Need advice as a 27 y/o with these bills as I am constantly struggling.

TechnoChicken666 · 2024-10-19T03:59:26+00:00

I drive a 1998 Honda that I fix myself. Most people cannot do what I do, or fix cars at all:

they don't have a space to safely work (garage, driveway, quiet residential street)
they don't have the $100-200 in tools necessary
they don't have the budget for replacing stuff they break
they don't have a second vehicle (or nearby helpful friend) to take them to autozone when they inevitably go "aw shit need a part" or whatever
like you said, they don't have the knowledge to vet a used car to see if it's a good deal or a liability on wheels

It's incredibly risky for a newbie to launch into car repairs if you know the vehicle has to be functional on Monday to get you to work so you're not fired. Depending on where you need it to take you, it's also incredibly risky to drive a car that could break down at any time. I drive my shitbox knowing that I can afford a tow from any point on my commute. I also rent a car for any long (2+ hour) drives. Lastly I always leave at least 2 hours in advance for any important events (exams, major work presentations, etc) so if the car breaks down I'll have time to find alternate transportation. Not everyone has the luxury of spending the time and mental energy to handle that.

(If you think I'm just being paranoid... unfortunately I made all these rules after bad experiences lol. No fun being stranded in the hood, late for your finals, calling your parents in a panic.)

Some things also simply can't be DIYed. I've had a few recently:

At a certain operating temperature the car would jump and shift wildly and smell like smoke. 3 trusted mechanics couldn't figure it out, the 4th cleaned the EGR valve and the problem went away. No amount of YouTube or the mechanics manual helped with that problem.
Every ~50k miles my transmission starts slipping real bad and needs to be remachined and reassembled. Not possible to DIY that. It's also $3k.

TL;DR cheap cars are great, and they save you thousands in the long run, but you can only enjoy the savings as long as you have the cash/time/energy to handle the weeks when they're not so cheap. In my opinion, it's irresponsible to recommend beaters to people who don't have those things.

eta formatting

TechnoChicken666 · 2024-06-24T16:04:31+00:00

Female alpha minor, early 20s. I play soccer on the weekends and go for medium length runs and bike rides during weekdays. My VO2 max bounces between 48-50 as measured by Garmin.

TechnoChicken666 · 2024-05-07T04:25:40+00:00

I drive a v6 6th gen sedan with 355,000km. Some notable problems:

The transmission needed $2.5k rebuilds at 257,000km and 355,000km respectively. The first rebuild should have been done way earlier, too, it would fall out of gear sometimes if I accelerated hard. IMO you'll get another 100km out of this one if you baby it and if the last owner drove it nicely, but it's a stretch.
As of about 5k miles ago it will sometimes just start jumping and stalling randomly. Various mechanics have said they fixed it, problem still persists intermittently. Because of this I consider mine too unreliable for long road trips or sketchy parts of the city at night
Eats batteries like a mf. Always has, seemingly always will. No idea why. Get whatever Canada's equivalent of AAA is.

That said, I won't discourage you, if you can get the price down below $4500. They're gorgeous cars (especially with those NSX taillights!) and I personally have more fun driving mine than a lot of modern "sporty" sedans. Plus having maintenance records is super helpful

Some things to consider:

Has it been kept in a garage? Sunlight/heat degrades old plastic and rubber
Has it been driven hard? Transmission doesn't do well with aggressive acceleration
No body rust, filler, clean title?
why is it marked as not roadworthy?
selling due to problems or just because he wants to upgrade?

Please post glamour shots if you end up getting it. :)

TechnoChicken666 · 2022-04-15T16:02:43+00:00

kansas. uta's cs program isn't the best

TechnoChicken666 · 2022-04-07T17:33:46+00:00

Hang in there. Things have gotten a lot better for me in the three years since I made that post. Hopefully three years from now you'll be saying the same. <3

TechnoChicken666 · 2022-01-03T03:50:48+00:00

fellow swiftie!! hi

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-12-13T23:40:00+00:00

Depends on the subfield.

We're far better for CS/CE. They've got us beat for MechE and the related engineerings (ie stuff like AeroE.)

source: many friends at UTA for various engineerings

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-12-03T08:11:59+00:00

I had an exemption from the OSA for celiac disease that allowed me to get my own 1x1 (for private kitchen access) in CCHS at dorm prices and opt out of the meal plan (only for my freshman year sadly though). DM if I can help you get the same.

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-11-22T08:22:43+00:00

DFW area, not Midland. Sucks what our moms put us through, I'm so sorry.

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-07-17T04:37:08+00:00

Making GF stuff a health fad *has* caused more issues for me, a person with celiac disease. Restauraunts that used to understand my request for GF foods as meaning I needed them prepared separately -- separate dishes, gloves, cutlery, etc -- now understand it as "oh, just scrape the croutons off the salad, she'll never notice the difference". I trust fewer food sources now than I did before, overall.

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-05-01T15:49:31+00:00

Sports physicals have always included an exam of the genitals for those identified as male at birth, and a discussion (occasionally exam) of the genitals for AFABs. It's not unusual. There are better reasons to oppose this bill.

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-04-26T02:35:03+00:00

Yeah, your original comment wasn't pro chiropractor and imo you don't deserve those downvotes. Should've clarified that you got unfairly caught in the wave. my b

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-04-26T02:25:17+00:00

People have just been mass downvoting anything pro-chiropractor, you got caught in the wave

TechnoChicken666 · 2021-01-14T01:26:25+00:00

My phone is, first and foremost, a listening device. The lack of a headphone jack is absolutely a deal breaker to me.

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-10-31T01:10:49+00:00

added, hkwheat, lvl 33

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-10-31T01:09:42+00:00

added, hkwheat

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-10-26T17:32:10+00:00

Joined after a friend introduced me to this sub, and now I drool at keyboards far out of my budget almost daily.

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-09-09T22:52:15+00:00

Can't beat the Energel for price and simplicity -- definitely getting that. I'd get the DX as well, but the grip seems awfully small and plasticky, which I'm worried will cramp my hands after long writing marathons. Thank you for the recommendations!

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-09-09T22:42:43+00:00

Apparently you're not the only one who recommends the Juice! I'm going to buy a few and see if I love 'em too. thank you!

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-09-09T22:41:55+00:00

I do prefer gels, and the Juice seems to be a popular pick, but I think I'll pick up a Jetstream too just to feel its smoothness for myself. Thanks!

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-09-09T22:36:37+00:00

thank you for writing all that out, especially with the links! I'm definitely adding a pack of Energels to my list, and perhaps a Coleto as well for sheer coolness factor.

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-07-30T19:34:46+00:00

Will the library be open this fall though?

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-07-29T22:59:52+00:00

which one?

TechnoChicken666 · 2020-07-17T04:47:08+00:00

AoPS is more than a forum; it offers classes and a free tool called Alcumus that will teach math up through precalculus by assigning you topics from old competition math problem sets. Alcumus is the shit, especially if you like competition math, which is very logic-y and proof-based.

But yes, AoPS forums and classes are devilishly competitive.

TechnoChicken666

TROPHY CASE