On the same day in 2015, our hypothetical characters, George and Nancy, living on opposite sides of McHenry, each purchased the same car. As this is a representative story, let’s say that they both purchased a Chevy Malibu. It doesn’t matter, but let’s also say that George’s Malibu was beige and Nancy’s was blue. Otherwise, they were identical 4-door, LS sedans. 

As it happened, they both worked on the opposite side of McHenry, too; Nancy worked over by where George lived and George worked near where Nancy lived. As a result, and a similarity in the amount of other driving they did, George and Nancy put almost the same amount of mileage on their cars.

In a story of comparisons, this is about where the similarities end. Nancy was determined to take good care of her car. She always had the oil changed on schedule. She had the car winterized in the fall and summer-ized in the spring. 

When the shocks and struts began to show some wear, she was on top of it and had them replaced promptly. She had the steering aligned annually and regularly checked the air pressure in her tires.

She took her Malibu through the carwash frequently, though not too often. And she always paid extra for the protective wax and sealant, including the UV protection. About the only problem she had with the car was when the “Check Engine” light came on. When that happened, she brought it in to the auto repair shop she trusted, and they tracked it down to a gas cap problem that was common with that year of Malibu. 

At a minimal cost, Nancy maintained her car the way the manufacturer recommended in the owner’s manual. But George was a different story.

George constantly allowed the car to go too long between oil changes. In six years, he never had the car aligned. Due to improper alignment, his tires wore out faster and more irregularly than Nancy’s had. 

When the shocks and struts wore out, and George failed to replace them, their diminished capacity for dampening the effects of bumps in the road put additional strain on steering and suspension parts. The effects spread until George could feel them in the steering wheel. The car pulled to one side and the wheel felt loose.

He never washed the car and, from the undercarriage to the roof, rust was taking a toll down below while the sun was fading the finish up above.

Over the years since George and Nancy had purchased their cars, George found himself stranded on the side of the road needing a toll when a tie rod end failed. He also found himself stranded at home one winter when his Malibu wouldn’t start.

Nancy never experienced these inconveniences with her Malibu. Before the battery ever failed, she knew when it was past its prime and replaced it. 

Eventually, the day came when George felt compelled to replace his Malibu. There were too many issues requiring repair and the vehicle was no longer ‘cost effective.’ What’s more, he didn’t trust the car anymore.

Nancy was replacing her Malibu, too. In her case, she simply decided it was time. She wanted a new car. Nancy was so happy with her Malibu that she traded her 2015 in on a new 2022. And she got top dollar for her trade in because the 2015 was in such good shape.

George, however, blamed the problems on his 2015 Malibu on the manufacturer rather than a lack of proper maintenance. He traded his 2015 in on a different type of car. He didn’t get much for his trade in.