Better yet, have your brakes checked more often.
Even better yet, buy a newer car.

Sorry to hear about your troubles. But this is very timely advice and reminder to get our vehicles checked given that winter is hitting us now - snow, freezing rain, snow. Road conditions are starting to change.

As for buying a newer car, great if you have the money or win a lottery. We'd love to buy a 'newer car' right now but it's not an option. But ya never know...things can change!

Cheers
Peggy

Are you sure an anti-lock brake system wasn't the culprit? Several years ago I hit the rear of a truck while driving my 1992 Chevy Caprice. We were hardly moving. I was in a line of cars that had stopped for a light. The line began moving, and then it stopped again. So I was doing little more than rolling when the car in front of me stopped. I think I was a little slow in hitting the brake, but I had plenty of time to stop. Trouble was, I hit the brake hard, and that triggered the anti-lock mechanism. To me, it felt as though my brakes gave out. The car kept going, right into (actually under) the truck. No damage to him, but $1200 in damages to mine.

I didn't even know my Caprice had anti-lock brakes until this happened. I wondered why I'd suddenly lost braking power, and a mechanic explained it to me.

1. His car is too old to have ABS.
2. He's got the money to either keep his car in better shape or buy something newer.
3. Keep your distance, OJ. Your reflexes ain't what they used to be.

Old cars are no more dangerous than new cars. Most is the driver.

It's a good idea to check your brakes often but hopefully you stop often enough to test them anyway. Press against them to see if there's adequate pressure. Often if there's a problem it'll slowly head toward the floor - then there's a problem.

Yes, you'll usually pay or reapirs for others you hit so pay attention while you're driving.

Also, check your brake fluid. If it's low, it can lose pressure and of course brakes.

Whenever I get in a vehicle I press down on the brake pedal an if it's spongy, no driving it here!

We drive an older car (21yrs) and really like it. We bought it from our car guy, who had gone over it thoroughly, and it goes in abt 3-4 times a year for maintenance. Altho recently a computer on it burned out and it was in the shop for 5 weeks until he could get another one. This is the first time I have felt affection for a car. I know that's dumb, but it is perfect for our needs. Not everybody is in the position to buy a new car, and sometimes the new ones have so many "fancy" things on them, it is just that much more to go wrong, and more expensive to fix. I wouldn't presume to say how much money another person has to spend. As for reflexes, at least older people are paying attention to what they are doing, and not yakking on a phone or texting while driving as so many younger people do. Not all, but a whole lot of them.

I thought my car was too old to have ABS, too--it's 18 (and still beautiful)!

My car is an '88 Mazda, 4 cyl., 1.6 litre engine, standard transmission.

I have it in the shop on occasion and they check it over when it's in there.

There was a brake line that burst, and I lost about half of braking power - I understand that there's a valve that stops the fluid from flowing, after the first rush, which allows oil to be under pressure to the other pair of brakes (in this case, the front ones).

It is my understanding that it isn't possible to foretell when a brake line will burst.

As I indicated originally - it's a good idea to push your brake pedal really hard, on occasion, and do it at home (or, even better, at your favourite garage, to avoid driving with great care, or being towed, from home to garage).

Better to have a btrake line burst when sitting at your house/garage ..

... than when following cars while approaching a traffic signal.

I can afford to pay cash for a better car ...

... but have you given thought to how much precious petroleum it takes to dig and transport ore to the smelter, which is an energy hog ...

... then to the rolling plant, the shaping plant, then to the assembly place, where they add a lot more petroleum-based plastic stuff.

That's just the petroleum issue ... without reference to global warming ... and pollution.

ole joyful

I don't get an ego trip from a fancy new car. In many ways I like an older car. Less likely to be stolen. Less concern if you get a ding in a parking lot or get into a small accident. Not a big deal if the upholstery should get a tear and not afraid to carry things in it, or on it. I firmly believe form follows function. I drove mini pickups for many years and they were just perfect for my use. I had to carry a photo studio while traveling. People with cars, well they had troubles! The problem was every time someone would move it was could you and your pickup haul this for us? Or could we borrow your pickup?

I wound up getting a mini van that served me well for many years. Problems mounted and not worth putting money into it and I found another used one about 2.5 years old for a great price. At this point the mini vans are functional vehicles for me. I don't care if I look like a soccer mom driving it, it gets me where I need to go, hauls what I need to haul and gets me back home, reliably. Wish it got the same mileage a my last van but that's the price I pay for more power I guess. And I'm not at a point I can't afford to pay a bit more in gas for a little more protection too.

One thing with cars, things like brake lines will corrode faster if they're left outside in the colder climates. A garage is a valuable thing to have. Plus if they get the salt and chemicals on them it can raise other issues so there's certain things you need to expect faster maintenance than in other areas, but then other areas have their issues too.

Sorry for the sketchy editing above - I was near deadline at the library in both cases ... and find losing a composition substantially frustrating.

My suggestion still holds - I think that it's nigh impossible to predict a burst brakeline, so best give a hard push on the brake pedal from time to time to jack up that pressure some above normal.

Better to have the line break in your yard - or at the garage where they do your repairs, to avoid a careful trip or a tow job - than as you're following another car braking for a signal light turned red.

Happy motoring - including having your brake lines maintain their integrity (as you do yours).

ole joyful

We had a 1989 Cad. Coupe De Ville that had the ABS system on it. Sold it to my brother a couple of years ago and he had it all checked over and has been driving it to Texas each winter. We only drove it in the summertime in these later years.It looks like new, white with burgundy interior...nice car!

Hi Mary ... who looks 70 ... or is that 60? ... from MI,

You didn't say whether you'd pushed the brake pedal HARD on your old Caddy ...

... while sitting in your yard (or, preferably, at your garage, in order to avoid a tow job)!

Brake lines can corrode enough to break when under higher than usual pressure. While that may happen more frequently in northern areas, where cold weather, salted roads, etc. add to the deterioration of the vehicle's various parts, often various kinds of metal rust wherever they're open to the air (though less frequently in dry and desert areas).

What do they say - "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!"?

ole joyful