Buying another car of the same generation

[brages]

So... I have recently replaced a 1998 Ranger with a 1997 Ranger. And I replaced a 2005 Odyssey with a 2010 Odyssey. The two Rangers actually span a generation change, although they share many parts anyway. But I didn't drive the 98 much; it was in rough shape and just used as a third car and for odd jobs.

The Odyssey went from the first model of the generation to the last, and we drove the '05 a lot. So I'm used to this car and I've worked through a lot of its problems.

Have you ever done this? What did owning two similar vehicles show you?

I thought about doing this in the past when I had a car that met my needs very well, but it was just worn out. Get a new one and start over, and you already know the common weak spots. But what I'm finding out is that two cars will not tend to be alike -- each will suffer from its own unique faults.

 

[supton]

One thing I've run into is that I'm constantly putting the wrong key into the ignition. They look identical! Found out that Toyota hasn't changed their keys in a while, my '11 Camry key will slide into my '99, although the newer Toyota's have a rubber overmold so I'm not entirely sure why I did that (don't even have to look to know which is which). I've also found it somewhat annoying when "similar" isn't "same" and the outdoor temp is in a different spot, or the wiper controls aren't the same. When it's close you expect it to be exact.

Sometimes I wonder if I could rekey 'em and just use one. That'd be nice. Not worth any money of course, but in terms of nuisance factor, it's up there.

 

[incognito_2u]

The 2 Corollas in my sig, 1998 and 1999.
They were both bought at an extremely low price, have very low mileage, and both were maintained reasonably well before purchase.
Both vehicles are currently being driven by my College aged sons. Presently, ones up in Buffalo NY, and the other is out in Stony Brook, Long Island.
They needed a car that not only would be dependable, but also get great gas mileage.
For me, I find them easy to maintain and like you, find that they have their own subtle "quirks".
Truthfully, I wouldn't hesitate to buy a third if the right one comes my way.....

 

[PandaBear]

Had that for a short period of time, what I realize is the prior owner matters a lot in the condition of the cars, and driving pattern / road condition matters somewhat. Some people's car are just not worth fixing, nor worth helping them fix their cars, and no, I don't like to take over old people's rarely driven cars (they always think they take good care but they aren't always, and they tend to think you are entitled when you point out problems), they are second only to the teenage ricers who mod without knowing what they are doing.

 

[gathermewool]

I haven't done this, but could see myself doing it if there were enough upgrades and glitch fixes to justify the change. Nowadays I find myself caring less about exterior design and more about how things feel in the interior (subjective things), as well as wanting a drive-train that's been around for more than a couple of years, so that all of the bugs can be worked out. That doesn't mean I'll buy a new STI next year with the same EJ257 as I had in my previous '08; I simply mean that I won't be buying 2021 or 2022 STI (and will likely wait until 2025) with a brand-new FAXXDIT in it and obligatory crappy Subaru tune.

//

I did have a family member who once traded in her Lexus for a two-year-newer used model, because it didn't need a brake job and new tires (after a relatively long story about why she updated, that's what finally came out...the "old" car needed brakes and new tires....) It was also a different color and had a cool pin-stripe, so there was that!

 

[Snagglefoot]

I did it with two Gen 4 Ford Taurus's. The first one was a 2000 purchased new in 2001, now with 160,000 miles. The 2nd is a 2005 purchased a few years ago, now with 85,000 miles. It was a low mileage grandma Church car.

Both have 3.0 Vulcan OHV engines which have been very reliable. Both have their original transmission. What I've learned on the first on maintenance, I've applied to the 2nd.

The amusing thing is the 2000 has an aluminum intake manifold and plastic valve covers. The 2005 has a plastic intake manifold and aluminum valve covers.

 

[gofast182]

I had two 7G Accords. They were great cars.

 

[carviewsonic]

Have a worn 2003 Park Avenue with 300,000 kms, wife and I liked it a lot for all the highway driving we do. It's been demoted to around town and teenage daughter (she's a new driver) duty now. Found a 2005 Park Ave with only 24000 kms to replace the '03 three years ago. These cars are easy to work on and parts are fairly cheap. I enjoy taking the '05 for spin, it feels like a new car compared to the '03.

 

[Skippy722]

My parents had a 2007 Caliber they bought new, I bought a 2012 Caliber in 2015 used. Other than a few little tweaks, they were identical.

 

[CharBaby]

Back in the day, my wife & I had 2 Camaros & 2 Firebirds at the same time.

'74 & '77 Camaros both were the Type LT trim/pkg. The '74 had a 350cid V8 & the '77 had a 250cid incline 6.
Both Camaros were purchased when there were i yr old.('74 in '75 & '77 in '78).

'79 & '80 Firebirds were were both FORMULA trim/pkg. The '79 had a 400cid V8 & the '80 has a 301cid V8(we kept this one).
Both Firebirds were purchased brand new.

The only thing this shows us is that we like F-body cars.

 

[Lolvoguy]

86 BMW 325es and 88 BMW 325is.
Despite being only two years apart. looking visually similar with minor tweaks and both sharing identical suspension setups, number of doors, interior features, options etc., the two couldn't be more different.

The 86 with it's slightly larger 2.7 inline 6 vs. 2.5 would sip fuel and give so-so acceleration.
The 88 is a gas guzzler that accelerates like you'd expect an upper level trim 3 series BMW should!

Since then I've decided life's too short to stick to similar cars.
Too many other choices worth trying out (see sig).

 

[brages]

Originally Posted by gofast182
I had two 7G Accords. They were great cars.


I had a 6th gen -- 4 cylinder, 5 speed. I thought about getting another one, but I didn't. It was the toughest, best car I have owned, though.

 

[eljefino]

I do it all the time. It helps me that I get to know their quirks, so I can quickly evaluate a car's condition. Certain cars attract morons who give up easily, and cheaply, when something minor freaks them out.

Dozens of saturn s-series.
2x 1995 F150s
3x 1991-94 Dakotas
4x 04-09 prii, and one brand new 19.
2x 2002 Camrys, and 2x 2000s.
2x 98-02 corollas, and a 95.
3x cutlass cieras. 1 rusted out W-body Century.

 

[andyd]

I've been doing it for 50 yrs First with bugs then Valiants/Darts,followed by Grand Wagoners,528es Camry 4s are current. I would love to find a better example of the Rat too

 

[Nick1994]

Had a 97' Camry , my aunt gave me her VW TDI, I drove that for a year and bought my 00' Camry, sold the VW.

I'll let you imagine the reasoning.

 

[MCompact]

In the late '90s my wife and I both ran 318tis. We only sold hers because we needed a four door to transport our elderly mothers. I still have mine and she still misses hers.

 

[c502cid]

I'm the same with 96-00 Civics. I can fix them all day long, great car for kids, go ahead beat the wee out of 'em!

 

[01rangerxl]

I've only owned one platform of vehicle, but five very different versions of it.

A lot of parts are shared, but more are not. Still, there is a familiarity that makes things easier to figure out.

 

[Ws6]

Originally Posted by brages
So... I have recently replaced a 1998 Ranger with a 1997 Ranger. And I replaced a 2005 Odyssey with a 2010 Odyssey. The two Rangers actually span a generation change, although they share many parts anyway. But I didn't drive the 98 much; it was in rough shape and just used as a third car and for odd jobs.

The Odyssey went from the first model of the generation to the last, and we drove the '05 a lot. So I'm used to this car and I've worked through a lot of its problems.

Have you ever done this? What did owning two similar vehicles show you?

I thought about doing this in the past when I had a car that met my needs very well, but it was just worn out. Get a new one and start over, and you already know the common weak spots. But what I'm finding out is that two cars will not tend to be alike -- each will suffer from its own unique faults.

I had a 1995 and a 1991 Trans Am.
I had a 2015 CX5 and now a 2019 CX5.


The Trans Am and CX5 vehicles above spanned a generation change.


The Trans Am: My 1995 was absolutely reliable for me. I bought it at 149K miles, and sold it at 170K miles, having only replaced the heater core, and beaten on it a plenty! It felt good. Vehicle was not rattly or sloppy at all. Ran great. My 2001 Trans Am was much faster, but it had reliability issues. Multiple wheel bearing failures, a water pump, rear diff (pinion bearing spun), A/C compressor went out completely at around 110K miles. It just wasn't as good of a vehicle at all. But it was faster. The only reason I bought a Z06 Corvette was because of how AMAZING the dealership was in helping me with my WS.6. They sold me parts at cost +10%, and did some work for free on it when I was in college. I bought a Z06 from them when I graduated.

My CX5's: Neither have really had issues. The 2019 is WAY more refined than the 2015. It is also significantly faster, given that it has a turbo. Both were/are quality, made in Japan from Japanese parts, vehicles of modern design and content. The dealership experience has been exceptional, as well. If/When Mazda comes out with a new "CX5", I'll probably buy one, as well. They are not set to drop a redesign on anything until 2023, and by then I'll be closing in on 200K miles when those cars have a year or so on them and become CPO's.

I agree with you on "no two cars...". I worked at a dealership for a year before college, and there ARE broad generalizations ("Aero" year Ford Taurus transmissions are trash, 4.6L engines are pretty reliable, 7.3 PS > 6.0 ANY DAY!, etc.), but yes, I've seen many "just like that one over there...but a basket case" vehicles.

 

[ctechbob]

I consider my two J-Series cars to be of the same generation. There's tons of things similar about them under the skin, but plenty of differences. A fair number of parts interchange even though they're 5 years apart date wise. I do enjoy the familiarity, especially when it comes to DIY things. Also makes it easier to stock one oil, filter, atf, PSF, and coolant for them.