Car Talk

When I hit the A/C Button, my RPMs jump up, and the level back down. It blows air, just not cooled air. I did suspect/hope it was just the clutch, but I could be wrong.

I'm taking it somewhere else for another quote/opinion.

That's the trick, isn't it?

I will say that I bought it brand new, and every single one of those miles was mine! It's been across the country a few times, and I'm thinking that if it is really a $2k+ job, it might be worth it for me and my peace of mind - to just purchase a new or <40,000 mile used car. 

I can certainly afford car payments if I need to. I'm just worried that this is the tipping point of my current car becoming a money pit.

It does.

I actually work at a refrigeration company, so we've been talking about it.

If the compressor is seized, it's sort of a gamble to just replace that... smart thing would be to replace the whole system.

Dearest Elaine,

I am the guy who has been putting a new compressor into a Mini Cooper every two years for the last 10 years, so I have absolutely no basis on which to express an opinion. Nevertheless, since this is an internet forum here is my advice:

Aa an engineer, you should probably know  that the objective of any car's longevity is to make it to 238,900 miles which is the distance to the moon.  If you make it that far, then obviously you have to make it back so you should try to make this car last for 477,800 miles. This is contingent on knowing every component and replacing that component at its life expectancy less 30 minutes and then polishing that component posting pictures on Facebook of its impending failure.  When you have  replaced every single component on the car, you should declare it a new car and give it a new name and its own Facebook page.  Google earth should place a permanent circle spike on your address to notify the world that you have designed and implemented the perpetual car. You should have a kickstarter fundraiser to see how many complete changeovers can be accomplished in a millennium.  You should have a path of succession established for at least 10,000 years.  This is the car that will live forever.

Or meh, youjcould just buy a new one.  New cars smell nice.

TW

Tucson, Arizona

My wife's first brand new car was a Mazda Protege (which I believe is the predecessor to the Mazda 3).  She put a couple hundred thousand miles on it with no major repairs.  When the AC finally broke, she was itching for a newer and different type of vehicle, so we traded it in on a Chevy Tahoe (which she and I drove until it had almost 200k). 

If you like your car, there is no reason not to fix the AC and keep on driving it. 

Ohhh.. hadn't thought of that. Thanks!!

Also, accessing the expansion valve involves removing my dashboard :/

Update!

Quote from another place was $1400. Still pricey, because it's really labor-intensive.

The vast majority of the "keep it" crowd seems to be people with access to more than one vehicle (they own two, they have a spouse with one...). I'd love to keep it, but repairs become a huge PITA when it has to go to the shop. 

I'm leaning towards spending some time sweating my butt off (actually it only hits 90 in the 10 day forecast once!) and shopping around for cars. I was looking at the list of common wear and tear items that are still working in my car, and I'm worried I'm at the mileage that it starts becoming one right after the other.

I got a dealership to offer me $5000 for a trade-in, which isn't bad at all. 

I'm headed out of town for 2 weeks, so I'll have time to think it over before I make the fix it or sell it decision.

Originally posted by djastroman

Originally posted by ratherbeswimming

Originally posted by djastroman Where do you live? And do you really need A/C? That'd be my first question. Since I live in south texas, the answer is a resounding YES. But if I lived back in Meechigan I might get away with no A/C until I buy a new car.

Tucson, Arizona

OK you might need A/C then

I've been half-jokingly saying that I'll drive it up to Alaska and sell it... then I'll get to visit Alaska, too!

As someone in a similar situation, this really resonates with me. I've had my car in the shop a few times in the last few months and not having a 2nd car in the house, or a spouse or child to help out makes things really hard - and something a lot of people don't think about. Lucky for me I only live 2 miles from work, so I walked to and from a few days (and walked to the grocery store once), and had a parent help me out on the other days - but it was a huge, HUGE pain.

For me, I couldn't do 90 degrees with no A/C 

So... I'm thinking...

VW Golf TDI. 

Originally posted by mdg2003 I thought that's what you would do!! Fixing and keeping it or replacing it both make sense in your situation. You're kind of in the middle where neither decision is wrong financially, IMO. That VW TDI is a good choice if you plan to keep it for a long time. Id look at certified pre owned vehicles and also brand new ones. You should be able to find a CPO with less than 25K miles for a lot less than a brand new one. Of course since you seem to keep vehicles for the long haul, a new one makes sense too. Plus you can't beat that new car smell!!! Have fun looking.

Leaning towards new, just because the price difference between new & one with 20k miles is actually pretty low. And I'll probably buy it, drive the crap out of it for 8 years, and trade it in before it dies on me - much like I'm doing now

ETA: and the only 2 I've found within 200 miles of me already have 60k+ miles...

Yeah, unfortunately, I'm one of the "keep it" crowd. We just went through this with the 150,000 mile minivan that I now drive, except it was heat, not air. But we car pool most days and it truly is a second vehicle for us. That said, I think In your case I'd go the new route. Since you rely on this as your primary transportation (and it can get HOT where you are), a newer auto sounds like a good bet.

And, from what I hear, new cars smell nice too.

1.  As a fellow Tucsonan- Elaine NEEDS A/C

2.  If you still love the car, then invest in it.  It will nearly always be cheaper to fix the car you have.  But, cars have come a long way in the last 8 years.  

I'd rather $300/mo that I know about... than $300 every other month, that I don't know about.  We rely on our vehicles so much in this society.  Adds way too much stress to our lives to always be spending our time fixing them.  time for a new vehicle if you can afford it.