When to get rid of the car

2lazytogetup

When do you decide to put your car out of its misery and get a replacement?


My story:


So much of my car has gone wrong over the last few months - new gaskets, suspension, brakes to name a few.

The garage recommend that i get rid of it before something else goes wrong.

But surely with all those replacements parts, its like im driving a partly-new car and worth more than what id sell it on for ?

And if i buy a replacement for 2-3k euros, am i just buying an equivalent car that has had trouble that someone in my same position is doing.

biko

Sometimes it's a case of the devil you know..
Type and year would help.

fret_wimp2

2lazytogetup wrote: »

When do you decide to put your car out of its misery and get a replacement?

Preferably before the car starts costing you money, but after you have gotten your moneys worth from it.

Recently got rid of our 14 year old car. Its gotten through the NCT with less than 150 quid to be spent on it each year, but im getting the feeling its going to start costing a lot more ( some not so healthy sounding rattles), so rather than push it until it falls off the road, i think nows the time. Its more than paid for itself, but is about to start costing a good percentage of its actual value just to keep on the road so its time to go.

RayCon

I had the same dilemma earlier this year. I had a 2001 Honda Accord which I had owned for 8 yrs. In 8 yrs of ownership it cost me nothing other than normal servicing and a replacement EGR Valve (which I got 2nd hand for €80). However this year, coming up to it's NCT - it felt very sluggish and struggling for power. Then the Engine Mgmt light came on. Dropped it into get a pre-NCT Service and asked my guy to take it for a spin, something didn't feel right and investigate the EML. Turned out the Cat was semi-blocked and needed replacing (approx €200) + a CV joint needed doing (€60) but worst of all the clutch was starting to go (€400) ... at that point - it was time for the scrap yard.

Got €102 scrap value ... sad to see it go ... but more than got my money's worth from it.

Del2005

2lazytogetup wrote: »

When do you decide to put your car out of its misery and get a replacement?


My story:


So much of my car has gone wrong over the last few months - new gaskets, suspension, brakes to name a few.

The garage recommend that i get rid of it before something else goes wrong.

But surely with all those replacements parts, its like im driving a partly-new car and worth more than what id sell it on for ?

And if i buy a replacement for 2-3k euros, am i just buying an equivalent car that has had trouble that someone in my same position is doing.

If you're after putting that much in recently and are taking of disposal I'm assuming it's not a new or valuable car, it's a better idea to keep driving till it actually dies than before as it could last year's. In the money you're looking to spend the risk of a lemon increases, so stick with what you know till it dies.

If you have space to keep a car off the road start looking for a replacement now and then you can be picky instead of needing a car in a hurry.

For Forks Sake

Suspension and brakes will need work on all cars at some point.....

26000 Elephants

It all comes down to budget, replacement cost and personal preference..

Whats your annual car budget? Or do you just PAYG? If you pay as you go, its very hard to decide whether its cheaper to keep or ditch your car.

How much is it going to cost to replace it? If you need to spend 2 grand on a replacement, can you afford it? Could you afford a little less and keep your current car going?

As for personal preference - its down to things like Are you sick of your car, do you fancy a change, etc. But that costs money, so we are back to point 1 again.

So its all about the money. If you can afford a new(er) car, go for it. If not ( or you would rather spend the money on a decent house, a holiday or whatever) look after your current car.

If you have let your car run down a bit, then it couldstart getting expensive/not worthwhile, but if you've looked after it well and its still presentable, then hang on to it.