How much do you spend on car maintenance and repair?

[Shaabenanizer]

I’m trying to hold on to my 16 years old car as long as possible and I’m wondering how much to spend on repair to make keeping an old car fiscally feasible.

There’s basic maintenance of oil change which I do twice a year at total $110. I’m looking at replacing the catalytic converter which will be about $1,675. The shock absorber will need to be replaced if I want the car to stop rattling and that’s $900. I figure maybe do the catalytic converter this year and see if I can hold out on the shock absorber to next year. The tires will eventually need to be replaced too.

[greenskeeper]

I'll assume it will fail emissions testing without a new cat?

[cypher1]

I'm curious to know the model and mileage of your car. For 1600+ on just the catalytic converter alone, you could just buy another beater car with that amount. Don't get me wrong, I have 3 Hondas (Civic, CRV, Prelude) all with 180k+ for mileage, and each 10+ years old running great. But for the money, those shocks, tires, and cat all add up for the age vs cost of ownership. I'd be more concerned about timing belt job, transmission going out, or a random failure of components, besides the typical wear and tear of an older vehicle. Now if you work on your own car and can save on labor that's a whole other story.

[breathemusic]

What's the Kelly Blue Book value on the car? At 16 years old I find it hard to believe that it can be worth more than all of the money that it sounds like you're going to have to sink into it over the next year or so. Personally, I'd look into selling it. If you had a friend or knew someone who would do repairs for you for the cost of parts plus a small fee, it might be fine to keep, but at the cost of shop repair? I say sell.

[snafu]

Are you driving a Honda or Toyota? 1st I'd check the owner's manual as which parts will need replacement along with Edmunds Lemon Aid to see what you can expect to fail. Are parts available from wreckers?

Is there a technical school with mechanic training courses in your community? I'd sign up for summer semester for fall semester now! High schools also have limited programs but you would need to research which services they can do under supervision.

[YLTL_Dan]

We've been pretty fortunate this year with our two cars as we've had no major repair bills. However, last year we paid over $4k for a new air conditioner and some major back end work. Still better than a car payment....

I did some previous research on this, and according the BLS, the average car owner spends around $4,500 per year on a car. Maintenance and repairs average around $815/year. You can read my full article here.

[disneysteve]

I’m trying to hold on to my 16 years old car as long as possible and I’m wondering how much to spend on repair to make keeping an old car fiscally feasible.

We currently have a 14-year-old and 12-year-old car so I know exactly how you feel. I don't mind spending $1,000 if I know that buys me another year but I don't want to spend $1,000 today and have to spend another $500 in 2 months and another $300 a month after that and so on.

Several years ago, I got to the point where, before having any work done, I asked if it was actually necessary. Was it safety-sensitive? Would not fixing it cause any other parts to fail prematurely? If the answer was no, I let it go. I don't care if something is unattractive. I don't care if something rattles. I don't care if a lightbulb is out as long as none of those things affect driving the car safely. I've saved several thousand dollars that way between the two cars. But I absolutely fix things that are critical to proper and safe operation or are needed to pass inspection.

[maat55]

I question your repair costs, but if they are accurate, sell it. Better yet, burn it.

[seen]

I do all my own auto work with the exception of components that require the car to be on a lift or require special tools, so I usually save a bundle on that. I've had my current car almost 4 years now, and during that time I've changed/fixed:

-fuel door cable
-wheel housing + alignment (ran over a bag of cement on the highway)
-brakes
-spark plugs
-muffler
-A/C condenser + refridgerant (rock punched a hole through the grill on the freeway)
-timing belt
-water pump
-thermostat
-coolant, transmission fluid, and brake fluid
-oil changes every 2 months (I have a long commute)
-all 4 tires

In total, I've spent maybe around $1500 for repairs/maintenance. Maybe a bit more, I had to have the shop diagnose what was wrong with the AC when it stopped working.

I don't care if something is unattractive. I don't care if something rattles. I don't care if a lightbulb is out as long as none of those things affect driving the car safely. I've saved several thousand dollars that way between the two cars. But I absolutely fix things that are critical to proper and safe operation or are needed to pass inspection.

How about A/C?

[JustBill]

I'm a road warrior type that logs 60-70k miles per year, but honestly beyond the routine maintenance items, I've been fortunate enough to spend very little on what I consider repairs. Struts on all four corners are one of the worst maintenance items and I do those about every 150k miles for a total of $800. So I suppose your $900 estimate for a shock absorber is actually for four. Cars that only have struts on the front, with shock absorbers on the rear, should only run $600 max to do all four corners. I avoid makes with timing belts because of the maintenance due +/- 90k miles and the $500 - $1000 repetitive cost over the lifetime of the auto.

I often ask myself when it's time to layout $800 for tires or something, how much state sales tax and transfer fees would cost on say a $20k car purchase instead, and what value do I get from forking over that $1500? Then I evaluate the hassle factor of buying a replacement vehicle, and pretty soon I'm at the tire store getting new treads, or whatever.

[disneysteve]

How about A/C?

That would be a necessity in my book. We live in NJ. When it is 99 degrees and 100% humidity, you better have working AC if you plan to reach your destination alive.

[Shaabenanizer]

greenskeeper, that's my assumption too. For now I'm researching if my CC can be fixed (if there is such a thing) or should be entirely replaced.

cypher1, my car is a Geo Prizm with 160,000 miles. Last year I didn't have to sink any money other than oil change but I knew these come in 3's and this year appear to be the year for that.

YLTL_Dan, thank you! The article was enlightening.

disneysteve, you're right about safety first and looks last. I've driven with the rattling for over 3 years and don't even notice it until I have passengers, so maybe I'll bypass on the shock absorbers, speaking of which...

JustBill, thank you for the lesson on shock absorbers, I see I need to further educate myself about those.

Seen and disneysteve, I once drove from Indiana to New Jersey in a '79 Regal Buick with NO working A/C in August. I showed up to my aunt's house in NJ covered in hives triggered by heat stress, she thought I had been attacked by a swarm of bees.

[seen]

That would be a necessity in my book. We live in NJ. When it is 99 degrees and 100% humidity, you better have working AC if you plan to reach your destination alive.

Seen and disneysteve, I once drove from Indiana to New Jersey in a '79 Regal Buick with NO working A/C in August. I showed up to my aunt's house in NJ covered in hives triggered by heat stress, she thought I had been attacked by a swarm of bees.

I agree, and I live in NJ also. Last year my AC compressor finally died (my fault) and with the complications that arose I basically either need to replace all components of the AC system (condenser again, compressor, dryer, evaporator) or buy a new car. I'd do it myself, but now that I know how fragile the AC system is, I'm a bit paranoid. At the same time, I refuse to have the shop do it because they want to charge me $2k and I was planning on upgrading soon anyway while keeping my current car as a backup.

Bottom line, I'm about to go through hell if I can't find a 2nd "summer" car soon.

[DebtFree&Broke]

We have a 97 truck and a 94 car. We have budgeted $2000/year for repairs and registration. My car needs a repair done, but if it is more than $200 we aren't doing it. We are sick of spending money on it, so we will just sale it and continue saving my my "new" car.

[Shaabenanizer]

DebtFree&Broke, is that $2000 per vehicle or $2,000 total to cover both car and truck?