simka2 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Both our cars are paid for, but they are not what you would consider "nice." I really like my Chevy Van, it seats all of us and has a V8 engine. That said it is having problems. It is over 200,000 and just died at an intersection with me and the kids. I was able to restart and got us home. It has some other minor things wrong with it that are more inconvenient (passenger side window won't go up, back hatch doors won't open, some trim is coming off) So here is the question: Do we fix it? I like the van, that it fits us all rather well and it can pull a trailer. I know that I will probably have to keep fixing things, but it really is a great van for us. I could buy a newer one, finance it and work to rebuild my credit at the same time. (We do not have any credit cards so our score is even lower than it normally would be.) We ate up most of our savings when ds pulled out his front teeth, so that has not been rebuilt yet. What should I do? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bbkaren Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 If it were me, I'd fix it and take the known evil over the unknown (who knows what kind of problems another car will have?). That's presuming the problems with your existing car aren't major (i.e. new engine, etc.). And if I really liked the car, I'd even consider that. If the body's in solid shape and everything else is okay, a new engine is still cheaper than replacing the car completely. We were in the market for something used about a year ago, and cash for clunkers had wiped out the affordable used car market - there was nothing decent for less than $4,000 around us. A car loan (in NJ anyway) also means you have to take out Comp & Collision insurance with is a lot more expensive, until the loan is paid off. I would do anything I could not to wind up going into debt for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrookValley. Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 My personal opinion (and experience) is that with a vehicle of that age/that many miles, it is at "money pit" stage. Meaning, over the next year or two, if you keep putting a bit of money here and a bit of money there into it to keep it on the road, you're just going to end up spending just as much money as you would spend on a down payment on a newer vehicle (or even buying something inexpensive outright). If your finances allow it, I'd look into something used but newer and more reliable. Just my $.02. We just went through this a year or so ago with our truck situation. We need a large truck because we live on a farm and need to haul feed & hay and tow a trailer. I have an old pickup with a lot of miles on it, and it was beginning to have "issues." We came to the conclusion that we needed to invest in a new truck, because constantly shelling out a few hundred here and a few hundred there was just adding up and really only providing band-aid type solutions to the truck's problems (and we only pay for parts, my husband is able to do most work on our vehicles--it costs a lot more to have someone else do the work). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I guess I wouldn't throw it out without knowing what is wrong with it. It could be a simple fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 I guess I wouldn't throw it out without knowing what is wrong with it. It could be a simple fix. It could be, but I have a gut feeling about this one. It has been feeling like the transmission has had a difficult time engaging and shifting. It goes in tomorrow, but I am just sorta in the dumps about the whole thing. Before we moved to Texas I had a mechanic I trusted, here we have gone through 2 already that were awful and this will be our third try. Oh well, will find out sometime tomorrow and hopefully this time they can fix the back doors!!! :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creativish Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I'm all for having a reliable vehicle, however that would work out (either by fixing it enough or finding something else). I would hate having to worry about getting stuck in the middle of an intersection again especially with kids along.:eek: I'd rather have some debt with piece of mind than having to worry if I'll make it back whenever I leave my driveway. I've been there and don't want to go back. If you end up with a car loan, you can always pay it off sooner so it wouldn't be so costly. And most likely, with a newer vehicle, you upgrade the safety features as well, a nice bonus :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KS_ Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 It could be, but I have a gut feeling about this one. It has been feeling like the transmission has had a difficult time engaging and shifting. It goes in tomorrow, but I am just sorta in the dumps about the whole thing. Before we moved to Texas I had a mechanic I trusted, here we have gone through 2 already that were awful and this will be our third try. Oh well, will find out sometime tomorrow and hopefully this time they can fix the back doors!!! :glare: I'd probably go with your gut. We had an old Honda that was really great until it developed an issue, and the kids and I ended up stranded and it wouldn't start. I'd been hobbling along with it and the specific issue it had, but at that point, dh and I both knew it was time for something else. It took some real juggling of the budget and some cuts to make a car payment feasible, but I'm glad we did it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest IdahoMtnMom Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I am in the same bind. I have a 2005 Land Rover that is nickle and diming me to DEATH.... there are times it and I would love third row seating. I went out looking at cars... and interest rates were SO high I could not justify it. I have a hard time financing to begin with, but I saw rates at 15% and about choked... one guy would take my trade only and nothing down and charged 29.9%!!! on $9000 after my trade.... I walked out and decided to just fix my car until it is fixable no more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK_Mom4 Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I know exactly what you mean! I had a Chevy Astro Van that I loved with nearly 200,000 miles on it. And it was paid for! Tons of little things were wrong, but I could live with them. OK - I was not happy about not having heat in the car in the winter, but we survived. But one day the ABS stopped working and that was MY final straw. When it comes to safety (including reliability), it's just not worth it. Estimate was over $4000 to fix. We sold the van for $3K to someone who didn't care about the ABS and I inherited my husband's explorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
simka2 Posted October 12, 2011 Author Share Posted October 12, 2011 I know exactly what you mean! I had a Chevy Astro Van that I loved with nearly 200,000 miles on it. And it was paid for! Tons of little things were wrong, but I could live with them. OK - I was not happy about not having heat in the car in the winter, but we survived. But one day the ABS stopped working and that was MY final straw. When it comes to safety (including reliability), it's just not worth it. Estimate was over $4000 to fix. We sold the van for $3K to someone who didn't care about the ABS and I inherited my husband's explorer. Yes, it is an Astro and I am completely in love with it. Ugggghhh...this is just a really bad time for it to be happening. I had the brakes redone earlier this year and I can already feel them gripping unevenly. Part of me wondering if the mechanic really did the work. Ugggghhhhh, this is not fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarlett Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 Yes, it is an Astro and I am completely in love with it. Ugggghhh...this is just a really bad time for it to be happening. I had the brakes redone earlier this year and I can already feel them gripping unevenly. Part of me wondering if the mechanic really did the work. Ugggghhhhh, this is not fun! It is really a tough decision. Dont' forget to factor in higher taxes (if you pay personal taxes on your vehicles like we do here in AR) and higher insurance. I will drive my car until it is in the dirt. I've done it before. I've only had 4 cars in my life and I've been driving for 30 years. I think my brother has had about 100. :glare: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gaillardia Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 If you can, get something different. We had to do something, our big Ford van with an extended end, seats 8, was too gas hoggish, AC in rear did not work at all, heat either. Various little quirks and problems were continuing. We've had it for 10 years. Dh researched other vans. We found several we liked, but they were all a little too high $. We got a loan and found a really nice T&C at a dealer, fully knowing that we may have an issue with AC and transmission eventually. In 6 weeks we put 2000 miles on it and the AC driver's side went hot and the transmission died while kids were out in it, at 95 degrees. Fortunately, Dh can work on vehicles and we put another $1000 into a new tranny. It would have cost $4000+ for a mechanic to do it. The AC is another matter, but at least the kids have AC in the back and the driver can roll down the window. Front passenger has AC too. When it is cool enough outside the AC will run cooler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
elfgivas Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 we are currently driving our chevy minivan until it dies..... we fix brakes, change oil, add fluids, and that's it. one of these days i will be somewhere and it will stop. that will be it. as click and clack say on car talk, we carry a screwdriver so we can take off the plates when it dies..... meanwhile, we're putting every penny away so that we can buy something when this one dies. if we have enough, we'll buy a new something. if we don't, we'll buy a used something. (household rule is that we only spend what we already have....). if it ever died before we had enough to buy anything, then we'd make do with one car until we had enough. that would be hugely difficult as we're rural, but i am not ever going into debt for a car. ever. fwiw, ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KristinaBreece Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 I loved our Chevy van (it was a Venture) until the engine just.... stopped. We were driving home from the grocery store one day, right around the 200k mark, and the engine just completely locked up. Now we have a Blazer that has a V6.... But I miss the space and the power of my minivan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KungFuPanda Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 It is really a tough decision. Dont' forget to factor in higher taxes (if you pay personal taxes on your vehicles like we do here in AR) and higher insurance. I will drive my car until it is in the dirt. I've done it before. I've only had 4 cars in my life and I've been driving for 30 years. I think my brother has had about 100. :glare: :iagree: We're also driving our 98 and 99 vehicles into the ground. They have needed a few repairs, but had we panicked and traded after putting a few thousand into them we would have robbed ourselves out of YEARS of saving money. We're glad to avoid payments, taxes, and higher insurance rates for as long as possible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classicHSmom Posted October 12, 2011 Share Posted October 12, 2011 :iagree: We're also driving our 98 and 99 vehicles into the ground. They have needed a few repairs, but had we panicked and traded after putting a few thousand into them we would have robbed ourselves out of YEARS of saving money. We're glad to avoid payments, taxes, and higher insurance rates for as long as possible. We have three cars - one family car, one commuter, and one mountain car (we're in CO). They are all 10 years old or older and have 130k miles or more on them. We often joke that the value of all of our cars together equal half of what many pay for a new car! We plan on driving these until they just stop as many of you have mentioned. We are glad to avoid payments, and higher taxes and insurance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I would probably be looking for a new one. You really do have to consider what your financial state is, how much you will be putting in this van vs a newer one. how much can you afford to spend on fixing this one vs buying a newer one? just something to consider. It might be worth having a mechanic you trust go over it and tell you what mechanical condition it is in, and what repairs would be likely within the next year and how much would those cost. then you would have a better idea of what might happen for you transportation expense wise in the near future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted October 13, 2011 Share Posted October 13, 2011 I am in the same bind. I have a 2005 Land Rover that is nickle and diming me to DEATH.... there are times it and I would love third row seating. I went out looking at cars... and interest rates were SO high I could not justify it. I have a hard time financing to begin with, but I saw rates at 15% and about choked... one guy would take my trade only and nothing down and charged 29.9%!!! on $9000 after my trade.... I walked out and decided to just fix my car until it is fixable no more! never finance through a dealership. If you really need to finance, talk to your bank before you go car shopping to find out how much you could get for a loan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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