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It's hard to find cars that have less than 16 in wheels and the cost difference is rediculous, there's a conspiracy here, I know it.
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i leased a 2000 focus for 3 years... and spent more than I would like to admit... (Hey - that's when they were cool!).
umm, great advice from everyone. if it were me - I would seriously have to think about how much the car is worth (can't be much at this point). I have a bought 1 year used - Chevy Malibu (2004) - and it's only worth 5k right now. So, i am thinking the ford's days are about over.
We did buy a new Honda Odyssey in August - (too many kids!) =D... and love it, and feel that it will last us a long time! (crosses fingers and toes).
GL, either way!!
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Sorry, I only buy new. We bought one used car once (actually a work van) for $10,000 cash. It lasted us 11 months and had to be repaired constantly.Comment
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Consumer Reports advises that unless the amount of the repairs exceeds 100% of the value of the car you are better off doing the repairs versus buying a new car. They don't say over what period of time but I would assume they mean over a short duration, like 6 months to 1 year. Even a $2000 repair looks cheap next to the $1000s of dollars in depreciation and insurance costs over the first two-three years of owning a new car.Originally posted by Seeker View Post
Let's say you had the option of spending $4000 a year to keep the Focus going, or you could go out and buy a brand new Honda Odyssey minivan. Edmunds.com reports depreciation alone would run about $3000-3400 a year for the first 3 years. Financing costs would add around $1000-$1800 a year. Plus your insurance would be much higher (figure $1000 more a year). All told even if you had to spend the entire $4000 on repairing the old Focus, you would still come out better keeping it until you really need the additional seating.
FYI we have a 15-month-old and did not have to rush right out and buy a minivan yet. I could see maybe when you have more than 1 carseat it could get a little tight, but for now the Subaru wagon is more than big enough.Comment
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Hmm...consideration point, but you the first $800 repair 3/1/2008 was a sunk cost by the time I figured out the rims $400 3/18/2008, then 4/2/2008 can you really look back and say the alternator is going to give out in 1 month? I'm told it just dies like how it does. You can only make the consideration on the repair with the informatoin. Previously made decisions can no longer impact the choices made because of sunk cost. But most people don't get the sunk cost argument.
Maat, hate to tell you but I was looking for rims that matched the original with the alloy. And yes it was hard to find when I called and asked around. If he had bought the stupid regular ford focus there were tons of rims! And if we didn't have 16 inch tires and not all rims went at once. So it was very difficult looking for new rims. I had been calling because one went last summer so I decided to start looking for backups of the 16 inch alloy. You know the difference between alloy and steel?
And I would pay $2k to repair my toyota. I've had nothing done that wasn't maintenance (oil changes, struts, brakes). So if something happened I'd fix it and be happy.
I hadn't heard 1/3 of the car's value. Does that mean if a car is worth $10k and it needs $3k in repairs like struts/shocks, brakes, timing belt, alternator, basically normal wear and tear it should be dumped?
Carseats won't work in the ford focus very well. It's a 2 door hatchback. Basically you have to put it in through the fold down seat and then strap it in. Then go in from the front and put the kid in. We've tested it with some friend's kid we were babysitting. Turns out the Corolla works fine with 4 doors, but we wanted to see how a 2 door would work with a baby seat.Comment
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The rims are the only concerns I have after reading this. The rims being damage seems more of fault of the driver and driving style as I would have a hard time believing the car itself on its own damaged the rim. It would be the same as low riders that some people have and blaming it on the curbs for the damaged on the sides when they know beforehand it was a feature of the car.Originally posted by LivingAlmostLarge View Post
Will this happen again if you bought a newer car that has rims? It seems mootless and I would not count the cost of rim repairs in determination factor of how much repairs you spent on the car for the purpose of buying a newer car. Other problems such as thermostat and engine problems I can see that is real issues.
I cannot advice though because I am generally against all small cars no matter what the brand. They just seem to wear down faster with normal wear and tear and not comfortable with day to day uses.Comment
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Oh Gruntina, it's my DH's driving for sure. Tons of accidents, hits lots of pot holes, I give up! Trust me it's him. NO matter what car we buy it will be the same. The rims are more expensive though because I can't find them at a salvage yard than per se a 1999 toyota corolla or regular 2000 Ford Focus!
I've found the Corolla Amazing with wear and tear. The thing will keep on chugging i'm sure for 20 years.Comment
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Got it! Totally understand. It similar reasoning to my purchase of my vehicle and phone. My vehicle does not have all the fancy buttons as it is simple interface on the dashboard and the rest of the vehicle is simple to where there are less features that can break which is a bonus for me. I also avoided low riders and etc. There was an exception to the driver's seat having electronic seat movement.
I bought my phone that looks the least likely to damage as so many new features seems more prone to the wear and tear as a preventative so I didn't have to deal so much with replacements or repairs so I understand where your coming from.
I am guessing the Toyota corolla wouldn't have hard to replace or easy to damage rims as well.Comment
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