Should I keep my vehicle until the wheels fall off or start looking for something else?

[houstan-dan]

Originally Posted by Caleb Longstreet

Go Toyota next time and we won't be having this discussion at the same point in the life of that car...I'm thinking....

99 Camry....215,000 miles and she just keeps going and going and going......

In January I bought a '99 Toyota Camry with 88k miles. It's had one owner for the last 13 years and in excellent condition. As much as I love nice cars, I'd gladly keep this Camry the next 10 years to keep my "nice" vehicles in good condition and less wear and tear.

I mostly bought it for my girlfriend, because I have a 2013 F250, but anymore we drive the Camry to work and on longer trips, just to save the wear and tear on my truck. Not to mention, I appreciate the truck 1000x more not driving it every day

[lenny2412]

Ok so I took the car in yesterday to get new brake pads put on it and the mechanic told me that I need new struts. I will also need two new tires....that is at least $700. The window on the passenger side doesn't roll down, which has been an issue for awhile now, and that is another $300 if I get that fixed. That is $1000 right there and that doesn't take into account the deteriorating paint job (which I wouldn't put money into either way) or the check engine/check service lights which are always on (I've been told it's a light issue, not mechanical issue). The newer cars have better safety features. If I worked closer to home, I would definitely keep it but with a 50 mile commute and most of it on expressway, I'm concerned about something failing when I'm driving 70 mph. Now I'm leaning toward getting something else (or moving closer to work).

[Rynldsbr]

Originally Posted by lenny2412

... new brake pads put on it and the mechanic told me that I need new struts. I will also need two new tires....that is at least $700. The window on the passenger side doesn't roll down, which has been an issue for awhile now, and that is another $300 if I get that fixed. That is $1000 right there ...

Per my earlier post - now you are at a point where it will cost as much as the car is worth to fix it. Start looking at replacement cars while you put a price on the window of yours. Price it a little higher than you really need to get out of it and first person that shows up with cash in hand gets it with a little room for negotiating. Don't sell it to a friend.

You decide if the price of new is worth it right now with incentives that are available. You can usually get a little nicer car for the money if you go with a ~2 year old used with less than 50k on it. The biggest hit for depreciation has already been taken by the first owner and you can get a good deal on a nice car.

My "new" commuter car I bought this spring is a '12 Fusion SEL I bought with 43k in Chicago for $10,900 with leather, bluetooth, and heated seats. It was a former rental, as was my Mitsu that went to about 260k before crapping on the way to pick up the Fusion (literally on the way to trade it, blew the oil pump).