Help, my car just quit on me - Page 3

patsmom · 10-28-2009, 05:10 PM

Quote:

*** BTW, thats an interesting link, dadx. I was surprised to see a couple of Hondas in the list of top 10 cars that had the most complaints Most Problematic Vehicles | CarComplaints.com

Aw, man -- MY Honda's on that list at #5! I'm surprised, because I've had no problems whatsoever (knock on wood). Great link, though!

bluebayou · 10-28-2009, 05:23 PM

be careful with such "data" bcos the more popular cars, i.e., BIG sellers, are gonna have more reports of problems.

sryrstress · 10-28-2009, 08:18 PM

^^That's what I was wondering as I pondered my #8 2004 F150. Did that data report actual numbers or % sold? I'm hoping actual numbers, as the F150 was the highest selling truck, so it might be reasonable it would have higher problems. Hoping so, anyway.

thumper1 · 10-28-2009, 08:23 PM

I think it's all a matter of cash flow. We put $1800 into an 8 year old car last year (to replace the AC). That was a LOT cheaper than the cost of buying a replacement new or used car of the same quality....and having monthly payments possibly for more than a year.

jym626 · 10-28-2009, 08:24 PM

I read Consumer Reports and Edmunds forum when buying cars. Also realize that CR is skewed by the data that is sent into them for their reliability ratings, but they also do test the models, so its not totally biased. History of repairs is determined by the forms that readers return. Nonetheless, Its helpful information.

Dad II · 10-29-2009, 03:35 PM

All our cars are well taken care of with regular services. For this Ford, I even had a full transmission flush done about 1 year or so ago.

In any case, we found a local family own shop who charge a base rate of $900 labour for a complete rebuild of transmission with a $2000 cap.

They also offer full warranty for unlimited mileage as long as you do a yearly tune up at their shop.

With that, we will have the car fixed and continue to drive it.

ellemenope · 10-29-2009, 07:05 PM

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We put $1800 into an 8 year old car last year (to replace the AC).

I've been contemplating all summer whether to do this very thing. I've sweated all summer without an AC and now it's November. I guess I'll have a winter and spring free from thought and will take this matter up again next summer...

younghoss · 10-29-2009, 07:21 PM

I read similar reviews and comparisons mentioned earlier, but I definitely take them with a grain of salt and consider their results as just one small factor of my decision.

thumper1 · 10-29-2009, 07:26 PM

ellemenope, one of the reasons we got the AC fixed was that it also is part of how the defrost works. We also sweated it out one summer...and then had to warm the car up in an extreme way for one whole winter. Since I love the car...we bit the bullet and put in the new AC that next summer. Now the AC AND the defrost both work as they should.

jym626 · 10-29-2009, 09:25 PM

Did you have to get the car towed twice, DadII (to your house and then again to the shop)? What did that cost?

ellemenope · 10-29-2009, 09:54 PM

thumper, I hate my car, but have a D who just started her freshman year at college. I really don't want to start car payments now...

Dad II · 10-30-2009, 09:40 AM

jym626, thank you for your concern.

Not, we have not done any towing yet. The car die one hill away from home so we pushed it to park in front of our house. The transmission place offers free tow if we decide to have them fix it.

Both of our cars are relatively old and I think we do need one that we could trust for a long drive trip. This Ford has 97,000 miles already. It is a really hard decision to put down another $2000 for a repair.

I know for sure I could sell this car as it is for at least $1500.

I might just have to flip a coin or something.

oldfort · 10-30-2009, 09:57 AM

Lease a car. You would only be financing the difference between purchase price and residual value. Many car companies are offering low interest, and for nicer cars the residual value is very high. I just can't see throwing $2000 on a $1500 car.

Dad II · 10-30-2009, 10:14 AM

OF, we drive more than 20,000 miles a year. Lease is not an option.

Per Kelly' blue book or Edmunds, a similar car in "good" condition worth about $4300. We all know one would have to sell below that price these days. So, if I put in another $2K, I would have a $4000 car to drive for who knows how long. If I sell it for $1500 w/o repairing it, I could take the $3500 as a nice down payment for another car.

Don't know if everyone is aware about this. If one buys a brand new car, the tax of the purchase is tax deductable in 2009.

What if we take out a loan from 401K to get a decent car. Will that effect our FA since in CSS we will have to put down we purchase a new car?

jym626 · 10-30-2009, 05:29 PM

I'm confused. I thought you were planning to either fix the current car or buy another decent used car. A new car, even a low end model, isn't cheap. If you "know for sure" that you can sell your broken down car for at least $1500 (do you have a buyer?) you could take that $$ plus the $2k you estimate for repairs and probably have to put very little more into it to get a good used car. The are a LOT of hungry people, people without jobs, etc who out of necessity have to sell their vehicles. Large supply means low cost. Good deal for you. You can take advantage of some poor person's unfortunate circumstances to get yourself a nice ride.