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2013-04-07 9:51 AM

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Subject: How much $'s before getting a new one?

I have a 2002 Nissan Quest mini-van with 151,000 miles on it.  I've had it for 7 years.  During that time the only work I've had done on it is:  new tires, brakes and some exhaust work.  Unfortunately, maintenance is sneaking up on it.  Currently it needs a new windshield and headlight with the shocks, tie rods, A/C and who knows what else sneaking up to be fixed.

In June I move to TX and they require a vehicle safety inspection and I'm sure they are going to find some things that will be required to be addressed before registering the vehicle which will mean money out of pocket.  I'll be commuting about 300 or so miles per week for my job.

My current registration is up in May so I could always renew the registration in my current state and avoid a vehicle inspection altogether.  I'm in the military so TX will allow me to keep my vehicle registered in my current state without violating their statutes.  Do I drive it until something major happens and then look at getting a different vehicle?

Question I have for my fellow BTers...How much would you spend before thanking your lucky stars that you've gotten by for 7 years with only minor repairs?  $500, $1000, $1500, $2000 or more?

Looking forward to and will value all opinions and feedback...



2013-04-07 10:31 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

I'd look at a couple things here.

What NEEDS repaired vs what COULD BE repaired

1)  Headlight - easy

2)  Tie rods and shocks - hard to say, but if its just a shop's recommendation you can probably last a while.

3)  AC can you live w/o it or do you/your family need it being TX - that could be a real cost there.

 

Payment vs no payment?  Do you want to buy a better car?  Are you willing to have a monthly payment.

Money in repairs vs money for another car?  This is your tipping point very often.  In other words, is it worth paying $1500 in repairs in contrast to what could I get on the market for $1500.

For instance, I just recently spent $1400 on my harmonic balancer and AC.  I would have skipped the AC part, but the balancer was tied to it, so it all had to be done.  I have 1998 infiniti with 199k miles.  However, I know my car.  I don't have a payment!  So once in a while, with a used car you'll have to shell out 1K or more from time to time.  But what could I get for $1400 if I didn't do the repair?  Nothing near the quality I have now.

There's a tipping point there.  But I'm not sure you're at it yet.  The keys are how critical tie rods and AC work are.  To me I'd be ok with $1500 if I had it.

Just my opinion.  I'm no mechanic!!

2013-04-07 10:48 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?
I wouldn't sweat the Texas vehicle inspection. It's just a $15 tax IMO. They make sure you liability insurance, rubber on the tires, a horn that honks and wipers that work. Takes less than ten minutes and most of that time is verifying your insurance card is legit. Unless you're going to Dallas or Houston area you most likely won't have to worry about emissions check either. You will want to get the A/C fixed before you get here though! Cool
2013-04-07 11:43 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

Where in Texas are you moving?  Some inspection places are more..  (cough) strict than others..  If you're moving to Dallas, Austin, or San Antonio, I can recommend a place to you privately that you'll pass..

Edit:  Or Houston, too...

Last time I passed through Texas for a bit, I registered the car in Dallas.  Hehe, the guy didn't even drive my car.  Had his own gas cap for the "gas cap" inspection, just asked me if everything worked okay.  Literally 5 minutes in and out....  Main rule is to avoid having it inspected at a mechanic or especially a dealership....  They like to find problems..



Edited by julio26pt2 2013-04-07 11:47 AM
2013-04-07 1:54 PM
in reply to: #4689988

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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?
My truck has 188,000 miles on it. Every time I have a repair, I think this $500 is one car payment. Well worth it. We have no car payments and until my transmission goes out, I'm keeping the car.
2013-04-07 2:23 PM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

It's always cheaper to fix the car you have than it is to buy a new one. 

Will you get your money back on a repair?  That's the $1000 question...

I spent about $700 to get the cooling fans replaced on my car last summer.  I'm glad I had the money for the repair, and I've driven the car another 9 months, so it proved to be a worthwhile investment.  I just replaced the starter this week (another $150), but I'm not ready to buy anything else (new or used) right now.  I'd expect car payments to be $350-500/month (plus the additional cost for insurance). 

What are the implications of driving the older car?  (Mine has twice not started when I needed to drive to the airport, and I had to change flights).  If you have a mechanic where you are that you trust, take the car in and have him write out the things that you'd likely need/want to repair in the next year.



2013-04-08 3:20 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?
If you know you're going to need a new car I would suggest starting to pay yourself car payments now. When it's time to buy a new car you'll have a nice down payment and have adjusted to the outflow (even if you only start with half.). You also can use it for repairs if necessary. I did this and got to go to a three year loan bc of what I had saved. Then I kept paying myself when it was paid off and was able to buy one without a loan. When I'm trying to decide to sell I usually look my car up on Kelly blue book then look at the same car one and two years older to see how much the value will likely change in the next few years. Let's you see how much in repairs makes sense vs a new car.
2013-04-08 7:10 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

Great advice above.

I drive a 1997 Honda Accord with 235K on it...most of the maintenance has been brakes/rotors/tires, etc....all of the stuff that wears out through normal use.  I've also had a couple of "major" repairs over the years (replaced the radiator in '05, and the old girl has a tendency to eat catalytic converters for some reason).  All told I know I've spent WAY WAY less than even a modest car payment.  We paid off our Prius last May and it's awesome not having a car payment.

I do sweat the emissions inspections every two years, but in 2017 I get a historic tag and don't have to pass them anymore!!

2013-04-08 8:31 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

Question: Do you have a back-up plan if you keep the vehicle and something goes wrong?  Being in the Military I'm assuming telecommute for the time it takes to fix it may not be an option.

Is this your families primary vehicle? are there any other needs outside of the commute?

I drive a 13 year old land rover (and will continue to as I love it), I know every couple of years I'll put $500 to $1000 into it with work I'll do or will have someone take care of,  but it's not the families primary car, I just replaced my wife's 2006 minivan with a new one as things were starting to go a little flaky and I'd rather they were never caught out.

It boils down to cost and reliability, find a mechanic that will give you an idea of what will be needed in the next 6 to 12 months, if you can afford to spend that $$$ on work now to keep this car running reliably and you're happy with the car, get the work done. 

Oh, and thank you for your service!!

2013-04-08 9:04 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

I hate cutting my car payment check every month.... It just sucks.  Yeah it was great getting something new, but I'm in a different place now and I no longer need fancy wheels.  Currently I'm looking for an old truck so I can dump my current car.

My only recommendation would be that if you keep it, make sure you take care of the safety items first.  Things like windshield, shocks & struts, tie rods, headlights.

2013-04-08 9:11 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?
McFuzz - 2013-04-07 3:23 PM

It's always cheaper to fix the car you have than it is to buy a new one. 

Will you get your money back on a repair?  That's the $1000 question...

I spent about $700 to get the cooling fans replaced on my car last summer.  I'm glad I had the money for the repair, and I've driven the car another 9 months, so it proved to be a worthwhile investment.  I just replaced the starter this week (another $150), but I'm not ready to buy anything else (new or used) right now.  I'd expect car payments to be $350-500/month (plus the additional cost for insurance). 

What are the implications of driving the older car?  (Mine has twice not started when I needed to drive to the airport, and I had to change flights).  If you have a mechanic where you are that you trust, take the car in and have him write out the things that you'd likely need/want to repair in the next year.

+1

My DD is a 91 Volvo 940 turbo with 190k.  It doesn't get great mileage, but over the last 12 months, I've only had to spend $200 on it:  The harmonic balancer exploded and took out the front of the engine ($150 to repair), then I had to spend $50 on turn signals.  Got to do my 2nd $30 oil change this month though.

A year ago, my DD was an 83 280ZX 2+2 with 250k.  Over the 4 years I daily drove it, I spent $30 on brakes, and $100 on oil.  But I could only take 1 car out of CA, and the bigger Volvo won out lol.

Both of those cars were far cheaper to own than any new car.  And just as fun.



2013-04-08 9:54 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

 

Shocks is just part of owning a higher mileage car, you are lucky they last that long. Tie rods, what leads you to replace them? The rods are cheap and usually easy to replace, then you just have to take it in for a $70 alignment, not too big a deal. The AC is the only high dollar repair I see listed there.

My wife's car is in the same boat, 140k miles gets 250 miles a week put on it just commuting to work so average 300 a week. I had to do shocks, brakes and a basic tune up last year. Did a tranny flush a month or so ago, and it has to go in this weekend for a front end alignment after she slid into a curb.

After 7 years of the same car she wants a new one but it has been nice not having the payment on it for the last 2 years. Also at this point the car is really only worth about $3,500. If we keep it another 2 years it will be worth $2,500 so I am not losing much by keeping it and the repairs haven't been major yet. We are putting the payment from her car onto our other car now to pay it off in 2 years instead of the 5 on the loan and then we will get her a new car that we can pay off in a year or so. 

Worst case scenario is we keep it too long and the tranny blows up or something. But even if that happens next year I have a car that I could have sold for $3k that I now have to scrap for $900-$1k. So worst case I lose $2k, best case I save $6k (her payment was $250) over the next two years and put that toward our other car or her next car. 

2013-04-08 11:47 AM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

the windshield and headlight should be fixed as they are safety related.

Are the tie rods and shocks really bad? Mechanics can sometimes suggest things be done when its really not 100% necessary. If the steering is vibrating or the tires are bouncing down the road then they should be replaced, if the suspension is just soft I wouldnt worry so much.

AC - whats wrong with it? Slow leak: or broken compressor or dryer. If its just a slow leak get one of the cheap AC kits and filler' up! I had a couple of older BMWs and a Porsche that I would top up each spring. Im sure its not "environmentally friendly" but I think that sending a 3000- 4000lbs car to be scraped is much worse.

Also sniff out some deals and try to find a sympathetic mechanic that can understand that you just want to keep the car going for a couple years and it doesnt have to be as if it just rolled off the showroom floor.

My wife drives mostly intown and is nursing a 1997 Camry along. We just put on a full exhaust system (catback) and new tires. I think that worked out to be about $600. I can also do some repairs myself which helps in a HUGE way.

2013-04-08 12:02 PM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?
DaveL - 2013-04-08 11:47 AM

the windshield and headlight should be fixed as they are safety related.

Are the tie rods and shocks really bad? Mechanics can sometimes suggest things be done when its really not 100% necessary. If the steering is vibrating or the tires are bouncing down the road then they should be replaced, if the suspension is just soft I wouldnt worry so much.

AC - whats wrong with it? Slow leak: or broken compressor or dryer. If its just a slow leak get one of the cheap AC kits and filler' up! I had a couple of older BMWs and a Porsche that I would top up each spring. Im sure its not "environmentally friendly" but I think that sending a 3000- 4000lbs car to be scraped is much worse.

Also sniff out some deals and try to find a sympathetic mechanic that can understand that you just want to keep the car going for a couple years and it doesnt have to be as if it just rolled off the showroom floor.

My wife drives mostly intown and is nursing a 1997 Camry along. We just put on a full exhaust system (catback) and new tires. I think that worked out to be about $600. I can also do some repairs myself which helps in a HUGE way.

 

No offense my man, but it sounds like you are suggesting that shocks are not safety related.  And that a "soft" suspension is okay for a vehicle with a higher center of gravity like a minivan.  Shocks and struts are most certainly safety related.  Soft is unsafe.  Worn out shocks can increase stopping distances, cause vehicle instability, and wear other suspension components prematurely.  Thereby costing you more money. 

2013-04-08 12:45 PM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

All I am saying is that there is a progression between new and total shot and yes I do agree that shocks are very much a safety item. SO, if the door handles are scraping when going through corners its time to replace them. Or on a more serious note if they are bottoming out or have excessive rebound its time to replace.

 

http://youtu.be/rZM0RX537ok

2013-04-08 7:01 PM
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Subject: RE: How much $'s before getting a new one?

Thanks for all the advice/insights...this is what I love about BT...

As of now I'm going to keep it, put some $ into where safety issues are a concern and hold on as long as possible.  My assignment in TX is only for a year and after that I'm hoping for overseas so that would be 3-4 years at which time I'll sell the vehicle before leaving the states...

Thanks again...BTW, I'm surprised no one suggested that I sell the vehicle and upgrade my bike and use that for commuting Cool



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