It is going to cost me $1800 to fix my car. The car is not

[malta blue]

even work $1800.

Do I fix it or try to suck up a car payment? I have no real "disposable" income, a car payment would have to be a new budget of serious cutbacks....

[lutefisk]

1. It would depend on a number of factors, but I vote for "suck it up"

depends on-

-how much you drive and what you need a car for

-what mpg the current car gets

-where the $1800 would come from (loan?) and if you can afford around $200/month for a new car

I'm a proponent of getting a brand new high mpg car. That can be done for $10,000- $12,000. How about a base model Yaris?

[malta blue]

5. I do a large amount of highway driving.

75-100 miles daily to and from work plus Little MB stuff.

I need an AWD drive vehicle so the Yaris won't work for me, unfortunately.....

Current mpg is 20-25.

[IndianaJones]

2. whats wrong?nt

[malta blue]

4. you name it....

The axle boot is torn so it needs a new axle.

Exhaust system needs new center pipe and new muffler.

News new spark plugs, filters, etc.

Oh - and the ABS is screwed up too - this proce does not include fixing that - I am not sure what that is going to cost....

[IndianaJones]

10. I buy only used cars, usually in the 80k mile range.

Then I drive them until they have 200k+. Typically I will spend between $2000 and $4000. No car payment, low insurance and a perfectly dependable car. I put 25k a year on a vehicle, so new is out of the question.

[malta blue]

12. Even the used cars I am looking at are not that

inexpensive.

This car was bought used in Jan of 2002 and I have put 150k on it since I got it, so I drive them pretty hard.

[IndianaJones]

16. 6-10 year old vehicle with less than 100k. I avoid the premium on Honda and Toyota.

Reliable domestic sedans are plentiful and I've put 300k on a couple.

[malta blue]

18. Aha - I found a 1999 Subaru Forester

I am fond of Subary for the AWD feature.

The 1999 Forester has 58k miles on it and is selling for less than 9,000.

I could probaby handle a small loan like that, and my Subaru has 176k on it right now, so I figure I can put that kind of mileage on this one too.

[IndianaJones]

26. Subarus are really good, but watch..

for the ones with the 2.5L. Head gasket issues. Ask if the head gasket was replaced. Even with the repair done, some claim the car never runs quite right again. The 2.2L are bullet proof. I am looking at those as well for this go around.

[malta blue]

27. Thanks for the tip.

I truly love my Subaru and I love the way it handles in the crappy upstate NY winters.

[Ghost in the Machine]

30. I bought a '97 Jeep Grand Cherokee for $4,000 two years ago..

It has the V-8, heavy duty towing package, full time 4 wheel drive, power seats, power windows, power sunroof, and all leather interior. I average 24 mpg on the highway, doing 75mph, with the AC on...

I wouldn't trade it for the world...

[raccoon]

3. Is the car reliable?

I spend a lot of bucks on my last car getting it fixed over and over again. I thought it was cheaper than getting another car.

My car had become unreliable. THings were breaking down that you couldn't predict--I mean, weird things going wrong such as a harmonic balancer burning out.

After it broke down on me several times, I finally got the message the universe was trying to send me and traded cars.

[malta blue]

7. I think I am destined to trade it in.....

It already has 176k miles on it.....

[Book Lover]

6. Get rid of this one and buy a used vehicle

Never, ever put more money into a car than it is worth - you are throwing good money after bad (well, not exactly, but what I mean is that it is wasteful). Good luck.

[malta blue]

8. That is how I feel about it too.

I am just nervous about the economy and getting into another car loan.

[Book Lover]

22. Check your local Craigslist and AutoTrader

You can find good cars for ~$1,000. I am a car nut and I've never bought one new. Good luck!

on edit: Ah, sorry - I see you've already looked. And it looks like you live around Albany? Yeah, the used fleet isn't that large up there, plus winter does play hell with a car... I wish I had better advice...

[malta blue]

25. Thanks....

it sure it difficult to find an inexpensive used car around here.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

9. Are you emotionally attached to it?

If you are emotionally attached to it, it is definetly worth it.

If not, it might still be worth it if the repair is something that would likely not crop up again.

[malta blue]

13. I love my car, but I am not attached to it per se.

I just feel like I am going to spend this money and then something else is going to go wrong - especially with the kind of mileage I put on it.

[Shine]

11. I'm sorry, that sucks.

If the car isn't even worth the money it would cost to fix it, you are between a rock and a hard place. :hug:

Debt: It's the American way. :patriot:

Get a decent used car and hopefully your payments won't be too bad.

[malta blue]

14. I am looking at used cars, but the place where I

usually get my cars (I bought two of the three I have ever owned there) doesn't really have lower priced used cars. Most of them are still pretty new - gently used shall we say...

This really stinks

Thanks for the hug Shine :hug: It makes me feel better :pals:

[yellowcanine]

15. Check out the impound sales. Take a mechanic with you. $1800

can go a long way at an impound auction. But you have to be careful. Even if you have to pay the mechanic for his time you should come out ahead. And no car payment (unless you have to borrow the $1800). And you might find dope under a seat or something.

[malta blue]

17. ...

:spray:

dope under the seat? Now THAT would be a bonus feature.... :rofl:

[Midlodemocrat]

19. Carmax? Or the Auctions?

A friend of mine swears by the Auctions. Every car she's ever purchased has come from there.

[malta blue]

20. Never thought of that....

This is the third car I have ever owned and at 39, I think that is pretty impressive. The second one was a Honda that I got rid of before it even hit 30k miles on it since I hated it so much.


I will check into the auctions and Carmax.

Thanks :hug:

[yellowcanine]

24. Carmax will not save you any money. You can do just as well at a regular dealer.

Checking out internet deals is a better bet.

[SoCalDem]

21. Depends.. if the $1800 gives you another 2 year's worth of that car

it works out to $75 a month for 24 months..and time to maybe start looking for a replacement you can afford or to save up for a decent used car you could pay cash for..

The alternative is 5-7 years of $300+ payments and higher insurance..

[malta blue]

23. I don't think it will give me that long.

My gut tells me that at 176k, she does not owe me much anymore and she has served me quite well for the past 6 years.

[SoCalDem]

28. That's a tough call.. It might be time to look for a decent used one..

Have you tried Carmax.com.. We swear by them ..

[malta blue]

29. I checked them out although I and the nearest

car is in Hartford CT (about 100 miles away)

[Elidor]

31. Every five or six years, I buy a beat-up old pickup for $1,000 or less

Then I drive it till the wheels fall off.

If I only knew how to put the wheels back on, I'd be set.

[PeaceNikki]

32. This just happened to me in December. Except it was $3k

Last May - dumped about $1300 in for all that misc crap... and then in December the transmission blew. It was a mere 700 miles past warranty. I opted to trade it in. I just know if I'd fixed it, some other major thing would have broken in 6 months. I need a reliable vehicle and I need a warranty. Having a payment blows... but at least I know I have a reliable car.

Good luck!

[Carrieyazel]

33. Time to ditch it. You got it to go past 170K, and the repair is worth more than the car

I'm driving a 10-year-old Chrysler Cirrus with 90K on it, but its worth between $2000-$3000 private party. If you had my car, I would tell you to fix it.