[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Vehicle aging question (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 8/8/2017 10:24:26 AM EDT
| My truck is at the point where a transmission or engine replacement/major repair is probably going to be worth more than the truck itself. The truck has a little bit of rust, but the body is honestly solid. When would you decide to buy a new vehicle? When it finally croaks (no signs of impending death yet!) or try and beat the Reaper? |
| i bought a 4runner when i thought my old 1998 4runner was gonna croak, at 290,000+ miles. I now have 2 4runners with the 98 at 357,000+ miles while the newer one sits most of the time. If you buy now, you have time to find a deal,,,if you buy when it croaks, you have to buy what you can find in a hurry. |
|
There are two things in play: 1) Math; and 2) How much you want or need a new car.
The math will nearly always support repairs. Wants and needs are different. For example, your job might require you to have a decent-looking car (mine does) or you might not have the flexibility to have a car in for repairs every six months or so. Also, keep in mind that buying a new car is no guarantee of being repair-free. I bought a new car in 2013. Somebody hit me in 2015. The repairs were just under the totaling threshold. The car has been nothing but trouble ever since. |
|
Quoted:
There are two things in play: 1) Math; and 2) How much you want or need a new car. The math will nearly always support repairs. Wants and needs are different. For example, your job might require you to have a decent-looking car (mine does) or you might not have the flexibility to have a car in for repairs every six months or so. Also, keep in mind that buying a new car is no guarantee of being repair-free. I bought a new car in 2013. Somebody hit me in 2015. The repairs were just under the totaling threshold. The car has been nothing but trouble ever since. |
|
OP, I'm a few years ahead of you in this thought process. here's what I did.
First question I asked myself was did I feel any new truck was worth the $40,000+ that I'd have to spend to get one that wasn't a strip down shit box. My answer was a quick "fuck no". So I proceeded to "restore" my truck which is a 96 K1500 Z71 with 250k miles that is rust free and looks like it has 30k miles because I keep my shit nice. I'd always loved this body style and bought this one about 15 years ago when the new 99's came out and looked like shit IMHO. This past year I spent $3000 to install a BRAND NEW GM crate engine and support systems, replaced a ton of other stuff that wasnt worn out but was at about 70% use. new suspension, steering, brakes, etc. Maybe spent $5000 total. So now I have truck that runs like brand new literally, is something I can work on, doesn't have "iEverything" and 10 miles of electronics and modules, and the best part, at least once a week somebody is trying to buy it off of me, no joke. New trucks are no longer trucks, they are truly cowboy cadillacs and Mall rovers. So my vote is take $5000 and throw it at your truck and drive it for another 10 years then decide. 
|
|
Another thing you should consider is missing work due to a shitbox vehicle.
As another poster mentioned having two vehicles, and if one breaks down, you fix it while driving the other. That is usually the second best alternative for. What if it breaks down on the way to work? You will miss a day of work, and if you miss something important, there could be larger consequences. You will not only have to pay for repairs, you will also have to pay for towing. You will also have to insure two vehicles. Say your two vehicles cost $5,000 each. You may have to deal with all the shit above, or you can get something like a certified Camry for an extra for an extra $5,000. You'd get a safer, more reliable vehicle for not much more, and you'll be able to put another 250,000 miles on it, instead of 50,000 a piece on the shitboxes. If you need a truck, get an older Tundra and see if Toyota has any extended warranties, unless you can splurge a bit and get a newer certified one. I'd get something newer, now. |
| just went through this with my wife's car. She had a 2007 Camry with 248,000 miles on it. aside from basic maintenance and little things that it been a perfect car but right at 248,000 the tranny died. cost is $2400 to have it rebuilt and we debated on seeing how much longer we could drag out the inevitable but I decided since I am TDY with work fairly regularly I wanted her to have a more reliable car when I wasn't around so we went ahead and traded it in on a-year-old Avalon a couple weeks ago. we got just enough trade-in value to cover the cost of the transmission repair. I would probably tell you to go ahead and get rid of it while it's still running. You'll definitely get more for it by driving it in versus if you tow it in on a flatbed |
|
Road salt is the wildcard.
Only thing that kills vehicles out here in California is accident/theft, lack of parts availability and for anything post 1976 to be able to pass our draconian smog check program. I have a 30 year old Toyota that has zero rust, 300,000 miles and could be a daily if I wanted it to be. Thing is, newer vehicles are so much more capable, safe and comfortable. Almost too much so. People no longer pay attention at all or don't give a shit. It is to the point where I genuinely feel uncomfortable driving my older, slow as dirt truck on the road out of fear of being plowed into by a CUV being piloted by some asshat with their phone in one hand and Starbucks in the other. How I roll these days is I buy a 4-5 year old truck (toyota), take good care of it, drive it to 200-250k, sell it, rinse, repeat. My older stuff are strictly toys/weekend drivers. |
| Start looking for a replacement. Sell current truck while it's still driveable. I just went thru this with my commuter car. The old one was worth a lot more while it was still driveable. I figured it only had maybe a year left of commuting so I let it go while it still had some value. |
|
If you want a new vehicle, go get one.
I don't know about throwing 5k at my old truck but I do know over several months I put a few thousand into it. I looked at it as needing a car payment that month. Brakes and clutch and tune up and every rubber hose or belt on it. Heck, replaced a gas tank that got a rust hole in it from mud sitting on the lip of it. I could have let a lot of the above go til it sidelined the vehicle, but since I own 2 vehicles it is not hard to have one being worked on or I can work on it myself. Much as I want a 400hp gasser pickup all new and fancy, I can't knock the paid for nature of a jeep wrangler and a 2wd ford pickup from the 90s. Jeep is 2006 model. As needed they get stuff replaced and repaired and if I get to worrying about something I fix or replace it. The ford was bought rusty and rust is what will sideline it. But it has a ways to go yet. Jeep is a tj so I hope to just run it forever. |
|
Quoted:
For me a one time payment of $3-$4k hurts but ain't nearly as painful as dropping coin on a new vehicle. Currently drive a 1991 Jeep Cherokee w/ 220k on it. |
|
I plan on sourcing another engine and trans for my truck for when the time comes.
It's far from new, but doesn't have all the rust that is typical of ones of it's era, it's currently just over 200k so I've still got some time unless the trans decides to shit the bed. I'm planning to source cheap cores, motor trans and transfer case, and eventually either have them rebuilt, or use them as cores for rebuilt ones. I have to keep it for awhile. No choice. 
|
|
A lot of this depends on exactly what the car is, how much you like it, and what specific requirements you have.
I personally like having at least one spare vehicle in a household. Its a great luxury to not HAVE to fix something immediately. If you have a 75 mile commute, where being late to work is an instant career killer, I guess you'd need something very reliable, since you'd have a long window of exposure each day for something to go wrong once you get up in miles. (Not so much engine or transmission as alternator, water pump, etc) If you have a 2 mile commute to work, and are salary in a reasonably relaxed position, you could probably drive a $800 POS and be OK. I put a $1000 ($500 parts/$500 labor) transmission in a 2000 Explorer with 250k on it. I then proceeded to drive it to 338k with no other major expenses. If it had taken a shit, I could have ridden a motorcycle or borrowed a car from nearby family without an issue for a few days. I also had pretty decent flexibility in that showing up to work late for a car problem, not that it ever happened, wouldn't be a huge deal. ETA: Registration and insurance is less than $200/year on each of my non-daily driver cars. |
|
Quoted:
Another thing you should consider is missing work due to a shitbox vehicle. As another poster mentioned having two vehicles, and if one breaks down, you fix it while driving the other. What if it breaks down on the way to work? You will miss a day of work, and if you miss something important, there could be larger consequences. You will not only have to pay for repairs, you will also have to pay for towing. You will also have to insure two vehicles. Say your two vehicles cost $5,000 each. You may have to deal with all the shit above, or you can get something like a certified Camry for an extra for an extra $5,000. You'd get a safer, more reliable vehicle for not much more, and you'll be able to put another 250,000 miles on it, instead of 50,000 a piece on the shitboxes. I'd get something newer, now. Quoted:
Another thing you should consider is missing work due to a shitbox vehicle. As another poster mentioned having two vehicles, and if one breaks down, you fix it while driving the other. What if it breaks down on the way to work? You will miss a day of work, and if you miss something important, there could be larger consequences. You will not only have to pay for repairs, you will also have to pay for towing. You will also have to insure two vehicles. Say your two vehicles cost $5,000 each. You may have to deal with all the shit above, or you can get something like a certified Camry for an extra for an extra $5,000. You'd get a safer, more reliable vehicle for not much more, and you'll be able to put another 250,000 miles on it, instead of 50,000 a piece on the shitboxes. I'd get something newer, now. I bought my beater for $700 and have put another 100k miles on it over 7 years. I've spent more on oil, filters, brake pads, and tires than the initial purchase price at this point. It's very hard to justify a new car. Quoted:
If you have a 
|
|
Quoted:
My thoughts as well, had my Dakota since 99, I have done all the repair work on it myself. Hasn't cost me more than $2000 in repairs in 17 years, I will try to keep it going forever. |
|
I have as daily drivers, my 87 YJ, which I have owned now for 30 years. I have a 92 XJ which I have had now for 25 years, a 2001 Dodge diesel tow rig bought in 2007, and my baby a 66 Ford Fairlane. The Jeeps both
have over 200k on them as does the Dodge , and the Fairlane, which I bought from an older neighbor has 86,000 on of which I have put 36000 of that total on. I did buy my wife a new Miata in 2010 so she would not have to worry about breaking down. I can not imagine making car payments again. The money I have spent on the vehicles pales in comparison to car payments. 87 crate motor last year, 92 water pump and alternator, Dodge, injector pump, starter and alternator. Fairlane, nothing as of yet. So after all were paid off, I have approx. $6000 total in them excluding the lifts I put on the Jeeps and regular maintenance. Of course I'm old and not worried about what I look like when I drive and I have always had a short commute, with the longest being 22 miles one way for 5 years. |
|
Quoted:
OP, I'm a few years ahead of you in this thought process. here's what I did. First question I asked myself was did I feel any new truck was worth the $40,000+ that I'd have to spend to get one that wasn't a strip down shit box. My answer was a quick "fuck no". So I proceeded to "restore" my truck which is a 96 K1500 Z71 with 250k miles that is rust free and looks like it has 30k miles because I keep my shit nice. I'd always loved this body style and bought this one about 15 years ago when the new 99's came out and looked like shit IMHO. This past year I spent $3000 to install a BRAND NEW GM crate engine and support systems, replaced a ton of other stuff that wasnt worn out but was at about 70% use. new suspension, steering, brakes, etc. Maybe spent $5000 total. So now I have truck that runs like brand new literally, is something I can work on, doesn't have "iEverything" and 10 miles of electronics and modules, and the best part, at least once a week somebody is trying to buy it off of me, no joke. New trucks are no longer trucks, they are truly cowboy cadillacs and Mall rovers. So my vote is take $5000 and throw it at your truck and drive it for another 10 years then decide. https://scontent-ort2-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t31.0-8/13412118_1235479513142942_511690033776505426_o.jpg?oh=79413340b5298036d4fc91717c66ea7f&oe=59F93EA6 |
|
Quoted:
I plan on sourcing another engine and trans for my truck for when the time comes. It's far from new, but doesn't have all the rust that is typical of ones of it's era, it's currently just over 200k so I've still got some time unless the trans decides to shit the bed. I'm planning to source cheap cores, motor trans and transfer case, and eventually either have them rebuilt, or use them as cores for rebuilt ones. I have to keep it for awhile. No choice. https://scontent-dft4-2.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/18033936_10202999856672829_1237951256000521718_n.jpg?oh=e0c4eb7e6046cc85b350a34c09674216&oe=5A31DD72 |
|
I buy new and trade every 6-10 years before issues arise and before they have no resale value.
I just traded a 2011 to a 2017 and I lost 6k on the 2011 from what I gave for it new. So the 2011 costed me 1 k a year to drive and I never spent a dime on it other than routine maint. |
|
Quoted:
I buy new and trade every 6-10 years before issues arise and before they have no resale value. I just traded a 2011 to a 2017 and I lost 6k on the 2011 from what I gave for it new. So the 2011 costed me 1 k a year to drive and I never spent a dime on it other than routine maint. You and I think exactly the same... Arfcom will never  understand. |
| 1998 Ram 1500 bought new Oct 97. 125k of 90% towing something it's entire life. Still on original tranny somehow given Dodge tranny track records. Lot of little stuff starting to go wrong but only major repair was inner intake plenum leak and rear pinion bearing at 100k. Starting to look at new/newer but I'll drive this one til it dies most likely. Truck prices are just stupid high now and my income hasn't kept up. |
|
Here is what my wife and I do...
My wife buys a new car every couple years as she drives a lot and I want her to have a reliable car. I usually take my wife's "old" car when she get a new one and drive it till the repair cost becomes substantial (more than 50% of value of car). Currently wife drives a 2016 Toyota Highlander (26k miles) and I drive her old 2007 Toyota Sienna (190k miles). We also have an old 2002 Ford Expedition (235k miles) that I drive on weekends when I go to our farm or when I go hunting. In two years wife will get a new car...most likely a Toyota 4 Runner and I'll take over her current Highlander and keep the Sienna as a spare car at home and go park the Expedition at the farm for my 13 y/o son to drive around the property as it will be safer than his ATV. |
|
Quoted:
New vehicles break down almost as often as old ones. Fix what you've got ive never had a car older than 7 years for the past  25 years. last time I was at a mechanics for anything but maintenance items was over 25 years ago and I buy Dodges and Mitsubishi's and everyone says they suck. I must be doing it wrong. |
|
I have a 1999 I bought brand new with 8miles on it. Ford F-150 just shy of 350k miles. I wondered this same thing when I replaced the motor, many years ago.
It has been the first vehicle for 3 of my 5 kids. You'd be amazed how long they will last with some routine maintenance. |
|
Quoted:
I have a 1999 I bought brand new with 8miles on it. Ford F-150 just shy of 350k miles. I wondered this same thing when I replaced the motor, many years ago. It has been the first vehicle for 3 of my 5 kids. You'd be amazed how long they will last with some routine maintenance. Believe me.. I would love to keep a car for 20 years. but everything corrodes here. even belts and hoses don't last long. |
|
Going to keep on keeping on for the next few months. Federal employees do not make as much as GD thinks, my commute is short, my work is extremely flexible with regards to telecommuting, and I get 3 days of leave a month with plenty stockpiled.
I sincerely appreciate all advice offered. |
| Used car math is fuzzy... I drive a 99 BMW with about 190K on it. I love the car. Had it for 10 years. Drives better than most new cars and that includes new BMW's. The thing is... It's worth about 3k. Literally. And I sometimes spend 2k in a year on maintenance. Some years not that much. But the deal is... I know that my car has been maintained. So if I am spending, on average, $200 a month to keep my car. That is a pretty cheap car payment. I could be driving a new Civic or similar for $200 a month but my GF has a new Civic and my car is better in every way (except no connectivity stuff). It rides better, is faster, handles better, radio sounds better. Not sure I want a new car. I mean sure, I want a new M3 but not at 3x the price per month. So a used car that you know is something to think about. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Vehicle aging question (Page 1 of 2)
Win a FREE Membership!
Sign up for the ARFCOM weekly newsletter and be entered to win a free ARFCOM membership. One new winner* is announced every week!
You will receive an email every Friday morning featuring the latest chatter from the hottest topics, breaking news surrounding legislation, as well as exclusive deals only available to ARFCOM email subscribers.