I have a car it is a year 2000, it's been great until now. It needs about 2,000 dollars in work and seems that after we do this work is will just keep needing more work ( although not all at once) OR
shoud I just look for a new (used) car with maybe a warrenty. I have no debt now and we have always paid our debt off. If I get a new (used) car I could spend around 10,000. I not sure what would be better to spend money all at once, or keep nickel and diming our present car????
Thanks

That is a tough call....

My 1995 model car has finally about kicked the bucket on me.. but with that being said the repairs have been minimal - engine fan 2X ,Water pump, rear brake booster and mass air flow sensor - Total of around $1,000 over 11+ years. This does not include routine things such as brakes, oil changes, battery, tires, etc. The odometer locked up about 3 years ago after a wreck at 137,000 miles even - does not effect the speedometer - just does not turn more miles. Not worth fixing because I know I'm going to drive the car until it is ready to go to the junkyard. But with that being said - if it had broken down constantly I would have moved into a newer car. The inconveince of being without a car comes at a price in my thinking.

We are a 3 car family (or maybe were if it is more than the battery on the old car) - DH and I each have an older vehicle for everyday - to and from work, running errands, etc. and then one newer one for travel, weekeneds, etc. The newer vehicle is a 2001 model that is within a 6 months of being paid off. We'll probably look in a year or so for a new 'new' vehicle for the family while I drive the 2001 model to death.

$2000 is alot for a repair. Depends on what the car value is. If the repair is 1/3 of what the car value is I would get rid of it..Check to see what the repair history is for the year and make.If ithe repair history is poor it may be the time to get rid of it.

Our second car is a 92 Honda. The car is 15 years and in the last 4 years I have some major repairs done on it( max $550) It does need a paint job but I'm have been posting it. The funnest thing I have had happen to me.. I have been asked by the base gate gaurd twice if we want to sell it. We tell him No it's a good little car and want to keep it.

I have notice when the used car dealers have a used Honda's they jack up the price on them, regardless how old they are. There was a 87 Honda we was interested in getting DD and the guy wanted 2,900 my 92 is only worth 2200 in good condition

Ou first car was a monta carlo and it was a real lemon we traded the car in for a Nissan Pulsar and after the 5 year warranty was up it started to give us nothing but trouble. Since then we have been nothng but a Honda Family.

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Angels may not come when you call them, but they'll always be there when you need them.

I drive my cars until they are almost dead! I will pay for repairs as long as I trust it. My 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee I had for 10 years with 104K miles. I paid for repairs until it died on me at a left turn signal and both my girls were with me. A stranger had to push me out of the intersection. It had started giving me trouble and that was the last straw, I didn't trust it anymore. It was gone shortly after that.

I have a 2000 Acura TL. I bought it used in 2003 and love it. I plan to have her indefinately...until I don't trust her anymore!

When they start breaking down on me and stranding me, they're outta here. My DH travels for work and I just don't want to worry about being stranded or the car not start, especially when he's not home.

Lisa

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"It's not having what you want,
It's wanting what you've got"

We have an 01 expedition that we owe more than it's worth. I will drive it until it dies. It is a tough call. If you don't trust your car and keep dumping money into it I think it may be time to get another.

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Too many people spend money they haven't earned to buy things they don't want, to impress people they don't like. - Will Rogers

We run them til they die too, or at least won't pass inspection!

I have a 1996 Mitsubishi that will be around forever, although some days it's testy.

DH has a 2002 GMC Denali that I made him buy because it was a steal and the other truck we had was having engine/electrical problems.

DH also has a Saturn that I think is about a 2001 that he only uses to drive to work. We had the EXACT same car and it wouldn't pass inspection anymore, it needed more work than it was worth, so we parked it. What we did was find the same car and bought it cheap, but also kept the junk car to take parts off for the newer, better shape car. Hope that made sence! SO we have two 2001 Saturns one running and one not, but if something breaks, we have backup parts. Just a thought if you have a good car and you don't want payments.


A car is the BIGGEST waist of money around, you pay and pay and what do you have in the end? Nothing to show for it! And a cheap car sits right next to an expensive one in the junkyard and at that point they are both equal in value.

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"A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked." ~ Bernard Meltzer

For us it kind of depends on how much we paid and how long we've had it. For instance, we have a 95 Escort that we financed in 96 and paid a lot of interest on. That car is still going and we will keep running it until it dies (probably not too far into the future.) We had to put a new engine in it about 100,000 miles ago but we stilled owed too much on it at that point to not fix it. Since then we have purchased a minivan and a mid sized sedan, both with cash. We don't feel the pressure to run them for as long because we don't have near the $$$ in those. I will say though that I think we would choose to keep running one over financing another. We've just found that if you haggle a bit and really look a lot there are some great deals out there on decent cars that are several years old and you can really save some money if you just buy them out right. Good luck!

We are a drive it until its dead kinda family. We just don't have the money to get a new car. We have a 2000 Kia that is on its last leg. I use it to pick up the kids from school (its 14 miles round trip). We pass 3 friends homes and our church on the way so if it dies I am in walking distance from help. We also have a 2003 Ellantra that DH drives to work. We are hoping to pay off the Ellantra before the Kia dies then get a bigger car.

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TLJ ~ Where opinions are encouraged, not deleted

You laugh at me because I am different,
I laugh at you because you are all the same.

Your mind is like a parachute, it only works when it is open.

I am driving a 1994 Villager mini van......and will continue to drive it until it won't drive anymore. I love the size and interior of it. Have had very little trouble with it. Even if I have to spend $500 e very 7 or 8 months on it (which I only do occassionally--not as a general rule) I stop and think that new cars cost about that much a month on a note. I love my van..even though it is not a "cool" car.....but, if both of my kids want to take a friend with them when we go somewhere, with my DH, me and my two with a friend each, my 7 passenger old van comes in mghty handy!! If it starts dieing on me and strands me anywhere, then it is time to look at a newer car. However, a year or two old would be preferrably to a brand new car....much cheaper and still carrying a warranty.

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"Well-Behaved Women SELDOM make history."Laurel Thatcher Ulrich


"Yesterday is but a vision, and tomorrow is only a dream. But today well lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a dream of hope." Anonymous

"Your candle does not lose it's light by lighting another candle" Generosity

Have the courage to be yourself.

I just got a new car in November. My prior car was a 1990 Ford Taurus. My new car is a 2005 Ford Taurus.

Our decision to get a newer car came when my car decided not to start at least one time a week. Little things would go wrong. Like the dome light would not turn off on its own. I ended up taking the fuse out to turn off the light. Permanently. And I just could not trust the car to be reliable. The last time I tried to drive out of town on the highway the car started lurching when I reached 60mph. SCARY! Especially with my son in the car. So I had not driven it out of town for over a year!

Living where we live, where there is a very real threat of a tsunami (I live on the coast) DH and I decided that I really need a reliable car.

We now have 2 car payments, but my car will last a long time, and is now reliable. I can drive out of town again, and I don't worry about it not starting.

If you cannot trust the car to run, or if repairs are more than the value of the car, it is time to get a new one. www.kbb.com will give you the current blue book value of your car. I ended up selling my old car for $300 ($50 less than my asking price). The blue book value was $700, for the car in fair condition. I know there had to be mechanical problems with it. Obviously, if it had a habit of not starting.

I agree with many who say it depends on the car, its condition and value. My DH gets the new car shakes when he has a rental on business trips or on vacations. I just ask him " do you want to pay $500 this month to fix it, or $500 a month for the next 5 years? Most of the time the car gets fixed. We are a 5 car family, having 3 grown (nearly) children at home with us.