Dammit!
 

Car wash just broke my mirror...

https://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-..._7251165_n.jpg

how come you don't own a car? When I mean car, I mean passenger car.

I do own a passenger car, a 1981 Buick Regal. The truck is an extended cab and seats 5.

you could potentially talk to the owner of the car wash.

...and why a car wash? when I had my truck, the car wash always filled the bed with suds and I always had to find a manual car wash to wash it out.

I've been working for a week straight, and it was dirty. Being a holiday weekend I wanted to spend time with my friends & family (and riding my new bike!), not washing a truck. I never have had problems with suds in the bed, because of the camper shell. Since I was there buying gas anyway, I thought I'd save some time buy getting a wash there as well. I also wanted an undercarriage wash, which is something that isn't easily done by myself at home.

The clerk said he would have the owner call me tomorrow.

Car wash owner will probably point to the sign that says they're not responsible for mirrors.

I've always had good luck with the cheapest eBay mirrors.

For DIY undercarriage wash, use a lawn sprinkler.

How come you don't own a car that gets decent fuel economy? You could pretty much buy any economy car and it could pay for itself in less than a year. Also I wouldn't consider an "extended cab" as a vehicle that seats 5 considering how cramped the rear seats are in extended cab vehicles. I've been in the backs of many "extended cabs" and the backs of civics and corollas, the civics and corollas were not only more comfortable, but ingress and egress were easier as well.

I have problems finding economy cars that fit my long legs, and are comfortable for me to drive. I also have little need for a passenger car. With my business I'm always out running errands, picking up parts, etc. Maybe I don't need a truck, but bare minimum I need an SUV with 4wd. I feel I do rather well mileage wise considering 90% of my driving is short trip city. I feel I more than get my moneys worth out of it. I bought the truck 5 years ago for $13,000 and have put about 65,000 miles on it since then. The truck is very comfortable, runs well, and gets me to work in the worst weather that winter throws at me.

Buying the motorcycle was part for fun, and part to save gas. The bike is rated 44 city and 50 highway.

Anyway, I don't see how a broken mirror spurs a discussion as to why I own a truck. Would this situation be any different if the car wash broke a mirror on a Prius?

I've noticed you as a member here for a long while and would have figured by now that you'd get an economy car of some sort. As for leg room, I'm 6'3 and I sit comfortably in my Civic, in fact I'm less comfortable in my LS400, or my friend's '07 Camry with the moonroof than I am in my civic w/o the moon/sun roof. I've got 39" of head room in my Civic which rivals the FJ cruiser and with the seats pushed back all the way, I can still sit relatively comfortably in the seat behind the driver. A FWD works well in snow so I'd seriously reconsider whether or not a FWD vehicle would be apt for your living conditions. Maybe you should rent a passenger car this winter and see how it does.

There is only one late model small car that I've driven that I actually somewhat enjoy. My dad's 2nd generation Focus 5 speed. I don't have much need for a passenger car. I'm not married, and very rarely do I have more than one or 2 passengers. I do need a truck for my business. I need something to run parts and supplies. Also, being a business owner I have to be able to get to the business no matter what the weather. The 4 wheel drive does this quite well.

I have the Buick because its my first car, and I never really intend to sell it.

Rusty (The 86 pickup) sits at dad's house for him to make the occasional run to the hardware store and haul stuff to the dump. The truck is paid for, and barely goes 500 miles/yr so its not worth replacing unless I buy a new truck for myself, and send my current truck to him.

The bike was my answer to an economy vehicle. I'm going to try and get better than what Harley advertises as its mileage. I've been trying to run it up to 6th gear as quickly as possible when riding it.

The only additional vehicle I see coming to my driveway in the foreseeable future is my late grandfather's car. (2006 Grand Marquis) When he died the car didn't even have 2,500 miles. At this point the car has about 10,000 miles on it. We leave it parked in his garage, and the family drives it when we visit in Florida. AFAIK I'm the only family member interested in his car.

Buying a small car is not always economical. My truck is paid off, and the past couple of years I've only been driving it about 9,000 miles/yr. I am not interested in another beater, I have plenty of those. Spending $10 - $15 K on a decent late model used car that meets my legroom and comfort requirements wasn't economical. Even at today's prices, $10K buys a lot of gas.