We've never gone to our dealership for repairs. We have a person we trust who works in an independent garage. Our basic Japanese cars are 20 and 15 years old and so far repairs have not been major. We wouldn't mind changing them, but we don't want to buy cars with a whole bunch of fragile electronics in them. We know those tend to be finicky.

I figure that a new car is going to cost me at least $600/month in payments (probably more), so I count anything under $2k as the equivalent of a couple of months payments, and try not to get too upset about it. For example, I just put 1400 into a 17 year old Toyota - a new tire, rear brakes, new battery, plus a couple other things….one of which have been an oversell, but oh well. Most of these are basic car ownership costs that come up every couple of years regardless of the age of the car.

But once it gets to several $2k repairs close together (or a $5k+ repair) and/or I suspect a major issue coming up (transmission, electrical, etc), then I start seriously thinking about a new car rather than putting the money in.

I never go to the dealer. I have a local chain that close to my house that maybe sometimes oversells a bit (they did the last repair) but are generally ok, and an independent garage close to my work that I trust implicitly - they have high labor costs, but have always been honest with me.

You take your car to a dealer? A dealer quoted me 2100 for repairs, I ended up spending 200 at an independent shop. No wonder you are spending so much

I stopped going to the dealer after the warranty expired.

Curious what were the repairs?

Thats reasonable!

In my experience, most repairs suggested by the dealer are optional and way overpriced. Of course they make you believe these repairs are urgent. I think most people who keep their cars past 10 years/ 100k miles either find an honest independent mechanic or do the work themselves. What kind of repairs have you done so far?

PP. At 10 years, most people are not using the dealer. Also, I got 15 years and 110K miles out of a Subaru. And close to 200K on a Toyota compact. I think your car has some life in it.

I buy less expensive cars.

I've calculated that any car costs me about $2,500 in new vehicle price plus repairs and services a year.

Problem zones for me are when a car could have a "walk home" problem: engine, transmission, major electrical problems. Any of these at a certain point, the car becomes too risky to fix.

You can estimate how much a new car will cost you. I would say your car might be worth another 5 years. Unless it has critical problem like those above.

Repairs are expensive in the DMV. And a lot of places over-recommend work. That's typical of the industry.

As someone who, years ago, had a monthly car payment, I appreciate being free from that financial burden. In 2018, I paid cash for a 2015 Acura TLX, and it has been a great car for me. I currently have 150,000 miles on it and would love to drive it for another 150,000. However, in the last three years or so, I have found myself spending about $2,000 annually on repairs. Just this past Saturday, I paid $450 on repairs, and I had to return today for another unexpected $125 repair.

While the car remains reliable, today's visit made me question whether it's time to start considering a newer vehicle, possibly within the next year.

After investing so much in repairs for your older car, at what point did you decide to buy a new or newer one? I take my car to the dealer. Since it's older, should I consider switching to a regular auto repair shop to save money? At what point did you stop going to the dealership for repairs?