Deciding when to get a new car

Re: Deciding when to get a new car

• julieanne912 member

  

  May 2016

  als1982 said:

  als1982 said:

  What you're talking about - tires and brakes - is standard maintenance. I personally wouldn't take on a car payment just to avoid expenses like that. Now if you need a new transmission, or something along those lines, then maybe.

  
  

  I drive a 2001 Honda Accord with 210,000 miles and love it.  I will never go back to having a car payment again unless I absolutely have to. IMO it seems silly to trade a one time bill for one only slightly smaller but that you're tied to for YEARS.

  
  

  
  

  
  Welp, I totally jinxed myself with this comment. My car died on the way home from work Monday night. Check engine light, burning smell and the works. Took it in to be looked at the next day and the cost to repair totaled about half the car's value. We trying to hold off on getting new cars until after our last student loan is gone, but we decided the increasing unreliability of the car wasn't worth the expense. So, I bought a 2012 Jetta with 35,000 miles for $11,000. This sets us back a bit, but we still hope to have the student loans and this new to us car paid off my year end!

  Congrats on the new ride!  Sounds like a very reasonable purchase.

  
  

  I thought of this thread too last weekend.  I took my car in to the dealer for an oil change and they do a full inspection.  They told me that my battery was on it's last legs, so I went ahead and had them put in a new battery since it really sucks to be stranded somewhere with a dead battery (been there, done that).  Just annoying to keep throwing money at this car even for maintenance items (last time it was brakes) because I don't plan on keeping this car more than another year or so.  

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• short+sassy member

  

  May 2016

  als1982 said:

  als1982 said:

  What you're talking about - tires and brakes - is standard maintenance. I personally wouldn't take on a car payment just to avoid expenses like that. Now if you need a new transmission, or something along those lines, then maybe.

  
  

  I drive a 2001 Honda Accord with 210,000 miles and love it.  I will never go back to having a car payment again unless I absolutely have to. IMO it seems silly to trade a one time bill for one only slightly smaller but that you're tied to for YEARS.

  
  

  
  

  
  Welp, I totally jinxed myself with this comment. My car died on the way home from work Monday night. Check engine light, burning smell and the works. Took it in to be looked at the next day and the cost to repair totaled about half the car's value. We trying to hold off on getting new cars until after our last student loan is gone, but we decided the increasing unreliability of the car wasn't worth the expense. So, I bought a 2012 Jetta with 35,000 miles for $11,000. This sets us back a bit, but we still hope to have the student loans and this new to us car paid off my year end!

  Oh no!  Sorry to hear that.  But it sounds like you at least got a good deal on a fairly new, low mileage car that had a low enough price you will be able to pay it off within a year.  That's pretty awesome!
  

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