When is the right moment to get rid of your old car?

SGT(P) Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:53:43 -0500

I've had more than 10 cars in my life and I can't recall selling one of them at the right moment. I've never have a brand new, 0 miles car, they all have been old beaten cars. Some of them were in good shape when I got them and started to give mechanical problems until a point that I couldn't keep up with the fixes. Other were bought with the hopes of fixing them but never worked out. I've sold all my cars at "smelly fish price", after I could get any profit out of them.

Now my car, after 15 years and 219k miles on the road is starting to have some issues, nothing serious, worn shocks and struts, EGR valve need replacement and a noise coming from the right front caliper that I can't find what it is. All this fixes would be less than $600, going really high, but I don't know if it would be a good idea to invest that kind of money in a car that I payed $2k for. I don't want to get stuck with the car if the time of use is starting to show off it signs.

When is the right moment to get rid of your "Old Peter" and get a "new" one?
When I say new I mean new for you and not necessarily out of the dealership.

Response by SSG Audwin Scott made Nov 4 at 2015 9:56 AM

SSG Audwin Scott — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 09:56:26 -0500

When you can no longer afford to maintain it.

Response by MSgt Daniel Attilio made Nov 4 at 2015 10:21 AM

MSgt Daniel Attilio — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 10:21:14 -0500

Once the cost of maintenance exceeds the expense of a newer car it is time to swap.
For me, my truck is 11 years old (with <78000 miles) and I have no intent on replacing as long as she functions as designed. Replacing the engine would be cheaper than a new car for me, new trucks are in the 40K range and my priority is to save for an airplane. I plan on driving this one till it can go no more.

Response by SSG (ret) William Martin made Nov 4 at 2015 3:06 PM

SSG (ret) William Martin — Wed, 04 Nov 2015 15:06:42 -0500

You need to decide if you want to buy another car and maybe pay thousands (I don't know your financial situation) or do you want to pay a thousand for repairs.

Response by LCDR Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 5 at 2015 9:13 AM

LCDR Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 09:13:02 -0500

Before it gets washed into a pond during a flood.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 5 at 2015 12:34 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 12:34:54 -0500

Have you tried removing the calipers and, using some sandpaper going in circles all around the rotor? Also, dust in the calipers can make them have squealing noises. I used to be a front end and brake mechanic and those things were found out to be the cause of noise. Now, if you a dishonest mechanic, you'll be told you need an entire disc break repair. I worked for Brake Check for a while and when someone came in with a leaking master cylinder, the manager would put a kit in it, sand it, paint with black paint and sell it as a new master cylinder. I didn't last long there because I refused to be a thief.

Response by Sgt Kelli Mays made Nov 5 at 2015 6:09 PM

Sgt Kelli Mays — Thu, 05 Nov 2015 18:09:45 -0500

Before it breaks down and falls apart. lol :-) No, but seriously...when it starts costing you more to maintain it then it's worth, time for it go....well Actually you should probably get rid of it before it gets this far.

Response by SPC Private RallyPoint Member made Nov 18 at 2015 8:26 PM

SPC Private RallyPoint Member — Wed, 18 Nov 2015 20:26:48 -0500

Private party, your best bet is a few months after tax season. During tax refund time, it's seller's market. A large number of people have several grand, so prices temporarily swing the seller's way.

If you are going for a new car, the end of the year is best. Most manufacturers roll out new model year cars between September and December. What this does is cause dealerships to drop prices on previous year models that are still new.

For instance, I looked into getting a new car last year. A brand new 2015 Civic was about $17K, how wanted it spec'd. However, a brand new 2014 of similar specs was about $13K.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 24 at 2019 1:31 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 24 Jun 2019 01:31:41 -0400

Your fixes sound minor, ride it till it's dead and get your moneys worth, I never owned a brand new car until I was in my 40's, I learned how to fix my cars and benefited from not paying someone to fix it, which cost the most to fix any car, "Labor". I once bought a used old dodge for $900 and drove it for 11 years, until I met my wife and she killed it, "I still have my wife". Lol
Bought a used 14 year old Jeep last year, and fixed the mechanical and painted it myself, with all the experience I learned through out the years fixing my own cars.