When to cut your losses on a car?

uncle-mofo

My 2008 golf is starting to give me hassle, I've spent 500 on wheel bearings and abs sensors in the past month, and I think the DMF could be starting it's death rattle.

Is there a general rule of thumb to follow on when to cut your losses and start looking for a new car? I love the car to drive but the expenses are starting to add up and it seems like it's beginning to become a false economy to fix.

ShadowHearth

uncle-mofo wrote: »

My 2008 golf is starting to give me hassle, I've spent 500 on wheel bearings and abs sensors in the past month, and I think the DMF could be starting it's death rattle.

Is there a general rule of thumb to follow on when to cut your losses and start looking for a new car? I love the car to drive but the expenses are starting to add up and it seems like it's beginning to become a false economy to fix.

My rule of thumb is: when its costing a good lash more, then its worth, then its time to cut it out. Or when you start to see a trend of bits just falling apart one by one. Usually you think: "okay, just fix this one more thing and its sorted", you need to say it third time, I usually start thinking of change.

selectamatic

Wheel bearings and abs sensors are trivial enough tbh and a dmf will last a nice while yet if it is indeed starting to rattle a touch.

If ya wanna change ya wanna change but don't rush into anything anyways and give your next purchase plenty of thought and do lots of research.

Toyotafanboi

It depends on how long you've had the car and various other things.

A ten year old car can only be expected to need a few additional repairs from time to time and relatively speaking repairs don't fall in price at the same rate as the value of the car which people always find galling.

If you've had the car a long time and are otherwise happy with it, it's almost always better to repair at whatever the cost unless you intend to change to a new or nearly new car as any second hand car you buy coming from an unknown source can be facing into sizable maintenance items in the short to mid term future and it has the same level of mechanical failure unpredictability as the car you already have, so you'll have spent a few grand changing car and be no better off.

Agricola

If I've had 2 or 3 significant fixes to do on it and it's looking like more are coming down the line, I'll be thinking of getting shut of it because the value of the car is too low to stick with it.

Had a Freelander couple of years back. Was my first jeep, loved the high driving position, the huge boot and the fact you could go almost anywhere with the 4wd, but the over the course of a few months I had a visit from almost all the noted freelander gremlins and was spending a lot of time pricing parts online. The last straw was a couple of injectors starting to pack in. Couldn't be doing with the constant bills and unreliability.

cocoman

uncle-mofo wrote: »

My 2008 golf is starting to give me hassle, I've spent 500 on wheel bearings and abs sensors in the past month, and I think the DMF could be starting it's death rattle.

Is there a general rule of thumb to follow on when to cut your losses and start looking for a new car? I love the car to drive but the expenses are starting to add up and it seems like it's beginning to become a false economy to fix.

How many km on it?

uncle-mofo

cocoman wrote: »

How many km on it?

156,000 miles

kyote00

Its the hope that kills you ...

selectamatic wrote: »

Wheel bearings and abs sensors are trivial enough tbh and a dmf will last a nice while yet if it is indeed starting to rattle a touch.

If ya wanna change ya wanna change but don't rush into anything anyways and give your next purchase plenty of thought and do lots of research.

Grolschevik

I've a 17 year old car, only about 95k on it, that I've had since new. To me, it's worth throwing a few hundred a year at it in repairs, rather than spending a couple of grand on a used car that I don't know at all, as I trust my mechanic and know my car.

There might come a day, but I resent the idea of scrapping a currently well running car.

No major issues with insurance renewal the last couple of years either...

eoinzy2000

uncle-mofo wrote: »

156,000 miles

156k miles and repairs starting to be needed. Thats a 'get rid' scenario if ive ever heard. Depends on your finances and if you know whats coming.. done the same a while back to a car with 150k or so. Good time to upgrade i reckon

cocoman

It's really hard to know what to do.
I recently got rid of my 08 focus. It wasn't giving any trouble but had 250k miles done so I suppose at that mileage it could start giving trouble. I looked after it we so chances are it will keep going another while.
My OH changed her car recently so I now have that which is a year older but less mileage (120k).
Again this car has been well minded since it was bought new.

landers22

imagine a 10 yr old golf is as good as scrap

Mooooo

Grolschevik wrote: »

I've a 17 year old car, only about 95k on it, that I've had since new. To me, it's worth throwing a few hundred a year at it in repairs, rather than spending a couple of grand on a used car that I don't know at all, as I trust my mechanic and know my car.

There might come a day, but I resent the idea of scrapping a currently well running car.

No major issues with insurance renewal the last couple of years either...

I assume the low annual mileage helps the insurance but agree with you once a car is running well and you know it's history there should be no need to scrap unless the repairs would cover a good number of repayments on a new(er) car. 10 year old Passat here with 150k miles and the fcukers want a grand to insure it up 400. They won't be getting it

Shannon757

Apologies for the sun link but I think this is a pretty funny case.
https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/3685205/drivers-fury-after-his-14500-skoda-fabia-needed-40000-worth-of-repairs/

hytrogen

Grolschevik wrote:

I've a 17 year old car, only about 95k on it, that I've had since new. To me, it's worth throwing a few hundred a year at it in repairs, rather than spending a couple of grand on a used car that I don't know at all, as I trust my mechanic and know my car.
There might come a day, but I resent the idea of scrapping a currently well running car.
No major issues with insurance renewal the last couple of years either...

I'm the same except with a big engined petrol car which the tax is criminally outrageous. Had a good few niggles the last year but it was a year of a lot of milage through work, it's still under 100k and I'm only using it for long haul trips so I'm planning on keeping it going for the summer then go down to two wheels or her car for the rest of the year unless absolutely needed.. I wouldn't get any for it on trade as there's no market here anymore for anything over 2l engines. Next will be an electric but when the range is guaranteed over 500miles and then this one will be a weekend cruiser

hytrogen

landers22 wrote:

imagine a 10 yr old golf is as good as scrap

Scallyrally?

biko

There is no general rule.