How do you finally decide it is time to trade in the old car?

[Bazzwell]

I'll add in that you're in the "zone" for the bigger repairs. From the 90k mark to about the 150k mark is when things like struts and timing belts are no longer a suggestion but a real issue that are pains to deal with on your own and expensive to farm out. Leaks start to crop up in the strangest places, switches stop working, windows refuse to go up or down, fuel issues and so on. Lots of things not listed under regular upkeep.

For those like me that enjoy doing their own work the miles aren't a problem and trade-in is a time I haven't seen in at least 25 years. I've seen them go out on a flatbed but never off to a dealer.

For the average person that can't/won't do their own work or are tired of spending untold hours/dollars waiting for a mechanic to do it then that mileage range is most certainly a time to consider a trade-in.

[SpeedyAZ]

Originally Posted by superseiyan

Do you buy brand new and trade up?

Or do you buy relatively new (up to 4 years old) and then trade up for something relatively new every couple of years?

If one's upside down on a used @100K miles should it be rolled into a new or paid off (25K miles later, and a year or two older) and then sold for cash?

I buy new and trade up to new, I really don't care to buy a used car. When it's new at least I have the peace of mind of a warranty and knowing that I'm not inheriting someone else's nightmare.

It just really depends on your financial situation but I figure it's financially worthwhile to me to trade up every 3 years into a new vehicle.

[Chango]

Originally Posted by The Outcast

The old Ford now has about 115,000 miles which would not be much for a Toyota or Honda but a lot for a 2002 Ford. The good news it is paid off and still runing, the bad news it is worth maybe $2000.

I can't decide if I want to trade it in for not. On one hand it is nice to have no $250 a month car payment. But on the other hand, I have been spending about $1200 a year in repair costs during the last few years. Just when I think everything is fixed, something new breaks down. But maybe now that so many things have been fixed and replaced (tires, batterys, belts, etc, etc, etc, maybe nothing more will break in the next year and I will save money by not having any car payments, pay less personal property tax and insurance. But I have to assume that there will be another $1200 or so of new repairs in 2011 on. Who knows!

With this in mind how do you finally decide it is time to get a new or newish car?

I decide with raw emotion, how much room is in the bank account and a lifelong insatiable lust for new car smell.