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Below found on Yahoo Homepage (just giv'in U something to read 2day on the MCF : ) What do you think of this article ?
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Knowledge is Power If you own a Monte, you don't need
to get a new car, since they don't produce them anymore.
If you own a Monte, you already have the best ride on the road...Just keep'em maintained & replace the worn parts, and
a Monte will last you a lifetime : )
How To Tell When It's Time for a New Car



By Jamie Page Deaton

If you're one of those people who feels like your car is an old friend, deciding when it's time to let go can be agonizing. Even if you feel like your car is more your enemy than your friend, thanks to expensive and inconvenient repairs, deciding to pull the plug and get a new car can be tough.

Faced with an expensive repair bill, how do you know if you should go ahead and get the car fixed, or cut your losses and buy something new?

The Math Myth

At some point, almost every car owner will be faced with repair bills. And as the bills start to add up to a large proportion of a car's value, many owners start to figure that their car has officially kicked the bucket. But thinking that way is actually a costly mistake.

This way of thinking confuses a car's potential monetary value with its actual value. At a basic level, a car's value -- any car's value -- is its ability to provide transportation. An older car and new car can both do that. The question drivers whose cars are on life support should be asking is: How can I get the transportation a car provides at the lowest cost? Once you take a car's potential monetary value out of the equation, the math becomes clear.

For instance let's say you have a 2000 Honda Civic DX in fair condition with 100,000 miles on it. According to Kelley Blue Book, it has a trade-in value of about $2,000. Then let's say you need to have the head gaskets replaced. According to repair estimates from Repair Pal, in the DC Metropolitan area, that can cost you anywhere from $861 to $1,135 -- about half the value of the car.

Faced with this, most people would opt to get a new car. After all, $1,000 worth of work is a lot to spend on a car that's worth only $2,000. But, you shouldn't act so quickly, because while it would take about $1,000 to keep that old Civic on the road, buying yourself a new Honda Civic costs about $16,000. Now the math isn't so clear, is it?

The Real Math

Here's the math any car owner should do when deciding if their older car has shuffled off the mortal coil: Compare the cost of the old car over a year to the cost of a new car over the same timeframe. Chances are, if your car is more than five years old, you're looking at some hefty repair bills. You're also probably looking at owning the car free and clear -- which means no more monthly loan payments.

Look again at the Civic situation. If you spend $1,000 a year on the old Civic, plus $1,571 a year on gas (that's what the EPA says it would cost to drive a 2000 Honda Civic 15,000 miles per year), that adds up to a total yearly cost of $2,571, plus insurance.

Now, let's take a look at the cost of a new Civic. Assume you can get one for $16,000 (which is about the average price buyers are paying for the car nationally, according to TrueCar, a company that collects new car pricing data), taxes, tags and title included. If you get $2,000 for trading in your old Civic, you're going to have $14,000 left to pay.

According to Bankrate, if you get a four-year loan for that $14,000 at four percent interest, you're looking at a monthly payment of $323. Over a year, those payments add up to $3,869 -- plus gas, which the EPA says will run you $1,465 if you drive the new Civic 15,000 miles this year. Even before you factor in insurance costs, which tend to be higher for new cars, keeping the old Civic makes more financial sense. In fact, keeping it could save you $2,763 over the year.

Other Factors to Consider

Of course, there are other things you should think about. If your older car is consistently unreliable and causes you to miss work show up late, or repeatedly leaves you stranded along dark highways, it might be time for a new one. Also, there are some problems that are incredibly difficult and expensive to fix, pushing the cost of the old car above the cost of a new one. If your car has had a number of major issues, and your mechanic sees more coming down the pike, it might be time to start thinking about a new ride.

There are also some people who like getting a new car, and don't mind that they are spending more to do so. There's even the argument that getting older cars off the road in favor of newer, more fuel-efficient and less polluting models benefits all of us.

Still, when deciding if your car is finally dead, the one factor you shouldn't be looking at is the ratio between repair costs and the car's sale value. Instead, do a hard comparison of your old car's cost and what a new car would cost you over a year before you decide it's time to pull the plug.

 

Leadfoots Beware: Future Speeding Tickets Will Come from Space
Oh `No...Not from `Space....No one is Safe lol

By Sean Tucker
Think you’ve trained yourself to spot a police car hiding behind a bush or a roadsign? You’re wasting your time. They’ll just get you by satellite.

The U.K.’s Telegraph reports, “A new type of speed cameras which can use satellites to measure average speed over long distances are being tested in Britain.” The “SpeedSpike” system would enable enforcement over a wider area than a simple speed trap or speed camera, which can monitor only one road at a time.


Ground-based cameras are still part of the system. The U.K.’s Mirror explains, “When a vehicle passes a camera on its linked network the number plate is recorded and timestamped on the SpeedSpike server. This computes the average speed of every vehicle at every SpeedSpike site and compares it with speed limits. If someone is found to be breaking the speed limit the information is used to form a record of the incident.”

The system was designed by Tennessee-based PIPS Technology. The company, according to Kicking Tires, says its cameras “can capture license plate numbers in ‘all weather conditions, 24 hours a day.’”

The AA (the British equivalent of America’s AAA) has a few questions about the new technology. AA spokesperson Paul Watters tells the BBC, “We have some concerns about how far these systems extend along roads with many different speed limits impacting on a driver's journey, how well drivers understand them and how well the zones are signed.”

Kicking Tires has questions as well. “If this is the stuff being dreamed up to nab speeders,” KT asks, “why exactly haven’t we caught Osama bin Laden?”

We should note, however, that the system isn’t actually being used to issue tickets yet. The Mirror reports, “It is not known when the cameras might come into use.”

Still, the increasing prevalence of speed cameras, and the possibility of linking them all together through a satellite network, means we can foresee a day when drivers are never out of the sight of law enforcement. If the SpeedSpike experiment works, in a few years, every road could be a speed trap, all the time.

 

I totally agree with the article. My Mom's Bonneville is a perfect example of a car we in fact had thoughts about dumping for a new car. The Bonneville was a very reliable car, and then it hit 100k and all hell broke loose. First trip to the dealer at 97,500 miles was $2,200 (new fuel pump and sending unit, lower intake gasket, drivers side CV boot, and new ignition coil and spark plugs + wires). So my Dad thought, ok, not so bad only problem we ever had prior was a power window regulator. The car was 6 years old, and gave us a solid 100K with no problems, 2,200 to keep it going wasn't that bad. Well 3 months later, the CAT went out $330 to fix, then 6 months later, another power window regulator went out $450. Then the transmission case broke about 2 years later. At this point my Dad was seriously considering getting rid of it, but we all came to the conclusion that shelling out the money for a new transmission was still cheaper than buying a new car, so that was $3,000 (yes we got ripped off, but keep in mind that was also for new cases too). Then 2 months after the tranny, the crank position sensor and knock sensors needed to be replaced, and that was $850.

So we've definitely had our fair share of repairs to keep the Bonneville in tip top shape, but overall, even with all the money we've sunk into it, I think it was worth it. We now have a 10 year old car with 145,000 miles on it that still looks great, runs excellent, and is paid for! And I have no doubt it will continue to run till 200,000+ miles.

If my Monte starts having problems (as much as I am hoping it does not throw all the Bonne problems at me) I will just deal with it, fix them and move on.

 

GREAT, another thing we may eventually have to start worrying about when it comes to driving. Geez, if they don't get you one way, they find another way! :P I would seriously dread the day something like this is used in the US.

 

we have our own policy on when its time for something differant. if the car won't "go" anymore, and the cost to fix the car is greater than what we originally paid for the vehicle and the parts it needed to make it roadworthy in the first place, it usually gets replaced.

the catch is we have NEVER paid more than $1200 for a used vehicle... and we've only had 2 new vehicles. ever. lol. my monte was $400 with another $300 in parts, my dad's '97 voyager minivan cost him $300 but it needed a windsheild to pass inspection which ran $200, my mom's '00 izuzu trooper was the $1200 vehicle and it was ready to go, had mabe 128k miles but after 5+ years and now over 250k miles it is still running great, engine has never been out of it, still has the factory clutch too! just good maintince practices.

 

I hope i don't ever have to let this car go.

 

I knew it was time to get another car when I added up the repair bills for my 99 grand am gt, and it came up to $10,000. WAITER! CHECK PLEASE!

 

..Mod Michael, Thanks for your post on your Mom's Pontiac. Your post confirmed the article, & what I believe.
I think todays auto's can go over a 1/4 million miles before a rebuilt is required. I think a Monte Carlo can last a owner 4ever `if they maintain & don't abuse it.

Thanks everyone for your posts & contributions.
`Lou, yours was a wise investement 4-Sure : )

I hope they don't start giving speeding tickets from `Space, but I'm sure they will...It's income $$$$'s

I'm going to work on a SpaceRadar Detection DeVice

Wish U read'in this a Happy Day....Yes YOU lol

 

Yea thats a good idea, we need to stay one step ahead of all this speed catching stuff! haha Let me know when you have a good product, I'll buy one for sure!

 

If you race, then you'll just have to pull over and have a conversation before you hit the next check point