<p>I’d like to get some advice on when it’s time to stop repairs on my car. It makes me cringe to write that - I love my car. I’ve only had three cars in my 30 years of driving, so I don’t have a lot of experience in moving on :-).</p>
<p>My car is a 1995 Toyota Corolla wagon. I’m very fond of it, and besides we don’t have the funds saved up for a new car anyway - either new new or new used. But it has definitely been getting more expensive lately to keep this car running. Yesterday the radiator cracked while I was out doing errands, and with one thing and another, the total for the afternoon was over $1200. Earlier this year I bought new tires and replaced the front wheel bearings and rear brakes. The mechanic says I should also replace the timing belt, drive belt, and water pump, for another $700. Yikes! This is turning out to be a very expensive year.</p>
<p>The car has 213,000 miles on it now. I would like to make it to 300,000 miles, and two mechanics I’ve talked to think this is reasonable - though they must know this would give them steady business, so they’re not exactly disinterested parties. So, what to do? For the first 8 years we owned this car, we didn’t have to do much besides oil changes. Then 5 years ago I had to spend a couple thousand dollars on a bunch of small things all at once. Since then, we had to spend $400 one year and about $1000 in every other year, until this year’s big bills.</p>
<p>How do you decide it’s time to try a different used car instead of the one you already have?</p>
<p>If you look at it economically you’re still paying less maintaining your old car than a new car would cost you. In addition, your old car probably isn’t depreciating much any more - it’s already near bottom but a new car will depreciate considerably in the first few years. </p>
<p>The down side is that your car is probably a little less reliable than a newer one which could cause some inconvenience. It also might not have some bells and whistles of some new cars. </p>
<p>But, your car is much newer than my 1966 Mustang which I drive every day. I keep it because I like it. It helps a little to know that it appreciates in value every year and is fun to drive. It’s also cheap and easy to work on and is quite reliable even though it has hundreds of thousands of miles on it.</p>
<p>So, as long as you’re still economically ahead (you just need to do the math) and like it, there’s no reason to move on unless you want to or something more catastrophic happens to the car (engine needs replacement, etc. but even that can be managed).</p>
<p>I think UCLA dad is right about comparing costs, new car ads show leases for $200-$300 a month, if you are averaging less than $240-3600 annually you are money ahead not counting insurance and registration savings (depending on your state)</p>
<p>If you are considering another used car, it would be a similar comparison, what would the new one cost plus potential repairs vs repairing the old one. Seems like you might have just paid out the big repair bill to get you through another year or so- if it is reliable enough for you</p>
<p>Agree with what the others have said. A new car will also cost you more to insure and in property taxebelt s than the “clunker” you’re driving now.</p>
<p>Re: the timing belt: not sure, but check specs online or with your mechanic and ask if that model has an “interference” engine. If the belt breaks on one of these you’ve basically ruined the engine; if it’s not, then it’s less of an issue… it may be annoying, but not an engine failure.</p>
<p>On vehicles with interference engines it is highly advisable to stay within the manufacturer’s recommendations for inspection and replacement. There is some leeway, but it should not be ignored for too long.</p>
<p>Again, not sure of the toyota engine exact layout, but the mechanic COULD/SHOULD have seen the belt condition and checked it while changing the water pump. If is was drastically worn, not he should have called and advised you then, and given you the option to replace it while the work was in progress, rather than charge you twice for effectively the same repair. Most Japanese designs have many overlapping repair processes for replacing the water pump and timing belt; repair sequences involved to replace either part involve exactly the same steps to do both or either. Maybe they are trying to soak you a bit.</p>
<p>Take it to your mechanic and ask them to evaluate it the same way you’d evaluate any used car (you may have to pay for the checkover). Look at the price to “buy” that used car. Then see if you can buy a better car for the same money.</p>
<p>Thanks to all of you - this is helpful. I’ve been looking at Craigslist for used car prices and I don’t think we could buy anything with less than 100k miles on it, which would probably mean starting the same repair cycle I’ve already been doing. I hadn’t thought about the insurance costs being more, but that’s another factor.</p>
<p>ek4 - I am very impressed that you do your own car maintenance. My husband built his bicycle (including wheels), but I’m sort of anti-mechanical and I don’t think we would manage car repairs well, especially if we tried to do them together. I think you’re right that our repairs are costing a lot and I’ve found recommendations for a couple of new mechanics to check out.</p>
<p>violadad, I will find out about the interference engine issue. I would rather wait a few months on the timing belt but I don’t want to risk a catastrophic failure. The recommended replacement schedule is every 60k miles, and it’s been 75k. The water pump actually hasn’t been done yet - the guy who did the emergency radiator replacement suggested that the water pump, timing belt, and drive belts be done soon.</p>
<p>Thanks again. dmd, I think your idea is a good one and I’ll try it.</p>
<p>We’ve been in the same quandary as you. My husband’s car is a '92 Accord. I have no idea how many miles are on it, I think it’s about 200,000. We purchased it new. My car is a '99 CRV with just over 100,000 miles. We purchased it used in 2003.</p>
<p>We used to (naively) think that once our son graduated high school (this past spring) we’d have some extra money and be able to buy my husband a new or used car. Yes, that was before we really looked into colleges for our son and saw how expensive it is…LOL</p>
<p>So, now the plan is to try and get through the next 4 years before buying a car. My husband’s car has had probably $3,000 or so worth of repairs the last 2 years. Each time something goes wrong (the total seems to be around $600 every time) he gets that wistful look in his eyes…thinking of a new car. He wants to get a Prius something fierce (which is better option than the 2 seater red sportscar he lusted after when he was in his early 40’s). Anyhow, I have to keep reminding him that we are car payment free AND our insurance for these cars is insanely low. Even with the repairs it’s still much cheaper to drive these cars than to get new ones.</p>
<p>Gosh, I’m rambling. Anyhow, to answer your question. I think we’d bite the bullet and buy another car before the next 4 years are over if we were having repair after repair after repair (usually they’re about 6 or so months apart) or if we got socked with a major ($1,500 or more) repair bill. Then the debate will start over new vs used. I am a firm believer in buying used due to the depreciation over the first few years. my husband wants a NEW new car when we do replace.</p>
<p>I agree with violadad on the timing belt. On an inerference type engine you don’t want it to break or it could cause major damage with a piston hitting a valve (a dumb design IMO). However, even on non-interfence type engines you should follow the maintenance schedule fairly closely on it so you don’t get stranded. </p>
<p>Unless there’s a problem with your water pump right now I wouldn’t change it. Wait until you have the timing belt replaced to do the water pump. They generally have to remove the water pump to get at the timing belt so that’s the ideal time to just replace the water pump - there’s almost no extra labor and the component cost shouldn’t be that bad. Ditto with the drive belts - replace them when the timing belt will be replaced. Usually you’d have the thermostat replaced at this time as well.</p>
<p>SeniorMom, it sounds like you and I have identical discussions (and wistful husbands) at our houses :-). My husband does get to drive a Prius (2004), but it already has a lot of miles on it because of his commute, and now that the novelty has worn off he’s longing for a plug-in hybrid. But I just can’t see buying new cars anymore. We have a college freshman and a high school sophomore, and I’m hoping my car will last for 7 years. (I’m an optimist, I know.)</p>
<p>I checked on the interference engine question, and it’s not. So I might get stranded, but at least the engine won’t be destroyed if the timing belt goes. There is a real deadline coming up - kid #2 is talking about getting his driver’s permit, and at that point my car has to be in good enough shape for me to feel comfortable letting him driving it. Teenagers in our house do not drive the Prius :-).</p>
<p>My car is a 1975. H has been its only mechanic, even though he is not a mechanic by trade. It’s a really good car. He has painted it once and is in the process of overhauling the body for a second time. So far we haven’t had to rebuild the engine or the clutch, but I really think this car will never die. Keep the car, if you can, 1995 isn’t that old…</p>
<p>My sister donated a 1990 Honda Accord that had 280,000 miles to my daugther so she could learn to drive. She drove it to school and it has been pretty reliable for 2 years. This year we gave away the car away and bought a new car for me and she took my old car. I think you should keep this car if there is someone in your family who is a handyman. If not the cost more to maintain is not worth it. My vote is to buy a new car.</p>
<p>New cars are not that expensive. The down market have driven down the prices and they have sale-a-thons all the time. I suggest you check it out.</p>
<p>Nowadays they are begging for your business. </p>
<p>Next the repairs you had with your reliable car have been very normal for cars of this mileage. If you sell you car now before more repairs and diminishing returns you still got some value for it and use it as deposit for new car. The question to ask is really not just money you may or may not saved but all the time and effort in getting your car fixed for this and that. Getting someone to take you home, picking it up and hoping the bills is not too large and doing it again and again, not to mention how secure you feel if you travel any distance ?</p>
<p>My dad always had a method he used (he drove his cars for a minimum of 10 years and 100k miles back in the day when that was a lot of miles for a car to last). He’d compare the repair cost to the number of car payments he’d have to make on a new car loan. For example, a $1200 repair was about 4 car payments. He’d take into account upcoming expected repairs ("the brakes are getting old, and the struts are wearing…) and when it got to where the repair costs were going to equal or surpass 9 months or so of car payments, he’d give up and buy a new car. Because at the end of 3 or 4 years of car payments, he could expect several years of relatively low repair costs with a newer car, whereas the older car would continue to need costly repairs.</p>
<p>I recently convinced DH to get rid of a “perfectly good” (his terms) SUV and get a newer one. The existing Explorer was 12 years old with 120k miles. It generally ran fine, but every year the A/C died and I just didn’t trust it for long trips. Plus it was beginning to get little odds and ends that were breaking (rear windshield wiper worked intermittantly, turn signal made a buzzing noise, etc). I knew that despite gas prices, DH liked having a truck so he could haul things, drive up mountains in ski season, etc. I read that car dealers had drastically slashed prices on SUV’s, especially used ones. So we went to a dealer that specialized in single-owner cars - he bought cars from the manufacturers that were coming off of leases, did any necessary repairs/clean-up and re-sold them. He had a ton of Honda Pilots, 3 years old, in great condition, and Honda had just knocked $5k off the price. We got a 3 year old Honda Pilot with 40k miles in great condition for $5k BELOW the Kelly Blue Book price, and about half the price of a brand new one. We took it to our mechanic to look over, he told us it was in great shape and we got a good deal. I sold the existing Explorer on Craig’s List in 24 hours for $1750, I had been told I would get “a couple hundred dollars at most” if I traded it in. </p>
<p>This is the 3rd car we’ve bought that had just come off of a lease, and it’s worked out well for us every time.</p>
<p>This is all really helpful. Thanks. I needed help thinking through the financial part as well as the mechanical part - it’s just not straightforward to me what the financial comparison should be.</p>
<p>A new/used car with 40k miles on it sounds great. In my Craigslist browsing, I’ve only been looking at cars sold by private owners because I thought used cars from dealers would always have inflated prices. It sounds like I should look at dealer ads too when we’re ready to get a different car.</p>
<p>Since I’ve just spent a lot of money on this car, I think I won’t make any near-term changes. But before I do any more repairs, I’m going to get a complete check-up and estimate of everything it needs so I can make a better-informed decision about what to do.</p>
<p>If you’re buying a used car consider the length of the original factory warranty so you can ideally still have a year or more left on the warranty. That way you have some protection against catastrophic engine/trans failures. You can look for ‘factory certified’ used cars that extend the warranty but they charge you more for them. Purchases from private owners are ‘as-is’. Given that, I’ve never had a problem with a used car from either a dealer or private.</p>
<p>We usually give up when it spends more time in the shop than on the road because it is nearly always cheaper to repair than to buy even a used new-to-us car. I will cheer when we can put our current van in the junkyard - as long as I have money for another one first <lol></lol></p>
