Every time I think about car repair, I get nervous. Why? Have you looked under the hood of your car, lately?
I am from the old school where the family car needed work, dad would pull out the tools and fix it himself. If he could not fix it, he would call a friend from down the road to help him.
At that time all you needed to work on a car or pickup truck was some wrenches, a set of sockets, and maybe two analog meters. Today it much much different. Why? Today’s cars have some a complex computer system it takes a highly trained individual to do much more than change tires.
I must admit that cars do last longer, are safer, help us with our driving imperfections, and provide more creature comfort while riding in them. I remember when the family car needed a major overhaul at 100,000 miles, today I see vehicles passing the 200,000 mile mark before needing any work. It was not until the 1970′s when airbags were being put in cars, as a movement among auto manufactures to make the family car more safe. This include an antilock braking system that is found in all cars today. The integration of our cell phone, and other electronic devices make many a modern car buy lower their jar in amazement.
Take my all time favorite, the Dodge Caravan. The current 2011 model starts out with 100,000 mile warranty on the powertrain. I can tell it is a whole lot more than a few pressure plates, gears and hydraulic fluid. There is some major sensors, inside that tells the six speed transmission when to shift gears.
Think about all the safety features on in this non-luxury, mid range minivan. It goes past the shoulder strap seat belt. The Grand Caravan include active front head restraints, driver knee airbags, full-length side curtain airbags, front-seat side airbags, antilock disc brakes, stability control and traction control. Optional features include a blind-spot monitoring system, rear parking and cross-traffic sensors and a rearview camera. Wow! Just think of the electronics required to run these systems.
Then you can get on your Blackberry, iPhone, or Android phone an application that allows you to monitor key vehicle features like operations, maintenance, instruments and controls. You also have on your phone any warranty information, available accessories, and customer assistance.
Now if you want to talk about options, there is Sirius(R) Satellite Radio, video screens, Bluetooth, and a host of other things that can be added. Each of these require some kind of electrical integration with the minivan.
Bottom-line: I hope I was able to give you a taste as to what is available in mini van as far as the tech side. The 2012 model have a lot more to offer. The average price of the 2011 and 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan is $25,000.
Now before you head out to the Dodge Dealership to get your own mini van loaded with all this electronics, you need to keep in the back of your mind what it is going to cost to repair it if something goes wrong.
My research shows that the average repair a car in 2011 is $1,575 at the dealership level. If you take your car to an independent repair shop you can expect to pay about $1275.
Do you have that much money in the bank if your car breaks?
