Mazda Millenia Hate Thread--Spread the hate.

First off, I would like to say that I am super bitter(extremely).
 
I swear every other month, if not week(or day) there is some SUPER random problem with this stupid car. I mean at first I thought the car was cool, because it looked all weird, and then I found this website that helped me appreciate the car's "whatever"
 
Whatever- (n)- synonym- random mazda millenia bullshit. (see) also looks like a toyota avalon, except with leather seats? thats an extra $10,000 you'll pay for a car that stopped being -produced in 2002...
 
anyway.
 
other than the fact that I randomly get pulled over by cops because my millenia DOES look cool and somehow "looks really fast" (stupid cop)
 
oh yea, and the random azz people who flick their fog lights on and try to race me, the cars redeeming qualities are wearing thin...too thin
 
the car is so low to the ground that the once nice looking paint is slowly but surely starting to peel away on the bumper, and everytime i drive up a hill or something, ya know, hillish(um, is that a word...its probably not) its like rosie o donell jumping on a semi-cushioned love-seat(made in 1995, of course)
 
get the picture. if not, what im saying, is this car is starting to suck.
 
have you ever been in your millenia and just wanted to drive it off a bridge?
 
oh you too, huh?! (join the club)
 
my fog lights dont, oops correction, ONE fog light doesnt work, for some odd reason, I dont even use them that much, and it took me FOREVERRRR to install them
 
let alone to figure out exactly why they werent working in the first place.
 
the car recently just started to vibrate at around 70 mph. Hey car, whats the secret, do you have something to tell me? Is that why you're shaking so badly while im going 70 mph so I can suddenly stop and run into some "innocent"(stupid) pedestrian as i merge my way onto oncoming traffic going the opposite direction?!
 
hmmmm.
 
there were seven codes when I got it checked out, the mechanic drove it around, tested it again, and said there was nothing wrong with the car.
 
OH!....So my car is bi-polar too?! funnnnnnnn
 
the oil leaks like crazy, and that is one of the worst aspects of the car. Everytime I get up in the morning to go to school, Im "surprised"(no surprise really, i look for the crap) with a little puddle I call Mazda shit. (can we cuss on here, we're all adults?)
 
SO..now, im pretty sure thats messing up my engine, which is just perfect timing to finals right around the corner and me having no job.
 
hmmm, car over health. or health over education?
 
okay, if i pay to have the car fixed, i wont have money to pay for insurance or my other bills, and ill probably miss the one class i needed to go to.
 
hmmmm should i go to the doctor, with no insurance and miss the opportunity to turn in my project thats like 99,000% of my grade, or should i ease the trouble and drop out already and spend the rest of my life worshipping a 1995 mazda millenia?
 
decisons. decisions.
 
and when i first turn the friggin thing on, it does this weird jerk thing. thank god i dont like coffee because that shiznit would be every whiz-ere (thats where people)
 
some idiot got all tires that same size except for the one in the front, so now my car looks like its "leaning back" (remember that song?! i know i do)
 
so much stuff to go on about this stupid little car, but im tired and i have a project to do (i think)
 
Mazda Millenias are lame, and soon as I get the money, Im selling this crap.
 
Dare I say Id even drive a dodge neon over this car?
 
nope. Im gonna say, Id even drive a geo metro over this crap car.
 
who wants some?!
 

Bitter....no kidding.   Hmmmm....where to start.

If the car is stock height...it sits about the same height as all other cars on the road, so that isn't the car's fault.  Has it ever been in an accident?  If so, the peeling of the paint could have everything to do with the repair work done by some shop....who knows.

You have different size tires at the 4 corners of your car, that will contribute to poor handling....again, not the car's fault.

Do you rotate your tires?  If you don't, that can cause uneven tire wear, and can cause unusual vibrations felt through the steering wheel......again, not the car's fault.

You don't mention the mileage, but it is a 12 year old car.....so some developing leaks aren't that surprising for any car, not just a Mazda.  So long as you regularly check your fluid levels to make sure you don't run the car low on oil, it shouldn't do any damage to your car at all that it is leaking.  My advice is track down where the fluid is coming from and fix it.

Bouncing suspension in hilly terrain sounds like worn out struts.  Not surprising struts would be worn out after 12 years.

Sounds to me maybe your particular Millenia is lame due to poor maintenance/upkeep.  The Millenia is a very nice car.

yea. I actually put about $1000 into tune ups for the car.
 
I JUST had the tires changed, although I havent had them rotated. Ill definately look into that. It could totally be the tires that cause the shaking?
 
however, the upkeep/maintenance is the very reason why Im almost broke, because I do value my car since I had to work 2 jobs to purchase it.
 
Need I remind you the upkeep of this car is verrryyy expensive, and all millenia drivers can attest to that. Its very rare you can go to a junk yard and find a millenia for spare parts (trust me, Ive tried)
 
Although I do admire your response, you should probably get the facts before you blame my cars problems to my lack of upkeep/maintenance.
 
You're definately not my mechanic, and you're definately not the one coughing up the money to foot the bill all the while going to school as a full-time student. Money is definately of the essence and truth be told, alot of it has gone to the car's low ability to get only 15-20 mile per gallon and the recent increase in gas prices.
 
ANYONE ELSE SPEND LOADS OF MONEY PUTTING GAS IN THIS CAR LIKE I DO? (crowd nods head yes)
 
see? told ya so.
 
developing leaks are expected, but this is coming from the same source where I initially had it patched up by an experienced mechanic of 20 yrs. Only recently has it come back. I have to literally buy a quart of oil every other week, so I just went ahead and bought the 5 quart to for random leakages.
 
as far as all the other liquids, they are fine, as I check those when I check to see if the oil has drained all out.
 
My engine has been shaking for FOREVER. Even after the $1000 in tune-ups. The mechanic fixed everything imaginable that could attribute to it (I got a discount, because he's a family friend) and the car has never ceased to stop shaking.
 
so to try to isolate the problem would be a lost cause that im completely uninterested in at this point.
 
But thanks sstlaure, I will definately check into the rotation of the tires, that could definately be the culprit of my anger. Kudos!

Sounds like you got the wrong car for this point in your life.
 
A geo or neon would definitely be better for you.  Geos are actualy quite nice. I've been trying to by one off a local body shop that a customer decided not to pay on.
 
You remind me of all my Caddy driving friends.  they have little to no extra $$ but they all buy 15  20 year old luxury cars and just cant keep up.
 
As said before nothing you have said about the car seems out of place.  If you payed to have a leak fixed and it's still leaking go back to your friend and tell him to do it right like he should have the first time.   Struts last 50k miles or so so replace them or (like me) put up with it.
 
It also sounds like the car is suffering from a slightly abusive driver.  If it had all the paint on the bumper when you bought it then the ride height obviously wasn't an issue for the previous owner(s).   Taking bumps and hills to fast would explain the paint the bas struts and posibly the leak.   I'm sure a more sedate pace would improve milage too.

I agree...if you have to work 2 jobs to afford a car...you can't afford the car.
 
And for the record I wasn't accusing you of not maintaining your car...You stated the previous owner was to blame for the tires.  IMO if a person is willing to mismatch tires on their car, they probably don't do a great job elsewhere for upkeep.
 
My daily driver money saver is a $4500 2000 Taurus...boring but effective.  It's cheap, reliable and gets around 25 mpg.  You might want to look into something like that to better suit your finances.

Y'all are super defensive?

is your millenia your girlfriend or something? It's kinda disturbing....in a not so cool way?

dont worry, the question mark is sarcasm, its totally not cool. (definately)

as far as working 2 jobs to afford the car, I worked 2 jobs to BUY the car.

meaning, I already own, and I've owned it for about a year now. These problems have been recent, and I WOULD LIKE to make it clear that I take very well care of my car.

(not that I was saving for this car anyway, I was saving to buy a car in general)

and its honestly none of you two's business.

Im sorry If im not obsessed about something that diminishes in value. Now dont get me wrong, I LOVEEE my millenia, its my first car.

but because I am a college student and I've chosen school over working 2 jobs, this stuff is only of recent happenings, and I will end up purchasing a BETTER car in the future.

what,.... no high fives for owning a millenia for a first car? (wutever)

No matter how much I bitch about my car, Im gonna get it fixed regardless

Im sorry if Im not pushing 40(nothing wrong with that) and already established in life to have money to waste away on a car, but you two need to know this before you spew your b.s. responses conveniently located in my spam folder.

that the car was purchased USED. I have no clue as to the original owner, being that it was purchased from a used lot. it CAME with mismatched tires, and there was only ONE mismatched tire, which was ALREADY taken care of two weeks ago.
 
and as far as the leak, I didnt find out till after I purchased it that there was a missing cap where the oil went. Meaning, if you put oil in the car, there was a big hole in there, and the oil would immediately come out. As a matter of fact, there were multiple holes I didnt know about that were the culprit of the leakage. Those were patched up by not only one mechanic, but TWO mechanics. And it took them forever because they had to remove the engine to patch the holes, so dont take my bitching about MY car as an offense to you two or a lack of appreciation for the millenias.

this thread was not created for two uppity middle aged men to reply nonsense to my post. If I hated my millenia so much, I wouldve traded it in already. And check my post history brothers, and you can see that I love my millenia.

As much as people post about loving their millenias, you act like there are those who dont experience problems, especially the ones Ive mentioned.

Hell, Im sure both you two have something you want to fix with your millenia that you financially arent able to do right now, so do me a favor and back off.

this thread was created to let people vent, not for condescending messages from you two.

Ive never heard of you, and Ive never seen your sn's for as long as Ive been here

so as a parting message since I will being igging both of you, it was really nice to meet you. Good day.

Who's defensive there guy???  Last time I checked this is a public forum, and you chose to post your rant on a Mazda enthusiast website.  Take a look at my initial response to you.  I suggested things to check into that would address a vast majority of the complaints you have with your car.  Not sure why you take that as defensive.  If you take a look at my other posts, you will see I am on here to help people.
 
Seems like you're the bipolar one, not your car. 
"Mazda Millenias are lame, and soon as I get the money, Im selling this crap. "
"I LOVEEE my millenia"

FWIW.....I understand trying to balance work/school.  I put myself through my Undergrad and drove a $700 car through-out because that is what I could truly afford.  (i.e. I didn't put a car higher on my priority list than insurance or school or food for that matter.)   I fixed it myself by learning how to fix things...it saves a ton of money.
 
FYI....I don't own a Millenia, I just hate it when people label the car they are driving as "crap" (your words, not mine) when in reality it has nothing to do with the car, but rather with some poor upkeep of the vehicle.......again, apparently by whoever had the car before you....anyone that cares about their car lasting is going to make sure it runs/drives correctly....from your description above mismatched tires, missing oil cap, etc., whoever had the car before you knew they wouldn't keep it a long time and dumped it before it broke down on them (or dumped it once it broke down on them and someone patched it back together to sell it to you.)
 
All I'm saying is that if you are trying to make Education/Insurance vs Car $$$ decisions....it's a pretty easy decision in my mind. 
 
As for never hearing of me.....look over to the right at the top posters box......I've been on this site since 2005.
 
Oh yeah.....lighten up there Francis.

"and as far as the leak, I didnt find out till after I purchased it that there was a missing cap where the oil went. Meaning, if you put oil in the car, there was a big hole in there, and the oil would immediately come out. As a matter of fact, there were multiple holes I didnt know about that were the culprit of the leakage. Those were patched up by not only one mechanic, but TWO mechanics. And it took them forever because they had to remove the engine to patch the holes, so dont take my bitching about MY car as an offense to you two or a lack of appreciation for the millenias."
 
Oh yeah....and it sounds like your mechanics are taking you for a ride because you have no idea how to fix a car.  Cars don't leak oil out of holes.....gaskets go bad, parts loosen up, caps fall off, etc.  What was it that they "fixed"  Putting the oil cap in takes maybe 5 seconds of time.  I assume you bought the car with the missing oil cap....no telling how much crap got down into your engine before that was caught.
 
If I were you, I'd dump that car you have and get another one if you truly like the Millenias, or something else if you don't.  Sounds to me like it wasn't maintained properly before you and will cause you trouble down the road.

remove the engine to patch holes? 
 
i would love to see the RO on that one.   sucked up a ton of money just for labor.  they are probably STILL laughing. 

oil leaks dont happen overnight.  sounds like you didnt inspect the car before you bought it.  your bad.   mismatched tires?  another no inspection easy to spot, and it shows that the po was cheap.  add that to the oil leaks, easy to walk away from this one.   then you take the car to a couple of bozo's who probably have never seen a millenia before, and pay them to learn about the car.  typical rookie mistakes. 

It's just a car. It has a pretty face and an expensive appetite. Sell it and move on. Or give it away and move on. That will still be cheaper. Any 12 year old car will have problems. My wife calls my 01 a gadget car. Any older car with lots of gadgets will have lots of repairs. Repairs on this car are priced in the luxury price range. Buy a Honda, Toyota or Ford Escort. They will all be cheaper and more reliable. When you graduate and making $100,000/yr buy a Lexus or BMW. Until then live within your budget.

Hey - it's a free world.  I can understand your frustration with the car.  I've had and am having difficulties with certain aspects of the car.  It does get frustrating.  I will say this, if your engine is shaking quite a bit - especially when you put it in reverse - maybe it has a dead cylinder.  I've got that problem right now.  #6 cylinder is dead...  and when I checked the sparkplugs - #1 and #6 sparkplugs were burnt to a crisp. Right down to the ceramic.  Bosh Platinum plugs they were and I guess NRG (?) are the better plug to buy.  My continuing problem is that it won't shift into overdrive.  That's a work in progress for when I have time. 
 
Anyway - I do like your enthusiasim (sarcasm there for ya) for the car and this forum thread, but if it really is a problem car for ya ... I'm sure you can get rid of it to someone ... perhaps even on this website.   Goodluck to ya in whatever decision you make.  I still like this car.  My other car is an 87 VW Jetta with 210k miles and going.  I like that car as well.  Get a VW if you can.
 
Razdude.

quote:

ORIGINAL: Razdude
 Get a VW if you can.

Razdude.

He's having problems w/his Mazda, and you want him to trade for a VW??  Frying pan to the fire if you ask me... and I used to repair VW's!!!  Few go as far as yours w/o serious problems, let me tell you.
 
But I do agree that this is a white elephant for you at this time in your life and that you should get a more reliable vehicle...  how about a moped?     

I make a 100k+ and have a 95, can we end this thread, it is useless? This should be technical not a rant session.... Moderator, please step in.

I don't think he'll be back for more....this thread will wither and die on it's own.

 
^ ^ ^ +1 ^ ^ ^
 
  

The original poster seems to have an issue that may be addressed by a competent physician or in the alternative is simply a very youthful and inexperienced individual.  I first purchased a 1998 Millenia and enjoyed it to the extent that when I found that they were no longer going to be sent stateside in 2002 I purchased a 02 and will keep it for as long as practical.  Never have I had an issue with either of the Millenias however I keep the maintenance up to a high level...........ie:  brake fluid changes each year, trans flush and coolant flush every two years.  Platinum plugs every two years and the list goes on.  Oh.............I also have a Volvo c70 that is not reliable, a BMW Hartge H-3 that is a maintenance headache and a MX-5 that.........yes.. you guessed it.............is perfect.  With that said I simply wonder about the "condition" of the original poster.
 
Captain

nah, it's a typical young kid.  saw the car, and liked the looks.  didnt get a pdi, didnt know enough about cars in general to even warrant getting a car.  probably spent tuition on it, plus the youthful thoughts that nothing ever goes wrong with cars.  probably thought he got a screaming deal, cause the price was so cheap.  welcome to the real world.

point well made Kennin!  When I was a youngster we knew how to work on an auto simply because we didn't have the cash to take one to a mechanic.  Our dads wouldn't let us buy one until we had extra cash in the bank to repair it.  Were those "good old days"??
 
Captain

We ought to start talking about first cars. Mine was a 73 Triumph Spitfire. I would have loved to only have the problems he has with his Millenia. When it rained, water actually came in over the top of the windshield. And parts! They didn't exist. Triumphs hadn't been made in years.
 
Then again, I went to school to learn to work on cars. I only take my car to the shop when I don't feel like fixing it myself.
 
I wonder if he even knows what Miller Cycle is...

I bought an Austin Healey in London in 1965 and got it to the states with diplomatic status and so it has clear turn signals, no smog controls and a radiomobile radio.........oh yes it also has wing mirrors with 60 spoke knock offs.  I still have that auto with the original license plates:  DUL571C.  The auto has 6,200 original miles on it!  I don't drive it much at all.  You must remember Lord Lucas, Duck of Darkness.  I only keep the auto because of memories and one day I suppose I will sell it............probably for more than the approximate $2,200.00 I paid for it in 1965.
 
Captain

It is obvious you have developed a hate for your car that nothing but replacement will fix the real and imagined problems. I have a 1997 2.5 L and with 129,890 miles the only lubricant it uses is refrgerant about 1 can every 3 months and that's in Miami Fl. where the a/c is turned off maybe a week a year. My Millenia has been the most trouble free car, tied with my 91 Miatia and not as good as my Acura NSX, which I ran the piss out of, nothing broke or leaked.

i'm not sure why i'm replying to this ongoing battle, but here's my two cents.  First of all both sides have valid and good points.  In my experience with a 1999 millenia S it is a great car, when it runs properly. When it doesn't its expensive as hell to fix, as stated they are rare and used parts are hard to find.  New parts are a fortune (EGR valve $500+, supercharger $2000+).  My milly has the normal (which is a sad statement in its own right) problems that many have posted on, TCS light on intermittedly, misfire at speed, won't shift into high gear when cold.  These cars are problematic, more so than any other car that i've owned.  I wouldn't buy another one, and would warn all those that asked not to buy one as well, which in my opionion really sums it all up, it you won't miss it, then it was a bad car.  Currently my car is making a loud popping/knocking noise from the top of the engine, which i have no idea what it is, i'm suspecting the egr system or maybe the supercharger, both of which are not cheap to replace, and i like the posts creator also take very good car of my car, synthetic oil changed religiously, washed and rust checked with almost demented regularity.  This car has let me down, and not returned my efforts with the reliability and savings in maintenance and repairs that my efforts should have paid for.  To answer the 12 year old car comment, i've got a 92 integra that has never NEVER let me down.  Normal maintenance of course, brakes, tune ups, tires, etc. a couple of cv shafts, but it has never cost me more than $200 at a time, and that was for tires.  So in my opinion yeah the milly was a bad choice both for your time in life, and for its time in life, which unfortunately is all times as this car should have either never been built or possibly been better built in the first place.  To answer the luxury or gadget car comment, that would hold water if it were the gadgets that broke, but in my experience a transmission is not a gadget, its an integral part of the car that needs to operate properly at all times, and not be prone to failure at low mileage numbers.  My milly's gadgets all work fine, which provides me little consolation or joy as it sits idling making horrible noises and throwing expensive trouble codes.  I'm sure a lot of millenia's run fine, and have for their owners since they purchased them, fair warning for you, that the first time it fails you its gonna cost you a lot to fix it, and you'll be back to this thread to join the hate side.  (ps, i've got a 99 milly s with just over 91k on it, mint body, excellent interior, all the gadgets work! white paint, 17" performance bridgestone summers (Brand new) and 16" blizzak winters on steelies (almost new), gets good gas mileage, super fast (used to be) synthetic fluids throughout, rust checked twice a year, washed at least three times a week in the winter, anybody interested? what about you milly lovers?  I didn't think so.

Wow. Dont think for once I was intimidated by the responses by not answering, I didnt get the replies in my spam folder(they go there for some reason, i dunno?)
 
anywho *shruggs shoulders*
 
I.LOVE.MY.MILLENIA.--although it can be a be-yotch, my millenia is still bad ass, probably even better than yours? modesty not included, of course.
 
to the guy who said "the repair guys are STILL laughing"--the first one just told me what the problems were while changing my routine oil, and the SECOND one is my grandmothers childhood friend who fixes my entire family cars.
 
he's been a mechanic for almost 25 years and worked for mazda prior, and he also said that i shouldnt have bought this car, but this was of course, AFTER the fact, when he of course, wasnt reliable enough to show up and check the car with me, after incessant calls and 10,000 voice mails....not my fault this foo is a deadbeat.
 
and to be perfectly honest, I was saving up for a nicer car, I had no qualms about riding in the passenger seat of family members cars, but because I have an unreliable family(that is a whole nother story), I had to buy my own. It was either that or walk 50 miles carrying 25 lbs of crap to school everyday. NOT happening.
 
I was in need of a car, and had an extra $1 K to spend on repairs because without transportation, there was..dun dun dun...no school. get it? :-/
 
we ALL make life or death decisions based on necessity, and at the time I had two jobs, so a car was of the essence.
 
But ohhhh, dont worry sstlaure, I'm sure you were once a kid(yea right) who paid his way thru school and his own bills, and bought his own car. Maybe you should take another class in ECONOMICS, and pay extra close to the chapter about "opportunity costs"
 
im sure at the time you're reading this, your opportunity cost is the time wasted being pompous to another person who wasnt born out of the muffler of a millenia. god, get some humility when you respond to people jerk.
 
maybe you can work for me someday sstlaure?...just a thought, and fix my millenia?..ill pay you overtime, I promise.
 
kkennin...you're super dope, so of course, I take your response to heart because you've helped me before, and you're right, the car looked fly, and I was like, "what the hell, I've been working and schooling all week, I've searched everywhere and most of the cars looked  way more dysfunctional and costed ahelluva lot more"....so at that time i was spent, and I actually had a bonding experience with the car.
 
love at first sight, even?...hey, when you see your car, you just get that feeling right? it spoke volumes to me, but right now, my baby is just in a rebellious stage. karma is a mother, right?
 
anywho. I wasnt being defensive, im just simply "posting my opinions in a forum"...thats what its called right?
 
anywho, Im getting a tune up done when I TAKE MY CAR IN FOR ITS ROUTINE OIL CHANGE and then Im gonna come back and write a long book about how sstlaure can suck it.
 
but seriously, I do love my car, I was just highly pissed when I wrote that. People try to race me everyday in this car when im smackin down on dorito chips and these cars are like 2000 camaros and mustangs. My car is just being a rebellious teenager, and although we dont get along all the time, the love is def. still there.
 
sstlaure, you are a vampire and you should stop sucking souls with your pompous replies. Arent you like, almost 40---you dont act like it
 
or maybe the internet is just emphasizing your "you-ness"...hmmm...dont care.
 
thanks everyone who responded, Im not a millenia mechanic and honestly never even heard of these cars before I purchased one.
 
NOW, I am a die hard millenia addict and my next car will be a newer Millenia, of course, when I can afford it. lets just use this post to laugh at and move on.
 
sstlaure, you seem pretty angry, do you want to hug my car?
 

quote:

ORIGINAL: picasso20

But ohhhh, dont worry sstlaure, I'm sure you were once a kid(yea right) who paid his way thru school and his own bills, and bought his own car. Maybe you should take another class in ECONOMICS, and pay extra close to the chapter about "opportunity costs"

im sure at the time you're reading this, your opportunity cost is the time wasted being pompous to another person who wasnt born out of the muffler of a millenia. god, get some humility when you respond to people jerk.

maybe you can work for me someday sstlaure?...just a thought, and fix my millenia?..ill pay you overtime, I promise.

sstlaure, you are a vampire and you should stop sucking souls with your pompous replies. Arent you like, almost 40---you dont act like it

or maybe the internet is just emphasizing your "you-ness"...hmmm...dont care.

sstlaure, you seem pretty angry, do you want to hug my car?

Interesting you think I'm attacking you....In your first posts, I tried to help you diagnose your shaking problem...you thanked me for that.

Then I point out the fact that you bought a used car and really have no idea how the previous owner treated it.  I'm not attacking you, or your purchase, just the fact that sometimes when you buy a used car, you can get one that has been abused by the previous owner, and that leads to YOU having problems with the car once in your possession.

For the record, I'm 35.  Pompous replies?  Buddy...grow up. 

You act as if I have a trust fund or something.  Check out my earlier posts (page 1 I believe....)  I drove a $700 car through highschool and through most of college, and paid for the insurance/upkeep as well.  I've held jobs constantly since I was 13 years old.  (And had numerous jobs prior to that.)  I racked up over $30K in student loans putting myself through school (and contributed another $30K from my income earned through Engineering Co-op positions which I held throughout my undergrad.)  I work my ass off and know the value of money.

I think you're the one that needs to learn about opportunity costs.  I find it hilarious that you're trying to slam me with something you obviously have no idea about.

Definition of Opportunity cost: The cost of passing up the next best choice when making a decision. For example, if an asset such as capital is used for one purpose, the opportunity cost is the value of the next best purpose the asset could have been used for. Opportunity cost analysis is an important part of a company's decision-making processes, but is not treated as an actual cost in any financial statement.

For example....if rather than spending $10K on your Millenia, you spent only 3K on say...a Taurus, you could have invested the $7000, and @ 5% interest, actually get somewhere.  In the first year, that $7K would be $7,350.  Your opportunity cost in the first year is $350 if you chose to go with the 10K car vs the 3K car, excluding the $7K additional you paid.

I honestly hope you get everything worked out with your car.  Too bad you have to take things so personally.

I can't even begin to say how much I hate my 2002 Millenia S. I financed it and in the end, i'll be paying about 13,000 for it. It's a NICE car.. don't get me wrong. But i've had problems non stop since i've had it. It's been about 15 months and i've put over 2,000 into it. That shit's ridiculous. Putting THAT much into a car you financed and have only had a little over a year? Not to mention, I have all new problems with it now. I can't wait to get rid of it. At this point, i'd love to trade it in somewhere and get something else. Even if I have to pay a little to get rid of it I would. The car is a piece of shit.