If you were frugal, would you buy a new car?

[Janeway]

We are trying to live debt free. We literally have one last debt to pay off and are within range to pay it off. 

 

We purchased a new Toyota Sienna 6 years ago. It has been a headache. It has always had problems. It has been in several times for repair. It has things wrong with it right now. Some things cannot be fixed. For example, the speedometer and the odometer read wrong. The vents are broken. They work, but the angle thingy part is broken. The mp3 player thing has never worked. The timing belt needs replacing. Get the idea? These are all things we can fix for much less than the cost of a new car. It reads as having 150,000 miles on it, but most likely has no more than 135,000 miles on it. We know it reads about 10% over. Oh yeah, the arm on the drivers side broke and when they fixed it, they did a bad job. Can you tell I am getting quite sour? 

 

We used to have a Honda Odyssey. We loved that. Would we be wasting our money to buy new? Or would we be wasting our money to repair the Sienna?

 

edited to add: everything is cosmetic except the timing belt. And the odometer and speedometer cannot be fixed, even though they are not cosmetic, they do not affect the ability of the car to run.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Janeway

[kewb]

Yes, I would replace your car.  It sounds like it is more trouble then it is worth.  I hate when I have to take on a car payment.  I absolutely abhor buying new cars.  They are already worth less then what you will pay the minute you drive off the lot.  I was raised with a buy them 2 years old mentality.  Let someone else fix the initial bugs. 

 

We did end up buying a brand new honda last year.  And every month I grumble over hat car payment.  However, it does drive nice.  And like all previous vehicles we will drive it until it dies.

[marbel]

A car with that many problems, and 150,000 miles on it?  I would get rid of it. 

 

We had to get rid of a car last year.  It was painful taking on debt.  But oh, life is so much better.  It wasn't till we got the new car that I realized how stressed out I was every time I drove the old car, worried that something would go wrong.   Totally worth it for reliability and staying out of the repair shop for a while.

[Angie in VA]

The author(s) of The Tightwad Gazette bought new cars. They'd done the analyses and found that w/ the warranty, it was worth it. I'm betting they didn't add very many bells and whistles, though. 

 

 

[RootAnn]

If you hate it, I'd buy a gently not-quite-new used vehicle that you will love. I'm very frugal, so I wouldn't buy new. But something that is 2-3 years old? Yes. Replace what you hate with something newer that you can love.

 

I love our Sienna & put a decent amount of money into getting the scratches on the sides fixed after DH put a decent dent into the back panel. It was worth it for us because we love-love-LOVE our (over 10 yrs old) Sienna minivan. We tend to hold onto vehicles as long as they are running, but we also love them dearly. (DH is still driving my very first car & hopes it'll last until he can pass it onto DD in a couple years. It is a '96.)

 

 

[shawthorne44]

I am frugal and I've bought new.   In my case it was because I'd NEVER had a car that didn't leak oil.   I sat down and figured out that cumulatively I'd spent 10K on oil leaks for the Miata.   I'd owned cars for 20 years when I bought the new one.  So, I bought my beloved Cruiser and it never had an oil leak and it had full-sythentic oil changes every 3K miles.   It was still going strong when someone rear-ended me and the jerky AAA auto insurance totaled it.  

[Georgiana Daniels]

I would get rid of the car but NOT buy new. Most likely I'd get a certified used car.

 

My hubby used to sell cars and we'd drive a new car every month. LOL...I got over the new car thing. Plus, he convinced me that certified used are really a better value. I don't think we'll ever buy new again.

[goldberry]

There is something to be said for buying a new car with a good warranty that you do not have to worry about.  Especially after your current experiences, I think it would be a good investment for you.  That said, find something simple and don't let them talk you into a lot of extras.  They are good at that.  :glare:

 

ETA, if you do buy used, buy one that is one or two years old only, and still under warranty.

Edited June 6, 2016 by goldberry

[raptor_dad]

If *I* were frugal, I'd keep that car. It has no mechanical problems... timing belts are consumable and need to be replaced periodically... the speed/odometer thing is probably just a matter of putting on larger tires. The vents and armrests and radio are all cosmetic.

 

If it bugs you, by all means replace it... but the most frugal thing is to just deal with the annoyances and drive it until mechanical failure.

[Carol in Cal.]

One factor for me would be the odometer.  There is nothing that reduces the value of a non-collided car more than high mileage, and if yours is recording mileage faster than actual, it is eating up its own value unreasonably.

 

But I wouldn't buy a new car.

 

The last time I did was in 1989.  This was our 'forever' truck.  A Jeep Cherokee with lots of extras.  And a guy pulled into my lane without looking when it was only 6 years old (we planned to keep it for 25 years) and it was totalled.  The money we got for it was not enough to replace it, despite protracted and fairly effective negotiations with the insurance company.  It turned out not to be worth it to buy a new car and keep it forever.  Plus we don't garage our cars, so the exterior wears faster than some.

 

So we buy outstanding used cars from private parties. We pay cash for them.  Every time we buy one we hunt for it for quite a while.  And we keep them for a very long time, and really get our money's worth from each one.  This has saved us TONS of money.

 

Now, if I'm ever an old widow woman and need absolutely reliable transportation, and have no backup person in my household, I'll consider a new car again, just for reliability.  But until then I'm sticking with my strategy.

[HomeAgain]

I am frugal, and I have bought a new car exactly twice. Once was because our Bondo Buggy was not going to make it and we needed something a whole lot safer for a new baby, without a lot of hoops to jump through.  We made a price point, shopped around, and got quite a bit for our money.  I love that car and how reliable it is.  In fact, it'll be heading off with our oldest in two years.  Our second new car was because we were caught between a rock and a hard place and needed a vehicle NOW.  I don't like the situation we were in and I resent that vehicle a bit.

 

When it comes time to replace mine I'll be getting used.  Something about 2-3 years old, certified pre-owned.  I don't want another new car.  They lose value quickly and a pre-owned is just as good. 
 

In your situation, no, I would not buy a new car.  Fix the timing belt.   Think of it as your not-a-car-payment, since you'd be going into debt again for a car.  Wait, see if you can make it a year or two and save up to shop around for a used, reliable vehicle.

[prairiewindmomma]

Honda Odysseys have straight line depreciation; unless you stumble along a fantastic private party sale, there's no incentive to buy used provided that you can afford the new price.  Can you get anything out of the Sienna?  If you can't, I'd be tempted to replace the timing belt, pay off your other debt, and get a save to get a substantial down payment going for the Odyssey.  If you can get something for the Sienna, I'd be tempted to sell it now, and buy a new Odyssey.

[Audrey]

We are trying to live debt free. We literally have one last debt to pay off and are within range to pay it off. 

 

We purchased a new Toyota Sienna 6 years ago. It has been a headache. It has always had problems. It has been in several times for repair. It has things wrong with it right now. Some things cannot be fixed. For example, the speedometer and the odometer read wrong. The vents are broken. They work, but the angle thingy part is broken. The mp3 player thing has never worked. The timing belt needs replacing. Get the idea? These are all things we can fix for much less than the cost of a new car. It reads as having 150,000 miles on it, but most likely has no more than 135,000 miles on it. We know it reads about 10% over. Oh yeah, the arm on the drivers side broke and when they fixed it, they did a bad job. Can you tell I am getting quite sour? 

 

We used to have a Honda Odyssey. We loved that. Would we be wasting our money to buy new? Or would we be wasting our money to repair the Sienna?

 

edited to add: everything is cosmetic except the timing belt. And the odometer and speedometer cannot be fixed, even though they are not cosmetic, they do not affect the ability of the car to run.

 

 

I would replace the car.  Those repairs are becoming more than it's worth.  I would buy new IF you can qualify for 0% financing and the financers offers no penalty for early payments.   This is something we did recently.   I don't know if Honda offers this, but I've seen many other makers offering it recently.  Jeep, Chevy and Ford have all had deals on 0% for certain models recently. 

[barnwife]

I wouldn't buy a new car in that situation either.  Assuming you bought the quality (toyota?) vehicle with the intention of keeping it a long time, to make it frugal, I'd stick to that plan.  A timing belt is important on an interference engine because if it breaks, then the engine is usually DONE.  A non interference engine can lose the timing belt and be fixed for basically the price of a timing belt replacement (not counting towing, and if it broke as you pulled out in front of a speeding semi...)

 

Buying a 2 year old car is old advice that hasn't made much sense in recent years IMHO.  At least for most brands that hold value FAR better than they did when that advice did make sense.  Especially if you figure your use of the vehicle is 6 years of age, to buy it 2 years old is not enough of a discount to my way of thinking.  And if you "run them into the ground" at 20 years or so, then you can buy much cheaper at 5-10 years old.  

[MeghansMom]

I agree with prairiewindmama, however I wish you luck no matter what your decision. :) We bought a new Toyota Corolla in Nov 2008 (it is a 2009). We are putting money aside to buy DH's vehicle (it is a company vehicle and when the mileage gets to a certain point they give you a new one for work and you are allowed to buy the old one for a heavily discounted rate. The mileage is mostly highway miles and they are kept meticulously maintained) Meg turns 13 this fall and when she turns 16 this will be her car. I will buy new again but we keep the vehicles until they can no longer be driven.

[rocassie]

As a frugal person, I would drive the Sienna until the expensive of the repairs were more than the value of the longevity of keeping it running.  I would just live with the cosmetic things and save up to buy that new car.

[Carol in Cal.]

I would replace the car.  Those repairs are becoming more than it's worth. 

From a financial standpoint, though, the question maybe should be whether the repairs are becoming more than a new car would cost, rather than whether they are becoming more than the old car is worth.

[Annie G]

First I would check to see what the trade in value is going to be. Since the odometer isn't properly working, you'll have to list is as 'not actual mileage' and it might reduce the value more than you're willing to lose.  

 

But if you can dump the car for a price you're willing to accept, I'd strongly consider a certified used vehicle. A year or two old, with an extended warranty.  

[Greta]

We are trying to live debt free.

Then I think the question is, "do you have enough cash to pay for a new car?" We are pretty frugal in general, and with cars in particular. Other than the timing belt, the issues you describe are annoying but not serious, and would be nowhere near enough to make me personally want to buy a new car. I'd fix the timing belt and not worry about the rest. But our "newest" car is 15 years old, and has a lot of quirks, and our old one is 20 and is pitiful! I don't get any joy out of owning cars, to me they're just a way to get from point A to point B. So I'm biased. :) If you have the money and that's how you want to spend it, then absolutely go for it! But I think you're saying you want to live debt free and you'd have to take on debt to do this. So then I'd say not worth it. Our only debt is our mortgage, and I'd love to be rid of it as well. I've lived under the crushing weight of debt before, and I would really like to avoid it in the future. I respect your intention to live debt free, and I'd encourage you to stay with it for awhile, and see how it feels. It's easy to take on debt later if you decide too. It's much harder to pay off a debt once you've taken it on.

 

 

ETA:  When we buy cars, we buy new.  We just keep them forever, like till they're not drivable anymore.  :D

Edited June 6, 2016 by Greta

[SparklyUnicorn]

If the car is a necessity, absolutely.

 

 

[Pawz4me]

Honda Odysseys have straight line depreciation; unless you stumble along a fantastic private party sale, there's no incentive to buy used provided that you can afford the new price.  Can you get anything out of the Sienna?  If you can't, I'd be tempted to replace the timing belt, pay off your other debt, and get a save to get a substantial down payment going for the Odyssey.  If you can get something for the Sienna, I'd be tempted to sell it now, and buy a new Odyssey.

 

:iagree:

 

We haven't had a non-Honda vehicle since 1992. We always buy new. Always. The depreciation on Hondas is so slow that it makes zero sense to buy used IF you work to get a good deal on a new one and buy when good incentives are being offered. 

 

 But 150,000 on a Toyota sure doesn't seem like much.  Timing belts are routine maintenance, so I wouldn't really give the cost of that too much weight in making my final decision.

[Carol in Cal.]

:iagree:

 

We haven't had a non-Honda vehicle since 1992. We always buy new. Always. The depreciation on Hondas is so slow that it makes zero sense to buy used IF you work to get a good deal on a new one and buy when good incentives are being offered. 

 

 But 150,000 on a Toyota sure doesn't seem like much.  Timing belts are routine maintenance, so I wouldn't really give the cost of that too much weight in making my final decision.

How long is it straight line?

Because we tend to buy cars that are 10 years old or so, and then keep them for at least another 10 years.  I'm thinking it's not straight line depreciation for 20 years, in which case the cheaper initial price would amortize over a longer period to a much cheaper per year price.  Something worth considering.

Edited June 6, 2016 by Carol in Cal.

[DawnM]

How do you know the odometer is reading wrong?  Just curious who told you that or how you figured that one out.

 

Because you said that it is mostly cosmetic, no, I would not replace it and would spend the next 3-4 years or so saving to purchase whatever car you want to get next.

 

As far as Hondas, be careful with a used Odyssey, they had some issues some years, but you can google and find out which years.  We had two different friends with major issues on their Odysseys.

 

I don't think Honda is better than Toyota.  We have two Toyotas and our 2004 is running strong with almost 200K miles on it.  The other Toyota is only 2 years old.

 

 

[Janeway]

Long trips where we knew the mileage. Police radar also told us the speedometer was wrong.

[Sukale]

We never buy new. My car now was bought with 5,000 miles on it. My husband got his truck with 9,000 miles on it. Huge savings on both.

[SKL]

Frugal or not, I've always bought new cars, because I don't want to buy someone else's problems.  I know you can supposedly get a used car with all the guarantees, but I don't have time to fuss around with car problems.  So far I'm on my 3rd new car and the first 2 lasted for 10 years each, so I end up not spending a ton when you average it out.

[Emba]

If I were frugal, which is not an if, because I am...I would keep going with the debt reduction, fix the timing belt, and deal with all the piddly cosmetic stuff for long enough to save money up for a "new" used car.  But I don't buy new cars.  I've never had one less than 6 years old, and I've been remarkably lucky not to have many big problems. 

 

I understand the water-torture annoyance of all those small piddly things, though.  I had a pickup once that always had some little thing wrong - the tail light was out, the battery went dead, the solenoid cylinder went bad and I had to occasionally use a pair of pliers to short it out (okay, that was more than a little annoying, but I was in college and too proud to ask for money from my parents to really fix it).

 

You have to decide, I guess, if you can stand it or not. :)

[mamiof5]

I'd replace it. We've never bought a brand new vehicle. Ideally we try to find not too old ones, low mileage and still with a warranty.

[amy g.]

No matter how much money we had, I would not buy new. I prefer to buy cars that are one or two years old.

 

I agree that in your situation, I would just fix the timing belt and not take on new debt.

[MEmama]

I would replace it.

 

We did get very lucky with buying my current car (98 Subaru) used, and I fully intend to keep it as long as possible, but once I feel unsafe doing so or it starts to cost more than car payments it will be time for a tearful goodbye. I despise every new car that I've test driven, though, so I'm hopeful I can eke a few more years out of it.

 

Twice we've gotten a good deal on buying rental cars from dealers. With minimal miles on them, we've saved thousands over brand new and reaped all the benefits of new. That might be worth looking into.

 

That said, used just doesn't seem worth it to me generally. The cost--at least where we live--is barely less than new, and the mileage is high. Maybe that isn't the case everywhere. But we've looked at CRVs that have almost 200,000 miles on them and they were still $16,000. Um, no?

[hornblower]

Wow, too bad about your bad experience with the Sienna. I have a 99 which is still running with no problems. I love my Sienna so much, I just bought a new 16. 

 

I'm not entirely clear whether you're asking about a decision to simply replace this car or whether to replace it with a new v. used car. 

I would replace. 

Whether to buy new or used depends on your finances & what you're looking for. As mentioned many brands hold their value so much that unless you're willing to look at a 4+ year old, it's sometimes not much cheaper to get used. 

[kroe1]

If I had a good mechanic, like I do, then I would keep the car. In the meantime, I would be socking away the equivalent of a new car payment each month. This would allow you to see if you really can afford a new car. In addition, if you do this long enough, you will be paying cash for the new car. I started doing this in my early twenties and have never had to finance a car since then. I just always put a "car payment" amount in savings each month in anticipation of future car purchases.

 

This life lesson taught to me by a neighbor so many years ago was especially appreciated this year when I suddenly had to buy two new cars and an RV. What I would have spent in interest for so many years had accrued in my savings instead.

[TammyS]

First off, who told you that the odometer (assuming that you are right about it reading wrong) isn't working?  And who told you that it can't be fixed?  Speedometers absolutely can be fixed. 

 

EVERYTHING can be fixed, the question is whether it's worth it. 

 

I would fix it the odometer/speedometer (my guess is you have a wheel sensor not reading right,  a $90 part).

 

Do you mean the timing belt...or do you mean the serpentine belt?  Not usually the same thing in modern cars.  Probably you have a timing chain (in which case you're car would be running like hell, if it ran at all) and a serpentine belt.  Serpentine belts are consumable and should be replaced about every 50K miles.  They cost in the neighborhood of $30 at Autozone.  You'll want a special tool for releasing the tensioner, which costs about $9 at Harbor Freight.  I just did this on my Rav 4 a few months ago.  It's an easy job for a handy person,and doable for the patient, non-handy person.  If you have never replaced the serpentine belt on your engine, you should do it immediately because they cause a huge head ache when they break.

 

No way would I get rid of this car.  Everything you have said is reasonable wear for a car this age.  On a Toyota 150K miles isn't much. 

 

If you really want to be frugal you should budget $2K per year for car repair, most years you won't need it, but you should have it in your budget anyway. It is less than half of a $350 car payment, assuming you buy a modest car.  People that say you should get rid of a car when it has trouble just can't add, IMO. It takes a LOT of trouble before it's worth replacing a car, financially.

 

Now, if you don't care all that much about the money and it's about having a nicer car, that's a different discussion.

[JFSinIL]

Not new - we have always let someone else take the initial depreciation :-) and bought gently (30,000 miles or less) used cars. And always from the same dealer (out of many) in town, so they know us and what we are looking for, and want to keep us coming back.

[Ali in OR]

We do buy new, and we do buy Honda Odysseys. I know there are financial reasons where buying used looks good on paper, but there is some peace of mind to not buying someone else's problem and not having to get a car fixed. Dh's miata is now 25 years old. Our "old" Honda Odyssey is 15 years old. It has almost never been in the shop--I remember something going wrong on a road trip that was fixed under warranty or recall--can't remember but it was free to us and excellent service at an out-of-town Honda dealership. The new Odyssey is 3.5 years old--it's a conversion van for dd's wheelchair. When we first got it we had to take it in to get the cruise control working but that was probably a problem with the conversion--otherwise it hasn't been in the shop yet. We love Odysseys so much that we kept the old one when we got the new one (helpful if you have three kids and your other car is a miata). We were able to pay cash for the new Odyssey; I do think I would try to hang on to the 6 year old car a bit longer and save up some money for a new car--if not the whole amount, at least a sizable chunk to lower payments. Fix the timing belt and try not to think about the annoying cosmetic issues.

 

For buying used, isn't it kind of hard to find a good used car that's only 2-3 years old and still saves significant money? My impression is that returned leases aren't so common anymore and that used cars usually have way more miles put on them than we would have put on them in the same amount of time (we averaged 12k per year on the van before we had two).

[Annie G]

 

 

For buying used, isn't it kind of hard to find a good used car that's only 2-3 years old and still saves significant money? My impression is that returned leases aren't so common anymore and that used cars usually have way more miles put on them than we would have put on them in the same amount of time (we averaged 12k per year on the van before we had two).

 

That hasn't been our experience. We looked at a new Camry this spring and got the final walk out price (no trade in to complicate things) and then went to look at a certified used Camry that was a year old and had 10,000 miles.  The price difference was $8,000 and the one we bought had more bells and whistles. 

 

Three years ago we bought an almost two year old Corvette  with about 7000 miles on it.  The price was about 17K less than what it sold for new- not list price, what it sold for.   Then we bought an extended warranty from a Chevy dealer- it's exactly like the manufacturer's warranty. 

 

I'm willing to take a chance on a well documented car. With a new car, you don't know anything about how it's going to perform. Yeah, I might get a lemon with a used car. I also might get a lemon with a new car. 

 

The two cars we have that were bought new both have well over 100k miles and are going strong.  It's hard to claim that used is a better deal when we've had such good luck with these two cars.  But with two in college we decided to take a chance on gently used...for the sake of our budget. 

[Guest2]

I would get a new -to -me -car. Sounds like too much trouble with the old one and I love Siennas. Often you can get a great deal on a 2-3 year old van. We have had good luck in the past buying fomer rental cars with low miles30-40,000. Some of the rental cars even have their own lots. You can get a warranty...though it is usually only a year through the dealer.

[Janeway]

It's my husband. Every time he gets in the minivan, he nit picks at every little thing. And each time, he acts like it's the first time he saw this issue. Sheesh! He is driving me crazy with his fidgeting and complaining. I really just want to repair the van and let it go. I don't want car payments again.

Edited June 7, 2016 by Janeway

[Guest]

Well, I am frugal and my main car is a 2002 van with over 200,000 miles. The AC is broken. It has its issues. But I have made a game of seing how far we can take this car.*

 

If I replaced it, it would not be with a NEW car.

 

*i have another car, so this is one factor that allows me to drive that clunker. I am not up a creek if it breaks down completely. However, my other car is a 2008 model and has 135,000 miles on it.

 

Eta: i'm tired and cant type

Edited June 7, 2016 by Quill

[KrissiK]

I'm sorry you're having trouble with your Sienna. We bought ours 12 years ago and haven't had any trouble at all. We love it. And we bought it new. We looked at used ones and they see only $5,000 or so cheaper than new ones and had over 50-60K miles on them. We do not regret buying new. We paid it off quickly and it's been a very good car.

[Pen]

I had my first used car for a few years, and it was a constant problem. My second car bought new went for 22+ years with only regular maintenance. But at 23 years old it started to have problem after problem...about which I have sometimes posted. The cost per year or per mile or per anything I can really think of on the car that has lasted so well is less than on the used car. And up until 2 years ago the headaches over it were less.

 

Overlapping with car number 2 (the now 24yo car), I have an almost 10 year old truck (my "new" car) which has been basically trouble free with just regular maintenance (other than Takata air bag recall and a cosmetic issue with glove box light). Both the 24YO and the truck are Hondas. My next car if there ever is one will be either a Honda or a Subaru, I expect. Unless the world has changed and it is something small and electric and maybe self-driving by then...though that still might be a Honda or a Subaru.

 

I like to wait for a model to be out for a while so I can read reviews.

 

 

That said, in the case of your Sienna, I think I'd personally go for getting debt free entirely before getting a new car and just fixing the timing belt as the only non-cosmetic issue right now. IF you can handle the speedometer being wrong. I think a speedometer that is off would drive me nuts. Not having a working mp3 player? I'd just take along a peripheral player.

[gaillardia]

:iagree:

 

We haven't had a non-Honda vehicle since 1992. We always buy new. Always. The depreciation on Hondas is so slow that it makes zero sense to buy used IF you work to get a good deal on a new one and buy when good incentives are being offered. 

 

 But 150,000 on a Toyota sure doesn't seem like much.  Timing belts are routine maintenance, so I wouldn't really give the cost of that too much weight in making my final decision.

(Timing belts usually should be replaced every 100K miles or so, before the belt breaks and the pistons strike the open valves, IF it's an interference motor, in which case it would damage valves and pistons. Replacing timing belts is time consuming for any mechanic and is not generally seen as a routine maintenance, like something you or dh can take care in 45 minutes in the driveway -- just sayin'). 

 

It's nice to know if it needs to be done and you might be able to talk a person down on their price if timing belt has not been replaced. If it has to be done, count on $400-$500 job or even more. 

[Janeway]

I does drive me crazy that the dealership claimed the speedometer/odometer issue could not be fixed and now it seems here that it could have been.

[abcmommy]

150K on any car means you will soon have MANY repair bills.

 

I would go buy a car off lease with 30K miles on it.

[Zinnia]

We have a Sienna with over 200,000 miles on it.  It hasn't needed an exorbitant amount of repairs.  We've owned it about 2 years.  We are starting a fund to replace it next spring.  If it's still running well, we will keep driving it, but if it needs to be replaced, that's our timeline.  

 

If I had your car, I would probably replace it with something slightly newer.  But cash.  I'm all about the cash.  When I say that I hate payments, it's like a physical reaction, remembering the depths of debt (we've paid off close to $200,000 so far), and I am not going to go back there.

[TX Native]

Reading this thread is almost like trying to figure out, "He loves me, He loves me not..." Except it's replace the car, don't replace the car. I can't decide which advice is winning. I would replace the timing belt and reevaluate in a year or two. I would buy gently used vs. new when the timing was right and the payments would be less stressful. For me, dealing with car issues that don't effect the basic functioning and safety of the car is easier than dealing with debt. The issues do annoy me though, debt just annoys me more.

[rdj2027]

It all depends.  When my husband had an accident with the old car, we bough a new Ford Focus ZX3 for just about under $10,000 new in 2001.  It has no A/C, manual transmission, radio only and nothing electric at all. We just gave it to my BIL last year when we moved overseas.  In the last 15 years it had one repair due to age (the cable for the shift stick broke) and one for vandalism because someone had broken off the mirror on the driver's side.  I just talked to my BIL and all he has done over the last year was regular maintenance.

We had very little money back then but wanted a reliable commuter car for my husband.  It has worked out well for us.

 

In 2007 we bought a used Honda Odyssey, a 2000 model with 106,000 miles on it to replace a used Ford Windstar which was a lemon.  The only repair we had was when I was rear-ended at a stop sign and they had to replace the backend in 2011; everything else has been regular maintenance.  It now has 213,000 miles on it and is in storage until we return to the US.

 

Both cars have been a great buy for us.

[abcmommy]

I had to buy a new car a year ago and I ended up leasing which people claim is not frugal.  I call baloney.

 

1. We are not handy people and we have no tools.

2. We are not car people and we can be taken for a ride by a mechanic easily

3. I tried really hard to find a used van.  Specifically I looked at used toyotas and hondas with a few town and countries bc we had a previous dodge.  Everyone of them were going to have a higher interest rate than my brand new kia van.  And every one of them approached the price of the bottom of the line kia van.  I leased a mid range kia.

 

 

[Pen]

I does drive me crazy that the dealership claimed the speedometer/odometer issue could not be fixed and now it seems here that it could have been.

 

 

Say what?!?!

[Guest]

We buy new, off of the web, based on tech specs and recommendations we find on-line.  Most of the time, we buy without even sitting in the car, let alone taking a test drive.  I really can't remember the last time I test-drove a car--maybe my 1985 Honda Civic.  LOL.  

 

We take really good care of our cars, and drive them at least 10 years (the only one that didn't make it 10 years was because I got pregnant....and you can't really do a car seat in a 2 seater...so we only got 9 years out of that one.  The only frustration we have is that sometimes we are sick to DEATH of our car and it won't die.  Ugh.  :0)  

 

I dunno.  We probably overspend; we probably could have gotten a used/certified one of my most recent car...but ... 

 

One of the things that makes me feel really rich is having a reliable car (the other thing is having real butter and real cream in the house).  I'm pretty even tempered about most things, but when I go out to start a car and it doesn't start, I get mad.  We drive a LOT--I put 40,000 miles on my car last summer, and plan to do more of that as soon as we finish the sale of our beach house.  And I don't want to be stuck in the middle of nowhere (alone OR with my even grumpier husband) because I saved a couple thousand bucks that amortizes to < $200 a year over the life of the car.  

 

Maybe I'm not car-frugal.  We are more careful than we are required to be, especially on technology, clothes and vacations, but we get what we want in a car.  Silly us.

 

Besides, my last car wasn't really new.  There were already 17 miles on it when I took possession.  Harrumph.