Icelandic Woman
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Joined: Feb 4, 2011 22:37:53 GMT -5
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Location: Colorado
Favorite Drink: Strawberry Lemonade
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Post by Icelandic Woman on Oct 15, 2015 10:21:53 GMT -5
I have 139,000 miles on my 2001 Nissan Maxima I bought new. I have only had to do maintenance over the years, no major repairs. I am taking it in to do some needed stuff next week for about $700. I really would like a new car but I am not sure I am ready for a car payment after all these years. I am still undecided but I know I could continue to drive this car for many more years.
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tskeeter
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Joined: Mar 20, 2011 19:37:45 GMT -5
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Post by tskeeter on Oct 15, 2015 10:40:00 GMT -5
Have a 2005 Hyundai Tucson
has 135,000 miles......runs good but is coming up for some maintenance-----tune up, a transmission seal needs to be replaced (very slow leak)
try to make it last 200,000 miles or go for new car? If the car isn't a reliability problem, I'd keep driving it. A little bit of money for some scheduled maintenance and minor repairs is a lot cheaper than new car payments, the increased insurance on a new car, and the increased registration fees on a new car. First of all, there is almost nothing to "tune up" on a modern car. About the only thing left of the old fashioned tune up is replacing the spark plugs and spark plug wires (and your car is past the point where most car makers recommend replacing the spark plugs). No condenser, no distributor cap and rotor, no timing adjustment. Depending on how your car is engineered, you might be due for a new timing belt, in addition to spark plugs. Adjusting the valves, etc.? Unless the valve train is noisy, I consider valve adjustments one of the ways dealers pump up their service department charges. The transmission seal? There are cheap seals to replace and there are expensive seals to replace. If replacing the leaking seal is going to be less than about $200, I'd probably fix it. Otherwise, it's a slow leak. As long as it doesn't affect the operation of the transmission, I'd start checking the transmission fluid every week or two, and when I was driving long distances. And every time I checked the fluid, I'd tell myself that I just saved $100. You can buy a whole lot of transmission fluid for the cost of a $1,000 transmission repair. Full disclosure. The tskeeter vehicles are 2007's, with 150K miles on one and 125K miles on the other. Although they are taking more mantenance and repair than your Tucson (manufacturer of our cars is not known for outstanding reliability), I'm hoping to drive them to at least 200K miles.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Oct 15, 2015 10:42:36 GMT -5
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Oct 15, 2015 10:48:55 GMT -5
2006 minivan with 125k. It's a little shopworn and has a little rust on one of the doors (gotta love New England winters), but is otherwise in great shape. No major repairs, yet (crossing body parts). Hoping to make it to 200k but, at the rate I drive, that could be in another 10 years. Not sure I'll be able to continue to be able get parts for it for that long (discontinued model), LOL! Get to know you local auto salvage yard. They are a great source for parts that don't wear out quickly or for parts for older vehicles. And a lot cheaper than new parts. A while back a needed a dust boot for a tie rod in the steering system of a car. They aren't available. The only way to get one is to buy an entire steering rack assembly from the dealer. For $1,500. Unless you go to the salvage yard. And buy the steering rack for $40. For that, you get two dust boots and a bunch of other parts.
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Deleted
Joined: Oct 7, 2024 2:27:13 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 15, 2015 10:59:37 GMT -5
Go for the 200k, I am now at 125k in my 2007 and 200k is my goal.
There is a point of repair costs where 200k isn't worth it but I don't think you are there yet.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Oct 15, 2015 11:02:18 GMT -5
My 99 Civic is leaking oil. The other is a 2004. Both have around 170,000 miles on them, I think. DH's commute has been piling on the miles on the Civic~80 miles/day. Oil pan gasket? Your Civic might be more expensive, but the last one I bought was less than $20. Watch some YouTube videos and maybe do some internet research on how much to tighten the bolts. Buy the gasket from an auto parts store that loans tools, and borrow a torque wrench. Spend an hour on the garage floor and you're golden. And about 10% of the cost to have a shop do the job for you.
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Lizard Queen
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103/2024
Joined: Jan 17, 2011 22:19:13 GMT -5
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Post by Lizard Queen on Oct 15, 2015 11:07:54 GMT -5
My 99 Civic is leaking oil. The other is a 2004. Both have around 170,000 miles on them, I think. DH's commute has been piling on the miles on the Civic~80 miles/day. Oil pan gasket? Your Civic might be more expensive, but the last one I bought was less than $20. Watch some YouTube videos and maybe do some internet research on how much to tighten the bolts. Buy the gasket from an auto parts store that loans tools, and borrow a torque wrench. Spend an hour on the garage floor and you're golden. And about 10% of the cost to have a shop do the job for you. Could be--no idea yet. DH just got an oil change and said that this place said the same thing as the last one. Our regular shop was supposed to look at an issue with the oil pan where the filter connects (is that the gasket?) a couple of years ago (the dealership oil person mentioned it to me) and found nothing. The owner of this particular shop is a friend of my Dh's, but if things aren't blatently obviously broken, they find nothing wrong. Every time something pops up with this car, we tend to think the worst, and I start looking at Craigslist for a new-used car. A cheap fix instead would be awesome.
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Chocolate Lover
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Post by Chocolate Lover on Oct 15, 2015 11:11:20 GMT -5
I say shoot for 300K I'm getting close to that point with mine.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Oct 15, 2015 11:15:12 GMT -5
I have a 2000 Hyundai Tiburon with about 40k miles on it. Yeah, you read that right. The undercarriage is corroded from slush and salt, (always parked outside) but otherwise, it's in pretty good shape. I LOVE that car, and plan to replace it piece by piece. Where am I going to find a used car with that kind of mileage? It will take a loooong time to reach 200,000k. Do you ever leave home? All the time. I take public transit a lot. I never take the car downtown...fighting congestion, construction, traffic, and driving aimlessly looking for a place to park. Le Metro is cheap, fast and easy. I can walk to work.
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wvugurl26
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Post by wvugurl26 on Oct 15, 2015 11:25:53 GMT -5
Metro is certainly easier than me driving into DC most of the time. Cheaper I'm not sure about. The one way rush hour fare for me is $5.90. Multiply that by two and add $5.10 for parking at the station and its not what I call cheap.
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weltschmerz
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Post by weltschmerz on Oct 15, 2015 11:39:25 GMT -5
Metro is certainly easier than me driving into DC most of the time. Cheaper I'm not sure about. The one way rush hour fare for me is $5.90. Multiply that by two and add $5.10 for parking at the station and its not what I call cheap. Ours is $3, and sometimes both ways for $5.50. There is absolutely nowhere to park downtown without paying in a parking lot or feeding the meter every two hours. It really adds up. I park on the street for free near the subway station. Le Metro is actually pretty nice, with art and stained glass and live music by buskers. It's clean, safe and green, running on kinetic energy.
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Cookies Galore
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I don't need no instructions to know how to rock
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Post by Cookies Galore on Oct 15, 2015 12:22:43 GMT -5
All the time. I take public transit a lot. I never take the car downtown...fighting congestion, construction, traffic, and driving aimlessly looking for a place to park. Le Metro is cheap, fast and easy. I can walk to work.
My employee covers the cost of our monthly transit passes, so taking public transit is a no brainer to me! I can walk to a regional rail station, but my preferred (faster) line is 1.4 miles away from home. I drive to it since it's along a busy road with no sidewalks. Free parking at that train station, though the most expensive Septa lot is $3/day. I couldn't live where there this isn't good public transit.
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alabamagal
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Post by alabamagal on Oct 15, 2015 14:50:48 GMT -5
One son has a 2005 Kia Spectra. It was bought when he was in 2nd year of college, and made it through college without any repairs. I gifted it to him when he graduated last December. I spent about $1500 prior to gifting to him (timing belt, new tires, new brakes) plus some money for a dent repair since I didn't think it would be good to drive a car with a dented bumper when you work at the HQ of a car insurance company. In the first month he had to buy a new battery and then spend $500 for emissions work to pass inspection. The car is only worth ~$2k so it looks like we spent more than it was worth. But all the money was maintenance (except the dent) and it has been a good car. DS plans to keep it for 2 more more years. It is now has 150k miles. He does not want a car payment yet and his insurance is under $30 a month. He can also take public transportation to work if needed if the car is in the shop.
I have a 2002 Ford Explorer truck that has 170k miles. Plan is to keep until 200k and that may be 5 more years based on the mileage we put on it now.
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sapphire12
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Post by sapphire12 on Oct 15, 2015 15:04:08 GMT -5
I have a 2004 Toyota Highlander with 208K. My goal is 300K. I very much dislike buying cars.
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