[1vertical]

And it is not getting any younger, and the new junk ain't gettin any cheeper
and When is it time to exercise your ability to purchase, or not....

Drive your ole junker till the wheels fall off 
Trade it away while ya still got sumthin to trade 
Hope someone  a$$ ends you in traffic 
Gas ain't going Down....

I mean along with a new unit, comes BIG OLE TAXES and
New Higher Insurance rates....

And along with the ole one comes higher maintenance costs.....
Stuff starts wearing out...

Sheesh....argggggggh

[morticaixavier]

And it is not getting any younger, and the new junk ain't gettin any cheeper
and When is it time to exercise your ability to purchase, or not....

Drive your ole junker till the wheels fall off 
Trade it away while ya still got sumthin to trade 
Hope someone  a$$ ends you in traffic 
Gas ain't going Down....

I mean along with a new unit, comes BIG OLE TAXES and
New Higher Insurance rates....

And along with the ole one comes higher maintenance costs.....
Stuff starts wearing out...

Sheesh....argggggggh

I feel your pain. I just put 2k into my 2003 jetta TDI and I had to think long and hard about it. When do you cut your losses and get out?

[1vertical]

What is the SMART thing to do ....and WHEN do you do that....

[euge]

One of my friends is still driving the 89 model that I sold him in 95. He's done the carb and valve covers a few times and other things and it looks terrible. Nothing major though. He's saved a pile of cash and no payments.

If it's time it's time. New car is supposed to be reliable which is a huge plus. Do you have carte blanche in domestic? I'd like one of those new renditions of the old muscle-car styles. Or even a Caddy.

[tumarkin]

the last several years, especially when the gas prices shoot up (which ain't gonna stop), I periodically think about selling my 1997 Ford F150. It's a great truck, very few mechanical issues other than expected wear & tear maintainance. It's got about 120,000, so it's got miles to go. But gas mileage is a b**** (though not as bad as some). But when I look at what I'd get if I sold it (not much), and what it would cost for a near-new (won't buy new ever again) vehicle.... well, I'm still driving the truck.

[ndcube]

I haven't had to face this decision yet but if I think if it's on the edge and it's going to need new tires, brakes, rotors etc for inspection then that might be a breaking point.  I would hate to replace four tires and then have the thing break down in a few months.

Not sure what your state rules are.

[Hokerer]

I've got 56K on my '01 F-150 so I shouldn't have to worry about anything like that any time soon.  Drove the one before that for 16 years.

[1vertical]

Well I googled that question.  Here is a link of interest.
http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/SavingandDebt/SaveonaCar/KeepYourOldClunkerOrBuyANewCar.aspx

After reading it, it may pay to keep the old car. That article however did NOT touch on
the fact that prices do not seem to be going down on new stuff. And every day that passes
the old one depreciates that much more.

My situation is not all that bad, I have a 7 yr. old Subaru Forester that I put a lift kit on and lite truck tires under it....
That along with a reciever hitch that lets me carry my ATV and 1000# axle trailer fits my lifestyle very very well.
Subi has 120K on it and I have kept it up all along doing proper maintenance recently it got new CV joints.  She does
however make odd noises every once and a while.  

I figure I have 3-4 years left to work before I would like to retire and when I retire it may change my ability to purchase
a vehicle. (I am trying to be able and spend my winters in Euge land)
Our state has no inspection requirement at this time and license taxes are 5%
just to put tags on a new one.  

Euge, I am not  cast in stone about the Carte Blanch thing because where I live
it would be a crime to try to drive one of those babies up and down my crappy
dirt road.  I am looking at a Hyundai Veracruz mainly because of the 60K
bumper to bumper warranty and the amount of options that others charge you for,
 they consider standard equipment. I mean the things are Loaded!

Yadda yadda yadda…..

[weazletoe]

Burn it to the ground, and collect the insurance. 

[tom]

the least expensive way is to keep the old car until the wheels fall off and then get it some more wheels.
or move closer to work

[oscarvan]

There are a lot of variables in this equation......

Can you do your own work?
Does the crap hit the fan if it breaks down on the way to work?
Is the car being driven by wifey or kids that you really don't want to be stuck on the side of the interstate at oh dark hundred hours?

If you can't do your own work and have a low tolerance for break downs, a cheap unit new with lots of warrantee and road side assistance is the answer.

If you do your own work and don't care if it clunks out once in a while an 87 cheapo with the top of the line AAA coverage to get it back to the house if it conks out is the answer.

And then there's everything in between...... and a budget to go with it. Plus, a lot of it depends on luck.

So, there are no straight answers.

[tubercle]

There are a lot of variables in this equation......

Can you do your own work?
Does the crap hit the fan if it breaks down on the way to work?
Is the car being driven by wifey or kids that you really don't want to be stuck on the side of the interstate at oh dark hundred hours?

If you can't do your own work and have a low tolerance for break downs, a cheap unit new with lots of warrantee and road side assistance is the answer.

If you do your own work and don't care if it clunks out once in a while an 87 cheapo with the top of the line AAA coverage to get it back to the house if it conks out is the answer.

And then there's everything in between...... and a budget to go with it. Plus, a lot of it depends on luck.

So, there are no straight answers.

 If a new (read: different) vehicle is in your future consider something in the 3 - 5 year old range. Let someone else suffer the depreciation value and obvious defects which will have already been taken care of. The cheaper taxes and insurance are a bonus. As far as buying a new vehicle for better gas mileage do the math. I never thought paying $30,000 for a new vehicle to save $1,000 in gas was a good idea. If I keep my truck getting 21 miles/gallon instead of buying a new one to save $1,000/year in gas I'm $29,000 to the good.

[euge]

Isn't a Subaru with 120K low mileage? They're supposed to go 200K easy.

I've only got 26K on my 06 VW and 44K on my 01 Ram 1500 which I think is extremely low mileage. What sucks is that they get about the same MPG, and it's bad. Who ever heard of a VW that has sh!ty economy? But it's quick man. Quick.

Until the electrics come down in price or there's a major mechanical these are it. All paid for they are more economical as they are than buying a new vehicle no matter how efficient. It will suck when gas is $5 per for the election next year. Yes, that's my prediction. Might even hit this price in 2011.

[tonyp]

99 subie outback 30th anniv edition, never had to do more than typical maintenance (oil, filters, tires, etc). Its ok on gas but its def the best purchase i've ever made, $10k in 2003. I'd have to go look at the mileage but its def over 100k. If you're looking for another used car a Subaru should be near the top of the list imo.

Here's a pict of my baby playin in the snow:



Tony

[maxieboy]

If a new (read: different) vehicle is in your future consider something in the 3 - 5 year old range. Let someone else suffer the depreciation value and obvious defects which will have already been taken care of. The cheaper taxes and insurance are a bonus.

This has been my MO forever. I've only bought one new vehicle my whole life, a 4 cyl. S-10 p/u in '88 for like 6k. Nothing but full size 4wd p/u on the above plan since then.