I've been a lab courier since 2008. When the covid-19 pandemic hit, I was assigned a new daily route picking up testing kits from CVS and getting them to the lab. Needless to say, I put a lot of miles on any vehicle, and I go through cars quick. The car that lasted me the longest was a 2007 Toyota Prius that I financed, and that's not something that I would recommend anybody do in my line of work. Too much risk involved to use an expensive car.

I own 2 cars right now. 

One is a recently acquired 2010 Toyota Corolla. I was able to get this car cheap. ($3000). My concern for this car is the transmission shifting solenoids.....The transmission fluid was dirty when I acquired the car and it looked like the previous owner had never changed it. It has 129,000 mi on it. (I had this serviced immediately) The transmission down shifts when I step on the brake. Very hard shift from 4 to 5 when going up hill. Doesn't shift when I back off gas peddle. I bought this to replace a Toyota Prius that needed to much work to put into a car at 255,000 miles.

My other car is a 1997 Buick Skylark. It has 72,500 miles on it. I bought it in January 2021 with 54,000 mi on it for $1500. I had to sink another $2,000 into it ($1200 of that was right after the initial purchase) but it is a really strong runner now. This car's transmission fluid has never been changed. What do you suggest in this case?  I would be willing to bring it to Tennessee for Scotty to check out and do an analisys on Buicks and get your thoughts on these cars. Yes, the AC compressor clutch and pully failed like it did on all these things, so it rattles. I live with it. This car seemed like a decent gamble for the price, and I am happy to say that I've made all the money that I've spent on it back in running my routes with it, and then some. I especially enjoy the power  this car has when traveling on I-68 from Hancock Maryland to Keyser's Ridge exit. This is some mountainous terrain with long and steep grades, so for me this car is a lot more fun to drive.

I listen to your YouTube videos while I'm driving on a daily basis. I thoroughly enjoy your analysis and appreciate how you're using your knowledge to help others. 

Thank you for doing your thing, and doing it well.