Or as the old radio show went… CAH TAWK!
Got something going on with your car, truck, suv, minivan, etc.
New, used, repairs, modifications, and stuff…
I frequent a local ‘shady’ used car dealership here in SC to scope out what kind of junk they are trying to sell for top-dollar and a lot of them look like they were repo’s or flooded as they smell of mold 
Buyers beware of shady car lots and their sometimes shady car salesman 
I’m driving a car right now where the air system smells like vinegar and the shop is booked up until Friday, so either I drive without air (it’s in the 20s today) or I drive with a terrible smell. It sucks.
And that’s my car talk.
I’ve never bought a new car, so I’ve gotten pretty canny about used cars. One thing you really need to check these days is whether or not a used car was a ever a fleet car. This means that it was probably a rental or part of a business’s pool of loaners. These tend to have more obvious (and hidden) damage than “regular” cars, but on the plus side may have better maintenance histories.
My husband’s car was a former rental (got it at an Enterprise certified pre-owned dealership), and mine was a lease by the previous owner (a 2018 Camry Hybrid I just got this year). So far, both have worked out well for us.
For whatever it’s worth, I second the Enterprise endorsement. My current vehicle was a (relatively) low-mileage Enterprise rental before I bought it, and it’s easily the best used car I’ve ever owned.
I had a Kia Soul that was a fleet car, and while it was good overall, it was the model that kept suffering recalls. That, coupled with some unfortunate cosmetic damage that worsened over time, led to me trading it in on a Camry. Those deserve their reputations as great cars.
I have a 1999 Dodge Ram (currently has 116000 miles on it) that my late wife helped me get back in 2004 and we bought a 2007 Toyota Sienna brand new (has only 86000 miles on it now). I drive them both to this day.
Both are paid for and I keep them well maintained. They both have sentimental value so I don’t foresee myself getting another vehicle for quite sometime.
I had a friend with a Dodge Ram. He said it was called Dodge because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you see it coming and it was called Ram because that’s what it will do if you don’t.
My class Dodge was notorious for ball joints and transmission failures…
Got all that fixed and the truck runs great now but with gas over $3 a gallon, it’s a gas hog with it’s big 5.9L engine…
Back in 2008 when gas was $4 something a gallon, that truck sat in my backyard for a year not being driven!
I live where it snows like 200 inches per winter, so I buy Subarus with 100k on them, and run them to 250 or so. Nothing better in the snow, much better than my old Jeep CJ.
Subaru changed (lightened) their transmissions in the 20teens, and now a lot of them are failing, so I might not get another. I wouldn’t mind a Tacoma just for lugging stuff around, but even a used Taco costs too much.
It’s also disgusting, unless you’re part of a human centipede.
My parents got a Subaru station wagon and loved it so much that my mother bought a second one of the exact same model and year after the first one died on them.
I’m gonna go with disgusting regardless…
My wife and I are on our third Subaru. We drove a Loyale to death in Romania and Malaysia in the 90s, then a Forester all through Venezuela, and are teaching our son to drive on the most recent. The old Loyale had transaxle problems (which plagued the whole line), but the Foresters have been ultra reliable. Great visibility, excellent turn radius, handle well in inclement weather, good ground clearance. Loved them all.
I think they had an Outback, but I don’t remember.
I recently got a 2006 Element (well maintained but super cheap because it had 225k friggin’ miles on it) specifically as a beater to do filthy, outdoorsy things with. I’m in love with it and plan to maintain it for as long as I can, because even at a good price there are no newer cars that fit my needs as well. It’s a crime they don’t make anything like them anymore. Aesthetics aside, evidently city drivable with AWD, cavernous interior space, and an all-plastic interior you can almost (not quite) hose off is something nobody wants.
I had a used Element for a while and loved it for the reasons you mention—plus it was a 5-speed manual, which is hard to find anymore. My only real complaint (before the master cylinder blew and it needed more than its value in repairs) was the seats. I used it for interstate business travel, and after a few hours they were unbearable.
I would love to drive a manual again. I really miss the control.
