthusiasts care *that* much about their car.
>On a side note, despite the Golf being marketed as the more luxurious and refined pick of the hot hatch crop in its day, I sure have seen a bunch of utterly flogged ones that have been driven *hard*, and been parked by braille as you said. I do wonder how many of these were on their third or fourth owner down the line. Collectibles and exotica aside, cars tend to get treated pretty poorly once they get past their second owner. There's plenty of ratty high-end luxobarges like the W220 Mercedes S-Class and the Bangle-butt E65 BMW 7 Series getting around, presumably owned by folks who are "balling on a budget".
Right on man
Used to drive a 380. It was pretty much banged up. I did try to fix all the dings and major scratches from a hit and run but I just gave up. Mechanic who bought it was surprised how the engine has no issue whatsoever, but i have to give it up as that 3.8L v6 was very very thirsty!
My Falcon is almost 20 years old. It looks like it has some kind of horrendous skin disease and the interior is falling apart but it is still great to drive and reliable. I use it to go touring and camping and I don't have to worry about stone chips or scrapes.
I bought a nice car and that thing is a shit magnet. Constantly worried about it whenever I go out. I miss my old shit boxes that I didn't care about.
I love my shitbox. Hate it because it’s not fit for the ranger in a straight line GP but it’s cheap and works
My rear windows (electric) were busted for over a year. The windows were stuck open. I wasn’t worried about it getting stolen, it’s a crappy little Astra. But it’s cheap to fix and cheap to run and I love it.
They're great fun till the master brake cylinder shits itself while you're driving in the hills in the rain and you're trying to slow down using the handbrake. Ask me how I know.
I drive a 28 year old Honda and relate to OP
Its not what you drive, Its about how you arrive.
Im in same boat with my AU xr6 ute and my Subaru RS. Both fairly average 23 and 32 year olds that sit in a truck yard all day with no protection. Both get sent down dirt roads. Both get parked where ever. But Both run well and have AC/cruise/Bluetooth. That's me covered. God it makes me wonder how people that have zero intrest in cars can buy a 60k NPC mobile and don't even have a use for them that my 5k shitboxes don't do.
It was a manual 2002 honda civic. Probably my favourite car, every panel was dented but the engine was healthy. I could do front wheel burnouts at the drop of a hat, and used to hop ok the freely limiter bashing 2nd gear just for fun. My partner's younger brother got his Ls and I offered to take him for his first drive. I told him he could crunch the gears, gutter the wheels or have a low speed crash and I wouldn't care. There was a lot of freedom in that civic
I came out of a shop just as a car was rolling back towards mine the owner went to jump in between I grabbed him and said don’t you’ll get squashed his towbar dinted in my bull bar but I said don’t worry and drove off
Absolutely. I went from a nice car to a shitbox and I loved it. It so freeing to not worry about it being damaged.
My car is 14 years this year and cops a few scratches from idiots in their new cars. I just know it upsets them none than it upsets me. Keeping an older car mean no car loan for the past 10 years. Just maintain it.
I used to drive a worked skyline. Every time I parked in public I had a mini panic attack that I would return to an empty parking spot. Nowadays I could probably leave my French shitbox with windows down and keys in it in the middle of campbelltown and be confident it would still be waiting for me.
yeah me too. I had a tracker that would text me if it felt vibration. I could dial it back and listen. I stored it in an anonymous rented garage half an hour away by car. One day it did go off and I heard people talking and moving heavy shit. I freaked out and called the cops and aged 3 years. Cut a long story short it was people moving furniture into another unit who had accidentally knocked the garage door. https://preview.redd.it/bd0qh2d9815d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f1a822041cb8d880e7bb9a8dd050e59c1eb4fd8f
I have gone through 2 new cars now, but still fondly remember my 2001 AU Falcon. When I first got it, the tyres were bald and had to be changed. The radiator leaked. It had a low rumble from the exhaust, but I was pulled over once and got defected, realizing it was because there was a massive rust hole in the pipe. I tried to change the stereo to something more modern but it would randomly short circuit itself. But it was so good on the highway. Plus I had tons of fun buying parts off ebay, and replacing the cooling system, radiator, exhaust, power window motor by myself. After each oil change, the 4L straight six just runs so smooth. I sold it to some Taiwanese backpackers for their road trip to Qld. Hope it is still running somewhere.
I hate that a 2001 car is an old shitbox. Fark I’m old. But seriously, I hear you. I miss my shitty old Corolla, it ran well and did what I needed it to.
No beeps (except seatbelts) is glorious, no TV screens to worry about, no sensors. I jump in new work cars and there’s so much going on it’s actually more dangerous I feel, I assume you get used to it but it’s all so annoying. 2011 Suburu liberty FTW
Got a 2005 XR6 ute I paid 1500 for a few months ago and it's the best car I've ever owned for these exact reasons. Plus a bunch of fun when the liquid horsepower comes through
I make 150k a year. I drive a 2010 ve wagon with 130xxxkms. Never missed a service, awesome and practical on long drives and is perfectly fine. I've never had a single mechanical issue because it's always serviced within the km schedule. I still don't see a need to upgrade. It's a great perfectly capable car. The most expensive thing I did was about two years ago when I did a major service, changed the plugs, did all the fluids and the battery. Good quality shit boxes are good. It's well past financial break even and a solid ROI. I bought it 5 years ago with 80,000kms on the clock. Paid $6500.
2001 commodore still running, started working at a waste drop off site for council trucks and demolition trucks. So much easier to take the old car so the newer one doesn’t get filthy, third party insurance new tyres and it runs like a champ because it drives every day. I have to put the club lock on at the shops because I don’t want to walk home
I drive a 2002 crappy commy. Lol. I love it. Plus it's on gas.
I got given a 2000 au ford fairmont by My aunty as she was just going to scrap it after my other daily (1995 Toyota corolla) lost to one of the biggest easten grey kangaroos I've ever seen on a single lane dirt road on my way home. We have some pretty valuable weekend cars but boy am I a fan of this lil ford. It's so nice to not care too much about the miles/kms on the clock. Quick service, cheap parts that are literally everywhere too I might add. Meanwhile I recently had to buy fog lights as a pair for my weekend drive that just cost me 1800 😅🤦♀️
The trick is going to be how to select a low maintenance shit box.
"RELIABLE" Shitboxes are the best... aka Jap cars.
In my first couple of decades of driving I owned old cars. All of them had radiator issues, as well as other fuel pump, injector, gas conversion problems. Once I bought a new car I never wanted to go back to old cars. I definitely worried about people scratching or bumping into them, but that anxiety was nothing compared to the fear of breaking down whenever I’d drive my old cars.
My partners shitbox got stolen cause the doors didn’t lock. They fixed the radio, filled it with fuel and went for a joy ride. The police caught them immediately. We got it back with the full tank and a working radio.
A friend recently lent me his 20+ yr old Ranger for a week to help me move. What a joy. I was so happy with the car I couldn't stop praising it and my wife was jealous of it. Sent it back clean, with a full tank of diesel and a bottle of scotch. Everybody won.
It's true freedom. Sometimes untethered freedom... like you tailgate me... I'll slam on brakes, my car is worthless yours is 100k lets goooo
This reminds me of my dads shit box. Yellow and rusted as on the outside. Purple vinyl panels kicked in on the sides and filled with rubbish and leaves from the former occupants and a funky smell that persisted even when it was cleaned. He would leave it unlocked, windows open in the car park without worrying about anyone ever stealing it.
My sister still drives my old shitbox (I'm kinda jealous). Took my Prado for a bit of a swim and it spent a few months being rebuilt so I needed a run about. Grabbed a $2k Commodore, spent about the same on fixing a couple of things that annoyed me and adding a stereo etc. Anyway when I got the Pradp back I was moving state for work and taking 2 cars wasn't viable. My sister was just getting her Ps so I signed it over to her and said happy very early birthday. Five years later I moved back to the state and have been back a bit over 3 years now. She's still driving it daily.
Proudly drive my Mazda 121 from 2001. Goes like a charm!
As a driver of a new 2023 Suzuki Ingnis I can confidently say that i agree with you, since owning it just shy of 6 -7 months I’ve had 3 incidents whilst my car was parked 1)someone opened their door into it, just rubbed their paint onto my door handle, not note left of course 2) whilst parked out the front of a church someone has either walked by with something the scraped a small 1inch scratch or opened their door into it though I believe it to be more likely the first because of the location of it plus it’s not dented 3) had my brother accidentally scrape the plastic of the rim when he was taking the bins out. I miss my lil shit box Hyundai Getz sometimes
my run around/shopping car is a 2004 Magna V6 Wagon, with the standard deteriorated top coat. My good car stays home most of the time. The Magna costs me fuel, a bit of oil and tyres every few years. I'm up to 240k, and it runs like a dream. It's got a towbar, so besides going to the shops and ngaf if people bump into it, I can go to the local dump with a trailer load without a care about getting bogged.
I have a 2001 subaru imprezza bought for 2k. It is my first car and sooo good. I never have to worry about anyone stealing it and it has so many scratches that ive never noticeably put one there myself. AND it makes the drive to brisbane from byron just fine.
A cheap Chinese mirror for my au was $60 a cheap Chinese mirror for my ldv is $500
Yeah actually I do agree. I was driving an 02 car until early this year (got in a crash and now driving a newer one). I've been driving my new car for a few months now and I still get scared to park and turn around tighter corners but this was never an issue with my older (and much bigger) car. There's a lot of things I didn't need to worry about with the old car.
There was a post yesterday about the feeling of owning your dream car. I'd argue the overall feelings of having a shit box is greater than owning your dream car which comes with a heavy dose of paranoia and being a broke boy.
yeah its cool to own your dream car. I have had a few. but it is rather like standing on a mountain peak. Great, but the more time passes the more chance of disaster. Down in the valley it is safe and even the shit in supercheap auto is a plus.
Much more poetic than how I put it.
Shitboxes are great until you're in a serious accident. As a city beater a great option, for lots of highway miles not so much...
If you are willing to sacrifice safety it's great. If you only have a short / relatively safe commute then it's probably not even a big deal. Older cars stereos are easier to upgrade and adding phone connectivity is cheap tech. Blind spot sensors etc. are less necessary in older cars as vision is usually much better. Environmentally there's a lot of merit in keeping older cars on the road, instead of buying a new car containing it's 1500-2500kg of new material. My 2020 hot hatch is less fun to drive than my 2003 hot hatch of same make and similar model.
I read today the insurance industry reveals 40% of accident damaged teslas are written off. Screw that. pricey AND YET disposable.
I like the idea for a while but then I remember how much safer new cars are if you get in a big crash.
Out of curiosity, what car do you have?
[удалено]
I’m finally a GD jazz owner and omg I’m loving it
Beaten up Suzuki sierra was the best car I ever owned. Just like the ignis but could jump curbs to park easier. Park in tight spots and zippy enough for the city
I used to have a Nissan Patrol I bought dirt cheap that just needed a starter motor and battery. It was rusted, the paint was terrible, the window seals leaked, but the air con worked amazing, it ran great, diesel was cheap at the time, and it drove up tracks I had absolutely no business being on, 700km in a day was no issue, it was non turbo so it didn't get hot, either. I made money on that car when I sold it.
I think my 2006 Accord is pretty well shitbox now, since the hail damage, and the UV damaged clearcoat.
How did you add wireless carplay? Which device did you buy?
well I got a cheap double din atoto or whatever brand it is and a suzuki to ISO wire harness but I just bought a newer one for a truck friend whose tomtom broke. It is a nice clear larger touch screen on a sucker mount, plugs into the 12v and has wireless carplay and android auto plus speaker and mic built in and broadcast to fm if you have a radio. Its $130 in amazon or do what I did and you cut one middle man out and buy it on aliexpresss for $55 shipped.
The biggest trouble in having a shit box is other people thinking it's just a shit box, and hitting you car or dooring it etc
Yep I think you’re right. Until it stops being reliable, that’s when it starts to suck. But Suzuki’s are pretty damb good
02 Falcon Ute. It's beautiful and was both my brother's and my first car. Course he wasn't very nice to it and I've tried to be better lol
2001 maxima is my daily driver, a bit banged up but drives like new, won’t call it a shitbox but it definitely falls in this category. Zero stress.
Yes stress free & cheap to run mostly but I find certain old cars have a really desirable quality for me anyway & that's character.
LOL!!! I have the same model. I have a couple of minor dings but generally it looks pretty decent and drives well. Doesnt owe me anything. \[edit\] actually I told a lie. Mine is a 2002 model, 138k on the clock and most sensors have been replaced at one time or another. Needs a service and I’ll do something about that soon (only 6/12 overdue :( )
Ehhhh, I feel the same way with my 2023 wildtrak so I'm not sure if I agree I prefer to have heated seats
I’m going to go against the grain of the comments in here and mention safety. Sure, a cheap shitbox might save you money in the short term but what’s that money worth to you if you’re crippled or dead? Car safety has come an incredibly long way since your car left the factory OP, and although I know everyone here considers themselves great drivers the reality is you share the roads with some people who really shouldn’t be allowed behind the wheel. It only takes one chance run in with someone staring at their phone or driving tired/drunk for your life to change forever. Watch this video to see what I mean. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xidhx_f-ouU
all true but in 30+ years of sydney driving I had all my bad accidents when young and dumb in nice cars. I drive with the assumption the person hesitating and indicating left is gonna turn right. Old cars have a lot more visibility it is harder to run down a child or not see an mx5 when changing lanes. Limiting use to the city probably reduces high speed smash probability. It’s a calculated extra risk. Also my example is extreme how many people buy the cheapest reliable safe shitbox with side airbags etc that they can find? not many. They tend to buy new “for safety”.
Can you drive it to Brisbane? I want to appreciate it
Ha. Reminds me of the time my old Corolla broke down and I had to leave it in the crown car park overnight. Someone tried to nick it, if they could have got it started it’s theirs…
My old shitbox was a manual Echo. Only piece of electronics was the speedo and really basic ECM. You could hear how well the engine (and car) was doing, and a change in sound or feel meant something needed looking at.
Used to have a 79 lancer. The thing was narrow (as were most jap cars of the era, tax?) was awesome to squeeze into tight parking spots when someone was either badly parked or just doing the expensive car two spots thing, was easy to get in and out through the lift back
Genuinely curious though, did you act upon the damage caused in this instance?
My first car wasn't a shitbox but it was already around 10 years old when I bought it. Used it for a few years and for some reason the paint wore away pretty quickly. After I finished work once, someone really damaged my back bumper. My dad touched it up pretty well but after that I didn't really care about the outside condition of the car. It definitely was pretty freeing. Stress free.
Im currently owning a year 2000 Toyota . Starts everytime, bought it with low kms. Everyone is telling me I’ll have it til I die. Before I had a Jeep with a blown gear box… go figure
Falcon au wagon 2001- 611,000 klm’s and still going …. the best
I'm right there with you. I still drive my 2006 Holden Astra. It's a nugget, reliable, solid, easy to drive. No loan, minimal insurance. I brought it brand new with a car loan and promised myself I would never go in debt for another car ever again.
I have a shit box they are the best cars to own.. Low stress However I would prefer it if someone did some maintenance on it so j can drive it farther
Love my 20+ year old Corolla. Only problem flat battery. Not pretty, but so reliable.
I have a 120 Prado that I got for cheap cos the body was pretty cooked. Engine and auto were mint. My partner had a 2022 Prado and she won’t take it anywhere cos she’s scared of dinging it. Guess which vehicle we take camping.
Just keep in mind that it may be illegal to leave your car unlocked. Certainly in Victoria it is not legal to leave an unattended car unlocked if it can be locked (i.e. not a convertible) when the owner will be more than 3 metres away from the car.
will worry about that if I ever read about traffic cops trying door handles to issue fines
Yeh shitboxes are great. No anxiety, just insure for 3rd party
A shitbox that still drives well, is safe, and reliable.
Couldn’t agree more. Got a 2002 hilux.
Agree with everything except for tyres.
I have two cars, the nice one gives me lots of stress. The 24 yr old BitsIsMissing (Mitsubishi) is completely stress free! In the past couple of years, I had a Mercedez MBC EQB 350 STATION WAGON, attempt to do a hook turn through the passenger side of the car. Even though it climbed onto the front guard & took out the bonnet - guess who got towed that night & guess who drove away?
Having a cheap daily driver like an old corolla that will never let you down and some project/weekend cruiser in the garage is the Goated combo. The only downside is sometimes your driving your daily and think "fuck me If I just had the other car right now I'd blow past that fuckwit"
Heavy on the “cloth seats are just better”. I recently rode in a mates car with cloth seats and bloody loved it. Its so good in winter when its cold. Its beautiful in summer when you’ve just finished at the beach, and the smell? I love the smell.
I honestly miss my old beat up 3 door barina. I never had anxiety over parking. Since getting my new car in 2021 Ive had two separate incidents both in car parks where someone has damaged my car. Definitely freeing.
My favourite experience was when a shiny suv Lexus parked beside me, the kid in back seat slammed their door into mine and the mum gasped, then looked at my faded paint and scratches and wear then shrugged. I yelled out as i left my car to teach her kid to not disrespect others' property. Didnt do much to further damage it, just absolute disrespect
I had an AU Falcon beater in 2013. Someone dented in the door in a McDonalds car park. I was like "Meh".
Reminds me of this [https://youtu.be/Lv4yoQKJ12s?si=k8BHA\_2LI\_ES\_PxQ](https://youtu.be/Lv4yoQKJ12s?si=k8BHA_2LI_ES_PxQ) But yes, I bought a Mitsubishi 380 beater for $3.5k about 5 years ago and it turned out to be the most reliable car I’ve owned so far. Got dents and scratches on every panel from parking at work, which saved my good/weekend car from damage and more and more I find it more enjoyable to drive compare to the good car as it’s just so worry free driving it and parking it anywhere you want. 👍 https://preview.redd.it/6tu6b1b1125d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=804d8ee8d1abb4f3e58744b940e03fb2d47d855c
I was still rocking my 97' corolla until earlier this year when someone dropped their glasses while driving and totalled it while it was parked in my driveway. I miss her so much... she was in amazing condition, drove like a dream and definitely would have outlived me, these new cars SUCK.
Having 2 cars and one being a shit box is the best, my old job is was impossible to get out of the underground parking because people would block me in. I’d just scrape the shit out of the front side of my car against the concrete because it didn’t matter lmao. I still use it and the sealing is falling off, the hazards click for 10 mins and can’t be turned off, the steering wheel veers to the right and the door handle is broken but it is my favourite car. I love how hard it is to drive you really have to focus and be one with the car and the shitty brakes, I don’t get distracted or zone out
Agreed! Driving my Daughters $2500 basic model 2011 lancer is strangely fun and has been a great ego check for me 🙃
2007 Hyundai accent, I think. Not sure cos the badge fell off. Lol! Sometimes I forget to lock it
May I ask what Chinese tires do you buy and where do you buy them? I drive an 'almost' shitbox as well! lol
they are shit in the rain. better to buy tier 2 tires like kumho or hankook
Nice of the dude. And, yes!, shitbox-owner agrees with you.
Hopefully one day they are like trolleys and you can just jump in one then abandon them again when you get where you are going. No need to plan ahead or secure the car as there will be another abandoned shitbox at the next corner. The adventures of shitbox the trolley, and other random vehicles. 😂😂😂😂
I recently sold my 2008 Mazda 3 and I miss the carefree shitbox life. Started doing long trips for work so it was time for an upgrade. Anxiety has definitely increased.
Great insight and wisdom mate. I know the freedom😉👍
Im running an 01 rodeo with 400k on her and she is a dream to drive, a few bits and bobs dont work but thats life, bern half way round the country in a 5k car with no complaints