[PaulHoule]

Last year my son needed a car to get to work and we were shocked at the price of recent used cars. We found a Buick fanatic an hour away and got ourselves a 1996 Park Avenue which at the beginning of the OBD II era so it a modern car in terms of maintenance and having features like airbags, antilock brakes and traction control. We’ve had to make some repairs on it since but it was a great deal.

For me it was a real adventure because I’d never owned an American car.

Right now I am thinking about another automotive adventure which is that you can get a Nissan Leaf with a degraded battery for not much more than the tax credit you can get for buying a used EV. It would still have enough range to drive to work, pick up groceries and that sort of thing if we install a charger at home.

[coryrc]

You have 1996 Buick in upstate NY and it isn't rusted out yet!? Was it stored in a barn?

[PaulHoule]

It spent a lot of time in Ohio and only has about 100k miles. We had it up on a lift the other day and the mechanic was amazed at how good the undercarriage was. My son sprayed the bottom with WD-40 which will hopefully protect it from road salt.

We are plugged in a bit to networks that bring cars up from down south, there is a place in Binghamton that sells police cars (and other cars) from southern Pennsylvania which is already a much better environment.

[paxunix]

I highly recommend using Fluid Film instead of WD-40. It will coat better and last a lot longer (you'll still have to put it on once a year).

[31carmichael]

The WD-40 is already gone.

[johnea]

You don't really need a charger at home. Just plug the car into the wall.

If you leave it plugged in overnight, you'll have a full charge in the morning.

The slow charge offered by a 110v outlet is easier on the battery chemistry as well...