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Re: bad exhaust news Posted by Ari [Email]  (#2847) [Profile/Gallery]
(more from Ari) on Fri, 15 Dec 2000 15:06:25
In Reply to: bad exhaust news, Sally, Fri, 15 Dec 2000 14:52:02 Members do not see ads below this line. - Help Keep This Site Online - Signup |
If the car is otherwise running fine, and showing no other obvious signs of breaking, keep it.
What are your transportation options? I figure you can either buy new, used, or take the bus. Go new if you really want a new car, but you'll pay more in sales tax than your present car will cost you in repairs for the next two years.
If you go used, you are trading your known problems for a heap of unknown ones. Any used car will need maintenance and work. So buying another used car doesn't mean you're going save money.
Look at it this way- if you were to buy a used car, you'd want to check it out throughly, to make sure there are no 'hidden' problems. You'd take it to a trusted mechanic, pay him/her/it some money to check it out, and they'd tell you what they can figure in 15 minutes of checking. If the car checked out good, you'd buy it, pay sales and transfer tax, and sell your present car for a few bucks. Of course, you'd only buy a car that had complete maintenance records, with work done at a place you trust. That cuts down the market some.
Alternatively, you can ask Tom to do that same sort of 'pre-buy' inspection. Seeing as he is very familiar with your car, he'll not only know more than any 15 minute inspection can uncover, he'll probably do it for free. If the report is decent, you'll keep the car, and can think about all that money (inspection costs, taxes, outlay for a newer used car) that you just ducked.
Basically, if you have a decent older car that needs what seems like normal maintenace (and a cat getting broken is just par for the course), it is almost always a better bet than buying another older used car. Because a bet is what it is. You're betting that the unknow car you're getting is better than the one you have, that the guy at the end of the bar is better than your present boyfriend because you know he snores, and you assume the other guy doesn't.
Now, things are a little different if you're going to spring for a newer used car, like maybe a 3-4 year old NG900 with 50K miles. Assuming you get it carefully checked out, you can pretty safely say you won't be putting as much money into it as your present car. No guarantee, but probably. But that will run $8000-$12000, and if you assume you drive it for the next 10 years and sell it for scrap, it'll cost you about $1000 a year in 'depreciation' before maintenance expenses, which it will require.
If the car is otherwise good, runs well, and does what you need it to do, fix it and keep it. It will cost you less than anything else you can do.
Good luck!
, Fri, 15 Dec 2000 16:30:10, Fri, 15 Dec 2000 15:06:25 <-- Viewing This Message
, Fri, 15 Dec 2000 16:18:12, Sat, 16 Dec 2000 22:23:15
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