Episode 72

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Published on:

5th Oct 2023

Why Your Next Used Car Should Be A Cockroach: AKA - A Survivor

00:00 - OPEN - Why Your Next Used Car Should Be a Cockroach: AKA - A Survivor

If you are looking for a bargain-priced used vehicle, stick around because in today’s episode I’ll tell you why you need to consider buying a cockroach for your next used car or truck. 

01:00 - INTRO - Cockroaches - Are They Cool or Gross?

My first experience with Madagascar cockroaches in a college biology class was positive (and entertaining), but not everyone likes these creepy little critters

LINK: Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches As Pets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WHYIBSyEe8

LINK: Madagascar Cockroach Eating Contest for Six Flags, New England: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Fvlll4Lnq0

03:50 - The Cockroach Deserves Our Respect

Cockroaches have survived a long time - they were here about 300 million years before humans and 150 million years before the dinosaurs. They even survived the comet that killed the dinosaurs and about 80% of all life on earth. Plus their survival capabilities and skills allow them to survive drowning, famine, poison and even massive doses of radiation that would kill a human.

06:15 - Nature's Ultimate Survivor

The cockroach is nature’s ultimate survivor.   Therefore a cockroach used car or truck is an ultimate survivor from an automotive standpoint.  These are cars and trucks that have survived in excellent condition in spite of being older than most vehicles. 

Common Attributes of a Cockroach Used Car

  • Usually only one owner
  • Perfect maintenance
  • Stored indoors
  • Driven regularly
  • Low miles
  • No accidents
  • No rust
  • Everything works

08:25 - How Do You Find A Cockroach Car?

I recommend using the Serendipity Search method that I covered in episodes 64 and 19

09:42 - Eight Excellent, Low-Priced Cockroach Used Vehicles I Recently Found

  • 2004 Nissan Sentra - $4,900
  • 2001 Nissan Maxima GLE - $6,000
  • 1991 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 2WD Pickup - $1900
  • 1998 Nissan Frontier 2WD Pickup - $4,300
  • 2000 Ford Ranger 2WD Pickup - $4,500
  • 1988 Nissan Hardbody 2WD Extended Cab Pickup - $4,800
  • 1998 Jeep Wrangler TJ - $7,000
  • 1998 Nissan Pathfinder SE - $7,600

18:15 - Not So Average Used Cars

  • Average Price: $5,125
  • Average Mileage: 113,000
  • Average Age: 26 (1997 model year)

Be sure to get a prepurchase inspection if you can, but depending on the owner, if the used vehicle they are selling is really inexpensive, they may tell you that you're welcome to have it inspected if it's still for sale in a few days, but until then the first person who pays their price gets it.

Bonus Cockroach Vehicle Example:

  • 1987 Toyota Celica GT-S - one owner, 122,000 miles, Perfect Condition for $3,800! This was my favorite.

22:35 - CLOSE

If you can set your ego aside, open yourself up to the possibilities and focus on letting serendipity find you a fantastic cockroach ca or truck (aka - a survivor) that may be a couple decades old, but still looks and runs like a 3-5 year old used car, then this cockroach car search idea just might be the perfect way for you to find your next really affordable used vehicle.   

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About the Podcast

Better Than New
Find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you'll love
The average new car sales price in the US is nearly $50,000, and the average used vehicle sales price is close to $30,000... I think that's insane! Well if you're like me and you don’t want to pay these crazy inflated car prices, I believe you should still be able to drive something fun. That’s the idea behind Better Than New – a podcast to help you find a cool used car, truck or SUV at a price you’ll love.

I’m Gary Crenshaw, host of Better Than New and a long time automotive enthusiast, and I want to inspire car buyers on a budget to think differently about what they can actually afford to drive. My goal is to introduce listeners to the broad array of interesting, fun-to-drive, enthusiast-friendly used cars, trucks and SUVs available at prices just about anyone can afford… vehicles from the 80s, 90s, 2000s and beyond that offer buyers a wide range of interesting choices. Each week we’ll explore a specific vehicle or vehicle category, tell you what to look for and what to avoid, and give you practical tips to help you find your next cool used car, truck or SUV and keep it on the road for years to come.

With a little work, the joy of owning a cool used car at price you’ll love is within reach and this podcast is here to help you find it.

So hop in, buckle up and let's go for a drive!

About your host

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Gary Crenshaw

A lifelong lover of all things mechanical, Gary has spent the majority of his existence driving, dreaming about or wrenching on cars, motorcycles and even the occasional airplane.

It started with mini-bikes and go-karts as a kid, progressed to 2-stroke dirt bikes, followed by his first car… a 1969 Volkswagen Beetle. Then came the Yamaha era with several RD400s, RZ350s and a Canadian RD350LC (should have kept that!). A pilot’s license was next with some memorable hours flying a 1946 Aeronca Champ low and slow around the Pacific Northwest. While in college, his brother-in-law who sold high-end cars hired him to deliver BMW, Mercedes and Porsche vehicles to customers.

Those early experiences led to a lifetime of owning an eclectic mix of interesting used cars, including a ‘65 Mustang GT, a ’72 Datsun 510, a Porsche 914, a Celica Alltrac Turbo, a Mini Cooper S, a couple of Miata’s, two Audi S4 Avants, a Galant VR4, a Fiat 850 Spider, a 1983 Subaru 4x4 GL wagon and a first gen RX-7, along with dozens of daily driver cars and SUVs from Acura, Honda, Toyota and Mazda. And his favorite? Depends on when you ask, but that distinction likely goes to the Mazda RX-4 station wagon he learned to drive in. That fun-to-drive car combined Gary's passion for wagons, rotary engines and manual transmissions all in one.

So what about you? Which used car, truck or SUV would you love to own? Let’s find it together!