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when the expenses to repair get too high
when i don't feel safe driving it due to frequent breakdowns
when the family size grew and we needed a bigger vehicle
i always only ever buy new vehicles. I take really good care of them and they last 10-12 years, and instead of selling by owner, i go through the dealer for when i buy my next new vehicle and i buy at the time of year when i can best negotiate the price way down with my trade in.
this works for me. other times i had to get rid of car was when it was totaled in a wreck; when it broke down right before a move to a new job and i had to have a vehicle right away
There is no single hard and fast rule, but some indications might be:
1. You need repairs costing more than it would be worth afterward
2. Your annual repair costs are more then the annual depreciation on a newer car
3. You avoid using the car on trips or for other particular purposes due to risk of breaking down
4. It spends so much time in the shop that you may as well just walk or take the bus
ETA: Also if it simply doesn't fit your needs any more, due to changing family size, hobbies, etc.
I agree. I had the first gen of 242 (1975) and it was the most undependable care I have ever owned. It left me stranded many times including dangerous freeways. Parts were expensive, fuel injection was finicky. Back in those days, no cell phones but I could have had AAA on speed dial. Granted, it was made well and roomy but it swore me off of Euro cars. I am glad you seem to be happy with your Volvos. I would not buy one again.
Air conditioning just seems like a stupid thing to get rid of a car over. I was close to buying an 04 Volvo xc70, but I had panic attacks about getting rid of a car I feel can last a while over something like AC considering it's not like I have children or anything yet.
If you lived on the gulf coast you would think differently about a/c. I got rid of my last car because it needed a few things fixed that was going to be expensive and labor intensive. I was ready to buy a new car so I did. My old car wasn't worth much and it wasn't worth fixing to me.
A/C can be very expensive. And most shops don't know how to diagnose and will either just start changing out parts or change out the whole system and charge you an arm/leg for it. And I personally wouldn't have a daily driver without A/C
A/C is important enough to me that I invested the time and money buying equipment (gauges,vacuum pumps, N2 bottles, etc) to service AC systems and even got the license to buy R-12 (one of my cars is older and has an R-12 system) so that I could acquire refrigerant for it. If the A/C on a car I own takes a dump, and I can't fix it, I'd get rid of the car.
Quote:
Originally Posted by IShootNikon
A/C can be very expensive. And most shops don't know how to diagnose and will either just start changing out parts or change out the whole system and charge you an arm/leg for it. And I personally wouldn't have a daily driver without A/C
That's what I've found out myself. Most shops don't really service AC systems properly, or just throw parts at it. AC work in general is not cheap.
I have been grappling with a decision to get a new(er) car for a while, but would still prefer to buy the best thing I could with cash (less than my limit so I can have cash left over for repairs). I am 30 and have never paid more than $1K for a car. I have never owned newer than a 1999 and have only one non-Volvo. (a 1999 ford escort in 2008.) I've had a 91 Volvo 760, 86 Volvo 240 sedan, 90 Volvo 240 sedan, and my current car.
I have a 1993 Volvo 240 station wagon. The odometer stopped at 199K, but my guess is that it is probably between 300-325K. In the past three years, I have replaced the radiator, the alternator, the timing belt, the water pump, my transmission lines, had the intake manifold gasket and had two other oil leaks fixed.
The only real issues is every now and again, I will have the battery light come on very faint (but I replaced the alternator myself a few weeks ago) and I have never been able to get my air conditioning condensation line to go to the right place. It goes inside of the car when I make right/left hand turns. The air conditioner is also not very robust and is still pretty hot.
Air conditioning just seems like a stupid thing to get rid of a car over. I was close to buying an 04 Volvo xc70, but I had panic attacks about getting rid of a car I feel can last a while over something like AC considering it's not like I have children or anything yet.
Which led me to thinking, when do people know it's the right time to get a new-to-them car?
I still have not made the decision yet either. I have the same choice to make. I like Volvo but some say they are not as reliable as the Japanese cars like Honda and are expensive to fix. What is your opinion on them? Is it hard to find parts or a mechanic who works on Volvos? How do they compare to Honda?
Air conditioning just seems like a stupid thing to get rid of a car over.
It's currently anticipated to be a high of 91 degrees outside here today. By August, it will regularly be over 100 almost every day. I assure you, working A/C is vitally important.
Just lease a new car and then you don't have to worry about when its time to trade in.
Worst advice ever. Leasing = Fleecing. Why on earth would you rent a car?
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