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First Nice Car - General Advice Needed.

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fbcompany
Hi Guys,

Well, im starting to enjoy working life. Less than a year out of uni and I just bought outright my first nice car. Its an Ex Demo (never owned) 2005 Celica SX with 20,000Km on the clock. I'm loving this car, and really unsure of what to do to keep it immaculate inside and out. Obviously to keep the new car warenty it will have its regular servicing but I want to know what i need to do on top of that. Next of my out of uni spending spree will be a house so I need this car to last for as long as my mortgage is going to be a burden (probably 8-10 years).

Is thrashing it going to be a problem or is it designed for a little abuse? It seems very happy above 6000RPM but I dont know if it will always be that way, it does have a rev limiter so going past red line (8000) isnt a problem. It does have over 5 years of warenty left, 2 new car, and 3 used car warenty.

What regular things should I be doing to keep the body and inside nice, and i dont just mean cleaning it. It wont be in a garage which does worry me, however it will be parked down the side away from the road.

What fuel should I use? It has more than enough performance, im just curious as to if there is any benefit in using premium to the life of the engine.

If I sound like a total Newbie I am but eager to get a clue
raymonbunt
i thing you should have to buy it now IS YOUR CHANCE. and if it flopped you have problems and you now for the next time
ocalhoun
Well, for one thing, if you want it to last 10 years, you'll have to take care of it. That's about as long as I'd expect any car to operate without a major breakdown.
Quote:
Is thrashing it going to be a problem or is it designed for a little abuse?

Yes, it would be a problem. There are many good things you could say about Japanese cars, but 'designed for a little abuse' would not be one of them. Revving up the engine can be good every once in a while (such as once every 3 months); it can clear buildups of scum off the working parts, but excessively doing so will wear the engine out more quickly.
Quote:
It wont be in a garage which does worry me,

I wouldn't worry about that too much, just get it waxed every couple of years. If you live somewhere where the sunlight is harsh (like I do), use chemicals or covers to protect the upholstry from the sun or it will split and deteriorate.
As for what fuel to use, unless your car requires high grade, you should not buy it. <-- That goes for all times.

When you have it serviced (or service it yourself, as I prefer), use good filters and oil, not just the cheapest ones.
agentofdestructionmatt
if you want to keep your paint in really good condition then i'd recommend a car-cover, get a decent one and it'll do a lot to protect it. you will most notice it's effect if you have to park under trees and have a lot of birds locally (though bat crap is worse in my opinion if you got them heh). even if you can't be bothered putting the cover on all the time and just did it when you think the weather warrants it's a good investment for a car you want to keep for a while.
paulbarter
Another way to keep the paint job in good ocndition, is to make sure that each scratch is fixed right away. this will aviod rust creeping in. Depending on where you live, rust can be a problem, depends on the weather.

Keeping all scratches filled in and a cover which will keep rain off will be a good idea.

As far as revving the engine, if you want a car to last, this is a no-no. Cars are very bad value fore money purchases. They lose value and no matter how well you look after them, they go down in value and running condition! Sad You just have to buy smart and look after it, or accept that it is a bad investment and enjoy it. I feel that property is the better investment, it goes up in value over time. So i would suggest buying a cheap, no frills car that is reliable and drive it calmly and service it regularly. There are no short cuts or magic formulas - sorry! Pay off your house and then buy more property and rent it out - then you will have enough money for lots of cars! Laughing
ocalhoun
^ In most cases, yes. However, you can buy a classic car, which will increase in value. (You'd better be a competent mechanic, though; cars that old break down more often.)
agentofdestructionmatt
ocalhoun wrote:
^ In most cases, yes. However, you can buy a classic car, which will increase in value. (You'd better be a competent mechanic, though; cars that old break down more often.)


your right about that, the '71 ford i bought when i was 16 has more than trippled in value since. though starting from AUD$2000 isn't that impressive hah. the car's off the road at the moment with (you guessed it) mechanical problems but at least it's not losing money just sitting there.
arkebuzer
fbcompany wrote:
Hi Guys,

Next of my out of uni spending spree will be a house so I need this car to last for as long as my mortgage is going to be a burden (probably 8-10 years).

Is thrashing it going to be a problem or is it designed for a little abuse? It seems very happy above 6000RPM but I dont know if it will always be that way, it does have a rev limiter so going past red line (8000) isnt a problem.


If you want to buy a car, have it working for 8-10 years.... then I would not recomend rew´ing it like that. Sure it has a rev limiter, but that does not mean the engine does not get damaged before that (at least if you abuse the poor engine like this often).
But hey, do as you like, I´m sure it will hold for a while. But I would not advice it Razz
Shin
Servicing at the suggested interval is very important. You can rest asure that your car will stay "healthy" all the time!
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