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WWAND re: car
I just got my car back yesterday. It was towed in over a week ago after I broke down on the interstate (480 in rush hour, sucked). Well, turns out 2005 Volvo XC90's have a design flaw combined with a GM transmission = transmission failure. My extended warranty ended 3/1, but Volvo agreed to extend and cover it. Good thing, otherwise, I would have paid $7500 to get it fixed. While it was in, they discovered the right rear wheel bearing needed replaced - that was $500 which I did have to pay. About a year ago, we had it in for an oil leak, which turned into a $3500 repair related to the head gasket (thankfully within the extended warranty period). So, after all of this, I have lost confidence in this car. Who knows what will happen next and how much it will cost to repair. However, it is otherwise the perfect car for me - DH's Yukon is too big, the cross-over wagon I drove as a courtesy vehicle this last week was too small, but my mid-sized SUV is just right. Anyway, now we're trying to figure out what to do. Trade it off now, as it will likely have the highest value with a brand new transmission, and with only 72K miles, and get something else or keep driving it? I could get a newer vehicle of the same model, since I love the vehicle, but I still have issues with how expensive the repairs are. Some vehicles we're considering: GMC Acadia, Nissan Pathfinder, Chevy Traverse (?).
What would you do? (and DO NOT say get a minivan....that is not an option).
Re: WWAND re: car
Acura MDX? That is what I would pick if the bank account would allow it.
My car is going to need replaced soon, but we keeping it through one more winter. I think as long as you trade/sell before 100,000 miles you will be OK with resale. Are you still paying on the car now?
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Nope, it's paid off. I own it. Not very excited about a car payment. We had hoped to not be buying a car until I needed a third row for kiddos. Volvos are supposed to last to 200K miles.
I have the RDX and love it! It seats 5 and is a sporty small SUV but has AWD. It doesn't get the greatest gas mileage but have had no problems.
Ditto on the MDX, I know a few people with them and they love them and don't have issues at all.
Doesn't it always seem like crap breaks right after the warranty is up. never fails!
My BFF and her DH had a GMC Acadia and had a lot of the same issues you listed happen with it. They loved it, but it was becoming an nightmare fixing it. They ended up trading it in for a Buick something? Enclave maybe? Can't think of what its called, but very similar to the Acadia and they love it! I was sad to hear they had so many issues because I really liked their Acadia!
If you don't want the car payment I would just keep it. It sounds like you have two major repairs out of the way already. Other things (spark plugs, sensors) don't usually cost as much. I am lucky because DH isn't afraid to work on my car ( a Nissan) so that saves us a lot of money.
We are going to have to pay cash for our next car because I refuse a car payment when I have two in daycare. That is why we are keeping the car a little longer, to save more $$. Our daycare bill for the next two years will be like paying two mortgages.
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We have the Chevy Traverse, and I absolutely love it. We wanted the Equinox, but they didn't have very good financing on it at the time. I'm glad we did get the Traverse because of the third row. We have captains chairs in the middle, and love that too. It is very easy to get E in and out, and if we have someone in the back, the captains chairs fold up and slide forward for easy access to the back. I also have the rear view camera, and couldn't live without it now. It makes backing up in tight places, like the zoo today, very easy because I can tell exactly how much space I have left.
I'm now getting about 18 mpg, which is pretty good for a vehicle of it's size. We don't have AWD, but have only gotten stuck once two years ago when we had those massive snow storms. It was in a drift in front of our house, so it wasn't a big deal.
I've had it now for 2 years and haven't had any issues at all.
Most of the issues I ran into with my car were right around 70K. Sounds like you have had the worst of it already. I would hold onto what you have.
You will want to look at getting your spark plugs and wires changed soon as well as your belts but other than that your milage maintenace stuff should be good for a time. I don't know what your suspension is like but mine took a dump on me at just over 100K My hubby thankfully can fix just about anything on a car so her replaced the entire front end for less than $400 bucks. Probably would have been a $3K job otherwise.
I would think about finding a friend who can do work for you and trade services (if you or your hubby have something you can trade for) in the future.
buy a new one
we are nervous about our minvan and am thinking about selling it
I would keep the car and put the amount you would pay for a car payment in the bank now. 1) It will provide a bank account for repairs until your current car really is done for and 2) gets you back into paying a car payment if you need to purchase a new car.
As my dad always said."It is better to pay a few hundred dollars to fix it, then to have a car payment monthly"