So besides the “how do I fix ‘x’?” questions, seems like there are a lot of questions here asking “should I buy this car?”
Half of them must be trolls. If you have watched any Scotty Kilmer videos, which is why you would be coming to this website in the first place, you know g— d—- well that nobody here is gonna tell you to buy a brand new Stellantis anything or a Jaguar that just went off warranty or whatever.
But I will accept that the rest are serious people who are shocked with current car prices and want to be careful with their money. So lately, my first reaction is to say “no”, prices on both new and used cars are too distorted right now. Wait a few months and see if prices correct a bit.
But then, I think, “how do I know prices will be any better in a few months.. or next year, or the year after?” Maybe we should just accept that we should buy a civic when we would have bought an accord. A rav4 when we would have bought a 4Runner.
Or maybe take the money and invest in the tools we will need to keep the old car running?
I dunno, maybe just the wine talking. But talking about cars sure seems a lot different than it did a year or 2 ago.
I try to give people the benefit of the doubt. They may have only just discovered Scotty on Youtube.
Some things may seem obvious to us, or like stupid questions. But everybody has to start somewhere. Changing habits, and learning new ways to do things doesn't happen overnight. It may seem lazy, but at least by posting here, people are taking a step towards making informed buying decisions, so I think it should be encouraged. If asking here leads to a positive car experience, then bit by bit that will create real change in people. I know for me when I make a big purchase after researching my options, I get a feeling of satisfaction and accomplishment, so that's what I hope to give people.
I know it can feel like a futile pursuit, but ... baby steps. Lead by example.
But talking about cars sure seems a lot different than it did a year or 2 ago.
this isn't talking to your buddies though. This is talking to a very broad cross-section of the general public. Reaching a vast audience is what Scotty is good at.
Well I know what you're talking about. Honestly, I usually just give a quick yes or no on those since there isn't much reason to spend time on the topic.
Car conversations have definitely changed in the past couple of years. While I'd like for things to return to normal, I think we are a couple of years away from that.
Maybe they come here to ask questions, after downing a few glasses of wine too..
I feel like some of the people here are also just looking at name brands without any real perception of the cars themselves, for the non-mechanically inclined, if it looks good then must be aight. I feel like for the choices of not Toyota, Honda or mazda and go with bmw, Benz or otherwise, it's the inclination of oh, suits my needs and is a luxury car. I do sometimes think though that it's just laziness of not wanting to do research and just like, oh I'll let these random internet people think for me. I personally would do heaps of my own analysis before even considering. But stuck between a rock and a hard place I think I can understand the sentiment as most people just live in the consumer market, when the car breaks, THEN it's time to get a new one. Either they can't afford a back up or really wait until it's too late, like now when everything is inflated by price, sometimes for as high as +40% IDK. That's just me though. They probably think that just cause we mechanics and techs are all knowing or something that it must be easier to ask options from us rather than self reasearch.
'They probably think that just cause we mechanics and techs are all knowing or something that it must be easier to ask options from us rather than self reasearch.'
Asking someone is also part of a research. On the other part, there are a lot of repeated questions.
First off, you guys are pretty awesome.
When you’re trying to help the public, you get the same questions over and over to infinity. Doesn’t matter what the subject is. There will always be newbies!
It’s possible the same people asking “should I buy this car“ today, will be answering the question for others tomorrow.
i just like cars and car folks
if we had a private message option, i would ask stupider questions
The part that gets me is how many people write in and ask really basic questions like "When should I change my oil?" or some other thing covered in the owners manual. It used to be in this country that every boy, anyway learned how to maintain a car in their high school years.
Are we turning into a nation of technology robots that can only do what a computer tells them?
I think the major reason that Scotty and others like him are so popular is that he's a real mechanic that knows not only what is wrong on the car buy WHY is is wrong.
Not like so many that are strictly OBD reader and parts replacers.
Just my two cents.
They wouldn't be here if somebody had taught them how to do it. People come here because they like Scotty, and they want to learn, so they're doing the right thing by getting help. If they didn't bother to ask here, then maybe they end up with a connecting rod sticking out the side of the engine down the road.
You may know something about cars, but can you cook a stew? File your own taxes ? Help someone who's not breathing etc? Don't be so quick to judge.
Yes Scotty is a good mechanic, but you can see he uses computer tools a lot, because they get you to the solution quicker.