$10,000 to throw at a car problem--which would you choose

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We recently moved from the city to a more suburban/rural setting. We are now putting at least 1,000 miles per month on our 11 year old Jeep with 123,000 miles. It is slowly becoming a bit of a money pit. It's our only car and is paid off. DH will need to commute to the office 2-4 times sometime in the near future. We have about $10,000 cash to throw at the problem. WWYD?

1.) Keep jeep, buy $10,000 beater for DH
2.) Turn jeep into DH's beater, use $10,000 as a DP for new family car
3.) Trade in Jeep, Use $10,000 as a DP for new family car, wait and see what happens with DH's return to office plan and finance a used car for him

Consider getting used Hyundai Azera, these cars are super reliable (check the reviews), falls in the near lux category and because its not a popular car, it has depreciated more than other cars, so it super value if get 5-7 yr old Azera with 60-80k miles. It was made in Korea primarily for the Korean market, some were sold here, its reliability is on par with similar year model Toyotas.

[Anonymous]

Keep it and buy second car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Keep it and buy second car.

+1. DH drives the new, reliable, fuel-efficient car on his commutes and long drives. Use Jeep for the everyday errands and short drives.

[Anonymous]

2

[Anonymous]

Suburbs/rural areas do have public transportation options. Look into what's available in your area. Right now vehicles are super expensive, so you might want to wait for prices to come down, and keep saving money while you wait.

[Anonymous]

If you have kids plan on getting one per adult driver. You will find yourself needing to be in two car-necessary places at once with work, kid activities, etc. just because you have two,cars doesn’t mean you have to use them all the time, and I’m betting that 2-4 times a month will continue to grow over time.

[Anonymous]

Now that you explained DH is commuting only 2-4 days a month, #2.

Then you have one car that is in great shape and still under warranty. If the Jeep becomes unreliable, you could probably have him commute using the new car for a bit even (since so few days a month). If you go this route, you could also plan on setting aside slightly more in savings for the next few years to buy a more reliable secondary car.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Get a Prius or Corolla hybrid. Ditch the Jeep - sell it private party you’ll get a better price.

If you’re living in a rural area, make sure you will have someone to service a hybrid before you go that route.

Even in rural areas, there are Toyota dealers and they sevice their entire line of vehicles.

Depends how rural. I raised this because its an issue where my family lives. It is hard to find techs who want to train to work on these vehicles.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Would have never bought Jeep in first place. It takes gas, higher insurance and endless repairs. Sell it, get a good Japanese.

Lol, I guess 11 years and still going is now considered "junk"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Suburbs/rural areas do have public transportation options. Look into what's available in your area. Right now vehicles are super expensive, so you might want to wait for prices to come down, and keep saving money while you wait.

+1 Any possiblity to drive DH to bus/train for his commute or have him carpool?