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Posted by Ari [Email] (#2847) [Profile/Gallery] (more from Ari) on Fri, 23 Feb 2001 12:48:09 Share Post by Email
In Reply to: what would you do? (long), Kevin L., Fri, 23 Feb 2001 12:07:45
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Not counting the clutch job, there's nothing there requiring big $$. (think about having the rear main seal replaced while the tranny is out for the clutch job). A front main seal and motor mounts isn't a big deal - about an afternoon's work, taking it slow.

Basically, what are your options? You could sell the car for maybe $1,000- $1,500. You still need wheels, so you'll need to buy something else. If you buy new, the sales tax alone will cover the cost of repairs on this car for the next couple of years; depreciation on a new one will cover 3-5 years repairs on your present car. Then there's the increased insurance costs....
If you buy used, you'll be trading the devil you know for the devil you don't. Sales tax, registration transfer fees, and the like will eat up part of the $1K or so you get for your present car. Any car of comparable cost will need as much or more repairs. Say you go with a newer used car - say $7- $9K. That $7K you could keep in the bank to cover future repairs on your present car, and that newer used car will still need to have things fixed, too.

If you have an older car in decent shape, there are only two reasons I can defend to get rid of it -
(1) you get the 'jones' for something new - faster, more comfortable, or maybe just new. There is no logic to this, but it happens, so go with it.
(2) You've lost confidence in your present car. It's broken down a bunch, and you don't trust it not to leave you stranded. ANY car, even a new one, can break and leave you stranded, yet every day we take the leap of faith and drive off, giving ourselves 20 minutes to get to the appointment 20 minutes away, or pile the kids into the car and head off upstate on a snowy night. But if you've lost faith in your present car, then get rid of it.

Notice how both (1) and (2) are psychological - you either WANT something new, or FEAR something. You can't put dollars and cents against it. But wants and fears are real, so go with them.

If an older car is running well, meets your needs, and you don't lust for the latest sheet metal, there is NO rational argument to sell it for something else. That can be hard to realize if you've just crawled under it for the third time this month to fix something. But if you run the numbers, you could just drop it off at the dealer and let them fix everything, and it would STILL be cheaper than buying another car.

Don't try the argument that it makes no sense to put $1,000 of repairs into a car that's only worth $1,000. A car isn't an investment, it's an expense. Period. If you put $1K of repairs into a $1K car, it's now worth still about $1K, but you could sell it faster. Big deal. If you didn't do the repairs, you'd still need a car, and a different car will still need repairs.

Does that help?
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