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My '02 GM SUV had the rear end blow out. $2400 to repair, 190K on the odometer. I figured I'd gotten my money's worth out of it. I hate buying off the lot and so ordered a new MB M-class and was told it would take 65 days to deliver. It took 5 months and I hoped the GM would hold out without another major breakdown. The MB came in, the GM is still running and so I use it as my daily commuter until it dies. 210K on it now.
My wife's Honda started dying, and I was spending several hundred some months on repairs. Ordered her a new vehicle.
I found that if I order a car, then it's *exactly* what I want and I'm less likely to get tired of it and want something new. So I run mine into the ground and buy a new one when I need it rather than when I want it. Being in the position of "I need a new car this weekend" tends to limit your options.
I've owned over 60 cars in my lifetime. I may buy another shortly. I've traded them in with less than 5,000 miles. I just get tired of cars after a while and always looking for something more interesting. There are a lot of people like me and most of the nice used cars on new car lots are the same. Most don't wait until the warranty expires or need repairs. I haven't paid for any repairs in 30 years. I haven't found any used cars that I have been truly satisfied so I just buy new. Not for everyone.
A car is going to cost you XX number of dollars a month to own, whether it is an old car or a new one. My Sons and I have two different philosophies on owning a car.......they buy new ones and have payments, I drive cars I own free and clear, but that I have to occasionally put money into for repairs. Not sure who is the smarter one here, but it mainly boils down to what a car means to you and how you use it.
I just purchased a 2013 Cadillac CTS-V sedan back in March.
My wife has a 1976 BMW 2002Tii as her daily driver.
My daily driver is not my CTS-V however, it's a well maintained 2003 Volkswagen Passat with 181,000 miles.
My point is I kept both my old car while purchasing a new one.
I own a 1990 hiace van with almost 600,000 on the clock and i haven't had any major trouble so far. I change the 20w-50 oil & filter twice to three times a year. And top up the radiatior and the reservoir when ever needed.
The only component that I have replaced is the starter motor.
Never understood you people with practically new cars having trouble LMAO.. Get real
Might be a bit outside the parameters of your question, but some lease for just that reason.
Last I looked at leases, they weren't a particularly "good" deal, all things considered, unless one can quantify the cost of peace-of-mind. It breaks down, you call someone, it's just taken care of. I'm not selling the concept, but it is a viable option for certain people.
Having little patience and decent means, not to mention a short commute, I may try that one of these years m'self.
Last couple cars, the commuters, answer has been "when I'm tired of looking at them in the driveway and there is still reasonable resale value."
Prior, for my 175K mile BMW 325i, answer was: when I knew it needed 125% the car's value in general repairs to be fully-functional, not counting that just about every one of them needed engine work at about 225K miles. I sold it to a woman who promptly took it out to the SCCA racetrack. Heard she did well, too.
For my 80K mile BMW 540i Sport, an E39, when I realized I'd made a moderate mistake buying one used and dealing with hundreds per month in stupid little repairs once it crossed about 65K miles. That is not uncommon, for BMW and Audi vehicles of only marginal quality (Edmunds and Consumer Reports long-term results might provide insight). Further, I was driving more car than my income could support at the time. Which is why I have thus far resisted buying a Ferrari: such fare are *expected* to break down in expensive and exotic ways. Often.
Lastly, way back when, when my inherited '81 Mercury hadn't run much for about a year, at over 100K miles, and I called the Jewish Relief Something-or-Other and had them drive it off. I wrote off the book value on my taxes, legally. That was a more cost-effective option than leaving it running with the window open in a bad part of town at midnight. Barely.
We have 2 cars with over 145000 miles on them. They both run like tops, and we are very happy with them. We think about maybe getting a new one before they start needing expensive repairs, but just can't seem to pull the trigger.
Nah, wait until 250,000 to start to worry.
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