Paying more for repairs then car is worth

[Anonymous]

Get rid of the car.Buy a midsize Japanese car (if you want safety).
I'm amazed that people still by American cars, specially brands like Chrysler, Dodge and Pontiac.

[Anonymous]

We do a different calculation. We stop doing repairs and pouring money into a car when we're spending more than it would cost to buy a new one. So if I can finance a new car for $350/month, I would ditch the junker and buy the new one when my repairs (or expected repairs) exceeded about $4k for the year.

I think this makes more sense than thinking about what the car itself is worth on the blue book value. Even routine maintenance could exceed the value of a really old car, but if it drives well enough that's no reason to replace it.

[Anonymous]

"I am about to teach myself how to reseal the valve covers on the MB. The gaskets themselves are about $20 each, but the mechanic wants $800 for parts plus labor! Ridiculous!"

We have gotten a couple of older cars this way from friends/customers who don't want to pay to fix them, it wasn't worth it to them and they couldn't do complicated work themselves. In some vehicles, to fix the valve cover gasket, you have to take apart the engine or major parts to get to it. that's why it's so $$$$

signed -wife of a mechanic of many years, who has spent hours and hours/several days' worth of work for some of our old car projects, replaced engines, etc.

[Anonymous]

I think at some point you pull the plug and get a new used car.

I'm currently driving an Acura with 98,000 miles on it that I bought new in 2003. I love my car. Most years it costs me about $1,000-$1,500 in repairs and maintenance. Last year I had a really bad year and it cost me $4,000. (which included 4 new tires because i kept running over construction nails/screws.) My AC also went out and they quoted me $1,800 for the fix, so I'm currently without AC. Thing is, nothing has broken on my car in almost a year, so I'm thinking about fixing the AC and continuing to drive it. Most mechanics and car-minded friends tell me I could easily drive my car for another 5-10 years if I keep it maintained. I love not having a car payment.

[Anonymous]

Sure, everyone KNOWS that Japanese everything is much better than American anything...Mostly vehicles and electronics since Japanese people have better brains, etc.

Hondas and Toyotas are much better than General Mothers and Fords.

Don't believe me?
Next time you are on the road, look at the cars that pass you by. The majority of them will be Honda, Toyota and Nissan....

Remember though, Toyota had those issues a few years back with their accelerators getting stuck with their floor mats??

[Anonymous]

*motors not Mothers.

[Anonymous]

Thanks to those who provided valuable input. Still going back and forth, definitely helped though!

[Anonymous]

Totally agree with those who say that some repairs are doable by someone who is halfway handy.

I fit into that category and own a 2004 Infiniti G35x that is great but recently the power seat on the driver's side stopped working properly in terms of going forward and back. Through researching it on the net, I found out that a small plastic gear costing $30 needed replacing.

The dealer wanted $1200 to fix it. It took me about one hour to remove the old gear and put in the new one and I am not particularly good when it comes to such things.

I got all of the "how to" instructions on the net including diagnosing the problem.

[Anonymous]

A used lexus or acura is good for kids.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I bought my daughter's first car a 2001 pontiac with 98,000 miles on it for $2,200. This was two years ago. Since then I have spent over 2200 replacing the engine,spark plugs, a/c issues,etc. Now her headlights,dash board light won't turn on this will be 500+ to fix as quoted by our mechanic. Also the horn doesn't work this will be 200 to even get in there and see the problem,also she need new tires. The car now has 117,000 miles on it and the mechanic keeps saying its a good car just old yaddah, yaddah. Im sick of pouring money into this car. Should I just go to the dealer , trade it in and get a 2 year old car? Or stick with it?

sounds like a blown fuse to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP for some of these responses...Some of these people sound like morons.

I am in the same boat. Well kind of.

I have a 1999 Mercury Cougar V-6. Beautiful car, inside + out. 99,000 miles. Paid $3,000 for it in '10 and this past three mos., have spent about $1,800 on it alone in mechanical issues. I.e., replacing 0 2 sensors, oil pan, power steering pump/hoses, etc.

It has been a money pit and people are telling me to get rid of it and buy Japanese.
Yet the mechanic tells me it is still valuable because it doesn't even have 100,000 miles on it yet, and most people keep their cars at least until 150-175,000 miles now a days. He says it has a lot of life in it.

I really don't want to take out a 5 yr. car loan, but I also wonder if all the repair costs are worth more than my car is even worth.

So confusing.

These are normal issues you are having.

Hopefully any car experts can weigh in here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sorry OP for some of these responses...Some of these people sound like morons.

I am in the same boat. Well kind of.

I have a 1999 Mercury Cougar V-6. Beautiful car, inside + out. 99,000 miles. Paid $3,000 for it in '10 and this past three mos., have spent about $1,800 on it alone in mechanical issues. I.e., replacing 0 2 sensors, oil pan, power steering pump/hoses, etc.

It has been a money pit and people are telling me to get rid of it and buy Japanese.
Yet the mechanic tells me it is still valuable because it doesn't even have 100,000 miles on it yet, and most people keep their cars at least until 150-175,000 miles now a days. He says it has a lot of life in it.

I really don't want to take out a 5 yr. car loan, but I also wonder if all the repair costs are worth more than my car is even worth.

So confusing.

Hopefully any car experts can weigh in here.

Your mechanic wants to keep his job. Of course he encourages you to keep it!

My DH was a mechanic, so he kept our old cars running until we could afford something more reliable. My 16 yr old car had less than 90k miles on it. That unreliable GM is gone!

[Anonymous]

PP, but my car is not a GM.

It is a Mercury which is a subsidiary of Ford.

Ford is not Honda or Toyota, but it's not half bad.

So I think it still has another fifty grand miles or so left in her.

[Anonymous]

Fords are great. They go for a very long time with little maintenance issues. GMs on the other hand...

OP, did you check your fuses?

This could be a very cheap, 5 minute DIY repair.