Cheaper to keep her?

By Elna Seabrooks
Staff Writer
    HOULTON — As consumer demand evaporates for new cars in the face of grim daily economic reports, some do-it-yourselfers are steering clear of shiny showroom models and heading straight for car parts suppliers, their local garages or both. In Houlton, there’s been a mixed bag of reactions to the economy when it comes to new car ownership versus repairs. It could be those high monthly car payments on top of taxes, registration and insurance that have some buyers thinking more about their dwindling savings than a new set of wheels. And, while some local garage owners see no measurable difference in business, Houlton’s CARQUEST has seen about a 25 percent up tick in sales.
Houlton Pioneer Times photo/Elna Seabrooks
SOLD — Earl Cameron pays for a new ball joint at CARQUEST, to fix his Ford truck. Jamie Miller, assistant store manager, says sales for car parts are up, “big time.”
    David Bubar, manager of the CARQUEST location on Bangor Street says he definitely has seen more business since customers are hanging on to the their older cars for longer periods of time. “People are fixing up their own rather than buying new vehicles. I understand that it’s cheaper to keep her than to get rid of her.”  
    That was exactly the sentiment expressed by Earl Cameron last week when he traveled from Linneus to buy a new ball joint to fix his 1997 Ford. “It beats buying a new truck,” said Cameron about his purchase.
    Bubar says his store, one of 3,400 nationwide, carries a wide range of replacement parts — especially for older model cars from the ‘70s, ‘80s and ‘90s. He says repairing late model cars with their newer technology requires special tools and training because of today’s high-tech mechanisms.
    At Robert Kitchen & Sons on Bangor Street, the elder Kitchen says his customers need “a little of everything fixed” but he’s not seeing any big increase in traffic at his shop due to the economy. However, he does add that, sometimes, younger do-it-yourselfers need his expertise after “they get it messed up enough so that they have to go somewhere and have it done. Sometimes they bring it in a box just like they’re going to bury it. They try to fix anything and everything. There’s not a whole lot you can do unless you have special tools.”
    At Duff’s Service Station on the Bangor Road, Tom Duff says he’s not busier than last year this time although he’s aware of news reports about people fixing their cars instead of buying new ones. However, as an inspection station, Duff’s does get to see enough cars that need brake and front end repair due to corrosion from the calcium and salt used in snow removal. “We see a lot more deterioration under vehicles.” He says corroded lines can be an extra expense from $250 to $500.
    As for do-it-yourselfers who end up needing his professional know-how, Duff says he only gets them once in a while. “It used to be we could all fix our own vehicles. Or, we thought we could. But, today, it’s almost impossible. You know how to do it, you have the tools or you don’t.”
    As a final note, the general consensus from people interviewed for this story and others is that cars need to be washed, especially the undercarriage, to minimize the corrosive effects of calcium, salt and other materials used to keep roads clear of snow and ice.