How do you decide it's time for a new car?

[disneysteve]

We've had lots of threads talking about buying cars, how long we keep our cars, etc. What I haven't seen is a thread about how you decide when your car has reached the end of it's useful life for you and it is time to replace it.

We currently have 2 cars, a 1998 Camry with 96K and a 2000 Sienna with 88K. In the past year or so, both have needed some relatively expensive repairs. I'm not seriously thinking of replacing either one anytime soon, but I'm wondering what criteria you all use. Is there a set amount of money you are willing to spend to repair your car? Or some other line of reasoning you follow?

[tinapbeana]

mine's pretty simple: if it would cost me more to fix the car than i could get selling the car in good condition. for instance, my previous car needed about 2k worth of work. i only paid 2200 cash for it and had definitely gotten my money's worth. there was no way i could sell the car for 2k even if it were in good shape, so i traded it in.

as a side note, i got 1k for the trade in and had already received 1k from my insurance company from a limb that fell on the car.

[mom-from-missouri]

I tend to keep mine till they drop. I have never had a brand new car, but have always gotten "program" or leased cars with 25,000 or less miles on them. I have always gotten Chevys, and always gotten at least 150,000 miles or more out of them. I pay cash and trade my old one in. First trade I needed one for economy as I was commuting to work. 2nd trade was because I had 3 in infant seats and they would not fit in the economy car, so I went to a mini van. Last trade was to trade the mini van for a Suburban, as I needed something that still had 3 rows of seats, but would pull a camper trailer.
For me to trade, the vehicle would have to start failing a lot, and the expense would have to be more than a new vehicle.
I recently had to replace the entire heater/AC system. It cost me around $500. To me, that is not a major expense compared to replacing it and having car payments for several years. I have no car payment. I'd rather pay for a repair once a year or so, than every month.
However, DH used to be a chev mechanic at a dealership, so he keeps an eye on things.
Right now I have a door handle that the cold got to and cracked (plastic). We are looking for a used one for him to replace. Should be under $50. Some may argue I paid almost $500 last month, and now $50 this month its time to replace. But, a door handle can break on a new car as well, so to me I argue the vehicle is still worth it. It runs well, has no rust, perfect body, is dependable and does what I need it to do.

[PRICEPLUS]

My 98 Sienna had 98000 som odd miles and the 00' Camry has 49000 and change. The Sienna had tranny issues but there was a recall and it was replaced free of charge. My Camry has just been maintenance.

I guess you should compare the price of the car to the price of repair. Amortize it over a year and see how that comes out for your budget. The Toyotas are usually very reliable cars and they hold value longer. You should get cloase to 200,000 out of both with decent care.

[sakigt]

The transmission went on my PT Cruiser at 42k miles! $2800 down the toilet but I used non-Chrysler beefed up parts this time. For me, it was cheaper to spend nearly $3k in upgrades than to sell it broken and buy a new car.

[MonkeyMama]

We have only had to get rid of 2 cars because their time was up.

1 - my first toyota - it was almost 20 years old when the engine head cracked and I had been out of college for a few months and had the cash to pay for a newer car. If not it might have been worth it to replace the engine - was $1500 but the car was stellar and I knew it would last quite a while longer. So if it had happened a year or 2 before I probably would have kept it.

2 - My husband bought a really crappy car from the dealer that was nothing but trouble - he paid like $2k or something and after a few years it started having serious smog issues. We didn't even know until someone reported it and we got it fixed, and after a few months it started spewing exhaust like crazy again - finally decided to trash that crap car. Repairs were endless and far more than we paid for the car, didn't expect it to last long or anything. I've taught my hubby a thing or 2 about buying cars since.

Other cars: IT was time to get rid of the convertible when we had kids.

We bought an interim car for $1k until we were ready for a minivan - which we just did last year.

Our 2 cars now - when the repairs start getting crazy then it will be time to consider. It just depends what goes wrong with the cars and when. I would drive them to 200k+ miles if they do well. One if 5 years old with 60k miles and it is a BABY - and the minivan is almost new. I really do not want to buy another car for 10 years...

[Ima saver]

You know I am married to the car guy. Anytime we have a major problem, my husband wants to trade. We have only ever bought one used vehicle. It was a work van and we paid $10,000 for it. It lasted less than 1 year and we had all kinds of problems, so it is back to new vehicles for us.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

I read monkeymama's car buying thread and I know that I'll dump my car the day it needs more than $2k repairs. For that much you can get a decent used car with probably less miles that what I'll have on mine at the time.

The question now is can we keep our cars for a lot longer? a 99 corolla and 00 focus, maybe another 10 years would be awesome. Tough with kids, but maybe we can swing it.

[pearlieq]

My criteria:

1.) I no longer feel safe. If the car regularly strands me or seems to prone to develop failures which directly affect my safety (brakes, etc.) it's time for the car to go!

2.) If the cost of the needed repairs is more than the the cost per year of the next car I plan to buy. For example if I plan to spend 15k on my next car and drive it for 8 years, I would begin questioning replacing my car any time repairs were to cost over $1875. It seems like an isolated repair I still might make it and keep the old car, but if I've got a big repair and know that there are 3 other things coming up behind it, I would start looking for something new.

3.) The car no longer fits your lifestyle. This isn't usually enough criteria on it's own, but it can tip the balance. If you had a convertable and now have 2 kids, have a minivan and the kids are now on their own, or have a big, gas-guzzling full size car and you have along commute--all of those would cause me to seriously think about changing cars.

[Ima saver]

I agee with feeling safe. I do not like to go on a long trip with an old car. I did one time and I worried the entire trip.

[LuxLiving]

Interesting thread as today CashHappy's car is in the shop getting a new alternator and will probably be needing some other things soon. It was his starter car and now he's ready to move along. I find the criteria you guys are posting are right in line w/the advice Hubster and I have been giving him...if it's going to be relatively minor it's much less expensive in the long run to keep it...but with the impending problems on the horizon as well as the current mileage & year of the car, well, maybe as soon as we get her home from the shop she needs to hit the classifieds!

[creditcardfree]

Our '97 minivan with over 110k miles may need to be replaced soon. There is an oil leak in the pan (relatively easy fix) and the transmission seems to be getting sticky (much harder fix). If it isn't too costly...maybe 2K...I'd be willing to repair transmission and keep the van a couple more years. I'm not really interested in having a car payment right now, but we could do it if we had to. I'd be looking for a newer used van in that case for around 10K. So my thought process is 2K vs 10K....the smaller number looks more appealing for now.

Oh, but would I love driving a newer van...

[Aleta]

Go back over the past few years and see how much you have paid in repairs yearly. By that, I mean in actual repairs, Also, look at maintenance costs of replacing a timing belt chain that would not have to be replaced if it had of been a new car. Don't add in normal maintenance that you would have to do on a new car anyway such as oil changes and 15,000 maintenance. Divide your repairs by 12 to see how much you have paid monthly and compare that to a new payment.

[disneysteve]

Originally Posted by Aleta

Also, look at maintenance costs of replacing a timing belt chain that would not have to be replaced if it had of been a new car.

I'm curious why you singled out the timing belt. The van will need a timing belt at it's next scheduled service (90K). If we do it at the agency, it will be $290. I don't think that is an extreme repair cost for something that I knew from day one would have to be done at 90K.

[tinapbeana]

Originally Posted by disneysteve

I'm curious why you singled out the timing belt. The van will need a timing belt at it's next scheduled service (90K). If we do it at the agency, it will be $290. I don't think that is an extreme repair cost for something that I knew from day one would have to be done at 90K.

well, depending on the model of the car you might having a timing belt (not too bad) or a timing chain (which can be a PITA!). typically a timing belt is designed for periodic replacedment, such as your 90k service, but not so with a timing chain. moreover, when a timing 'chain' wears out unexpectedly it will damage if not ruin the cam shaft and some of the valve assembly.

been there. done that. got the 90 mile one way towing bill

[LuxLiving]

Aleta - we did it your way on one of Hubster's old cars about 10 years back. We'd gotten it from his SIL's grandfather's estate for $500.00. In two years time we'd done $500 give or take a dollar or two of repairs or $20.84 a month. MUCH cheaper than a car payment!

We voted to keep ol'Nelly a few more years after that. Egads but the upholstery was a horrid pimp stripe U.G.L.Y. stuff that would not wear out no matter how hard I prayed!

[Broken Arrow]

When I read the title, I thought this was going to be one of those one-liners.

"You know it's time for a new car when"

...

10. "The AAA tow guy refuses to tow it anywhere else but the junkyard."

9. "My redneck in-law asks if they could keep it as a lawn ornament."

8. "The mechanic cancels the rest of his afternoon appointments."

7. "The scrapyard manager hands you his card and a coupon."

6. "You decide the tow hitch might be more useful on the front than on the back."

5. "The state inspector dusts off their radiocarbon dating device."

4. "The only thing that's still working is the fuzzy dice."

3. "The Smithsonian rep is on line 2."

2. "Your grandfather complains that, when he was young, he had to drive uphill, both ways... in that car!"

1. "Two words: Amish carriage!"

[PrincessPerky]

when you run out of room to buckle up the kids.....

[Aleta]

To Steve: I mentioned a timing belt because I just replaced one on my car which only has over 35,000 miles. The car will be 8 years old in April. It wasn't because of miles but because of wear . I do all the maintenance that my car needs which I know helps with the car breaking down less often. By the way, my civic's timing belt cost me $306. with tax and I don't consider that cheap. Sometimes repairs cost that much, but I would rather pay for a timing chain or belt than for one to break on you. I have had cars in the past where I have had major repairs.

[tgavin71]

At 200,000 kms.