What happens after warrantee—keep or trade in?

[Anonymous]

Do cars generally start to get problems/fall apart after warrantee? I am in year 4, 1 year post warrantee and am starting to see cosmetic issues like peeling interior finish, scratched plastic, etc, and had a sunroof leak. Wanted to keep this car ten years or more but now wondering whether I should ditch it while the used car market is hot. 2017 VW Golf Alltrak with 36K miles. It’s paid off and worth about $10K less than I paid new. Keep or sell/trade in?

[Anonymous]

Depends on the car. I have a 2014 Honda Odyssey with 64k miles and have done nothing but routine maintenance. I did recently replace the battery and tires but that is the be expected. I would venture a guess that most cars being driven are not under warranty.

[Anonymous]

I had a BMW magically turn to crap about a month out of warranty. I've had Subarus and Toyotas that never require more than regular maintenance.

[Anonymous]

I always trade in my Audis when their warranty is up. I've never had a problem with an Audi and will never know if they have problems after 4 years, that's for whoever buys my used cars to find out!

[Anonymous]

VWs are not known for long-term reliability or low maintenance costs. I drove my Camry for 20 years with minimal upkeep.

But you may pay more for a car right now, so make sure you are prepared for that. I sold my car and am taking a wait and see approach. I don’t miss my car but it’s hard to know when the best time to buy is.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:VWs are not known for long-term reliability or low maintenance costs. I drove my Camry for 20 years with minimal upkeep.

But you may pay more for a car right now, so make sure you are prepared for that. I sold my car and am taking a wait and see approach. I don’t miss my car but it’s hard to know when the best time to buy is.

I sometimes forget how many people on this board are not car-dependent. That definitely skews your perspective - those must be the people who say "you don't need to love your car its just a car." They have no idea how many times I'm in an out of my car in a day. 2 roundtrip school drop-offs, after-school activities, trips to the store. Everything is close, but still requires a car. I need to like driving it, and like walking up to it in a parking lot.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VWs are not known for long-term reliability or low maintenance costs. I drove my Camry for 20 years with minimal upkeep.

But you may pay more for a car right now, so make sure you are prepared for that. I sold my car and am taking a wait and see approach. I don’t miss my car but it’s hard to know when the best time to buy is.

I sometimes forget how many people on this board are not car-dependent. That definitely skews your perspective - those must be the people who say "you don't need to love your car its just a car." They have no idea how many times I'm in an out of my car in a day. 2 roundtrip school drop-offs, after-school activities, trips to the store. Everything is close, but still requires a car. I need to like driving it, and like walking up to it in a parking lot.

Same here. I won't buy a car that doesn't make me turn around to admire it after I park it, or that doesn't give me a thrill when I mash the accelerator

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VWs are not known for long-term reliability or low maintenance costs. I drove my Camry for 20 years with minimal upkeep.

But you may pay more for a car right now, so make sure you are prepared for that. I sold my car and am taking a wait and see approach. I don’t miss my car but it’s hard to know when the best time to buy is.

I sometimes forget how many people on this board are not car-dependent. That definitely skews your perspective - those must be the people who say "you don't need to love your car its just a car." They have no idea how many times I'm in an out of my car in a day. 2 roundtrip school drop-offs, after-school activities, trips to the store. Everything is close, but still requires a car. I need to like driving it, and like walking up to it in a parking lot.

Sorry. I worded that badly. When I said "I don't miss my car" I meant "I don't miss that particular car." I definitely am car-dependent, but I'm bumming my husband's car right now until I can get to a place where I don't feel like I'm panic-buying toilet paper during a pandemic.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:VWs are not known for long-term reliability or low maintenance costs. I drove my Camry for 20 years with minimal upkeep.

But you may pay more for a car right now, so make sure you are prepared for that. I sold my car and am taking a wait and see approach. I don’t miss my car but it’s hard to know when the best time to buy is.

I sometimes forget how many people on this board are not car-dependent. That definitely skews your perspective - those must be the people who say "you don't need to love your car its just a car." They have no idea how many times I'm in an out of my car in a day. 2 roundtrip school drop-offs, after-school activities, trips to the store. Everything is close, but still requires a car. I need to like driving it, and like walking up to it in a parking lot.

Sorry. I worded that badly. When I said "I don't miss my car" I meant "I don't miss that particular car." I definitely am car-dependent, but I'm bumming my husband's car right now until I can get to a place where I don't feel like I'm panic-buying toilet paper during a pandemic.

Pp here and I agree with that sentiment. I’m keeping my current car much longer than planned because I refuse to overpay for the new one. The trade in premium does NOT make up the difference.