When/how to decide that car maintenance cost is too much, and it's time for a new one?
Posted by Sea-Communication-98@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 33 comments
I have a 2009 Hyundai Elantra with 133,000 miles. I have taken good care of it. This past inspection I had to put in $3,500 for leaking car axle type of stuff, and new tires. 6months before that I had to change the timing belt which was at least 1,000.
I've flushed the transmission fluid at least once, want to do again around 150,000. And I want to say your typical misc. stuff (oil changes, flats, etc.) equates to at least 1K per year on average. For example, not every year by the window motor went a year back and that labor intensive job was around $800.
Let's be real, new cars are expensive. The answer to not spend 3,500 is not to spend 30,000 and take out a loan and all that.
Am I ok to keep my existing car and just go with the flow? I love the car.
Is there any remote possibility of selling at a decent price if I show the receipts of all this recent work done?
How many miles would you predict before it's won't be drivable - 200K? less?
Overall, just want to hear your experience on how it went with keeping your older car, did you regret it? Vice versa if you are on the side of just buying new and putting the maintenance cost to that new car if you're talking about a 5K job? To much, to little?
Would love to hear a Car enthusiast's or mechanics opinion on the matter.
ExcellentWinner7542@reddit
Just an old "rule-of-thumb" was $135 per month set aside for maintenance on 10 year old cars without a warranty.
sytydave@reddit
š how did you come up with $135/month or 1620 per year for maintenance?
ExcellentWinner7542@reddit
It's an old number we used when I did fleet management
Simple-Worry-4620@reddit
I wouldnāt compare one repair bill to the price of a new car. That makes replacement look worse than it is or repair look better than it is depending on the month.
Iād compare:
If the car is mostly wear items and you still trust it, keep driving it.
If it starts needing major engine/transmission work, has rust, or you no longer trust it to get you where you need to go, thatās when replacement starts making sense.
jon13000@reddit
When itās time for tires.
scream4cheese@reddit
I thought transmission flushes werenāt necessary for high mileage cars or flushes in general especially if itās been maintained during its lifetime.
You can do your own maintenance like brake pads, oil changes, coolant change and etc. that would save you lots of money.
Longjumping-Log1591@reddit
Gotta have a 2025 or 2026 for social status
cizmainbascula@reddit
You do realize a new car will still require maintenance, right?
Ancient-Way-6520@reddit
To a certain extent it's usually going to be cheaper to repair, but that's just from a financial viewpoint. You have to consider the inconvenience of having it in the shop more frequently as well.
Spiritual_Lunch996@reddit
Agreed. The thresholds for me are what you mentioned (significant inconvenience) and trust. When I no longer trust that a vehicle will consistently get me where I need to go without issue, it's time for a new(er) car.
Tony-cums@reddit
Hyundai. 133k. Itās past time for that thing.
enrik3_1@reddit
why are we acting like early 2010s hyundais are unreliable? cheap as hell and not exactly comfortable, sure. but it's not like the engine gonna explode like the theta IIs from almost a decade later, assuming it was well taken care of. is it gonna nickel and dime him? sure, like most 133k miles cars would, but from a financial perspective it's always gonna be cheaper to pay for maintanance. The car should last him 200k miles as long as he keeps repairing it... now whether he wants to spend time and effort doing that is another thing.
Fun_Mastodon3230@reddit
While what is junk is subjective I think itās fair to say early 2010s Hyundais were a lot better than 1980s and 1990s. The Excel was a really poorly made car and Hyundai had to work hard to overcome the reputation of that thing. but it was cheap to buy!
Tony-cums@reddit
Our definitions differ. Theyāre still junk even those years.
Fun_Mastodon3230@reddit
When repairs cost more than the carās value I start thinking about ditching the car. but a 3k repair that keeps the car on the road for 2 years might be worth it even if the car is only worth 3k.
However, if the car seems to be falling apart, thatās a sign itās time to ditch it. I had a car that was wonderful but it was old, had high milage and was staring to go to the shop every month; that is inconvenient to say the least.
finally if a car is really old it likely isnāt nearly as safe as a newer car.
I think repairing the car is usually a wise financial choice, but there can be other reason to buy a newer car or a used car that is in better condition.
J-Rag-@reddit
All the things you mentioned is pretty typical for a vehicle with some age. Nothing out of the ordinary at all. My biggest issue with this is that it's an old Hyundai. Hyundai/Kia has always been a low quality brand that isn't known for reliability. Some say the Beta engine is a really good long lasting bulletproof engine. So it might be worth it for you to keep driving it around and just doing the routine older vehicle repairs, it might be worth selling because it's a Hyundai.
curi0us_carniv0re@reddit
Could you get a better / more reliable car for the money you spend on keeping your current one running? If not then it's worth it.
Unless it's something that's gonna ultimately lead to the car being undrivable...like severe rust you need to weigh the cost vs what you can afford and what's best for your budget not what the car is worth.
I've put a new engine in a car that was worth less than that cost but would have cost more to replace with something equivalent.
3.5 years later I still drive it every day..š¤·š»āāļø
Talentless_Cooking@reddit
I recently heard something that made so much sense, drive the car you're willing to take care of. Clearly you're taking care of it, keep going until the parts aren't available. This car will never have a good resale value, so as long as you like to, drive it and care for it.
secondrat@reddit
Keep driving it. If the engine or transmission needs to be replaced thatās when you dump it.
Or just before it hits 200k miles. Or not.
Portland420informer@reddit
I just called around and got quoted $950 for a transmission drain and fill and four new spark plugs installed. I decided it was time do the maintenance myself and save $850.
Mysterious_Mouse_388@reddit
new cars need maintenance too. tries, brakes, oil changes etc are going to be a part of you life before the new car stops feeling new. and long before the car payments stop.
A used EV can really cut down on the maintenance and monthly expenses.
I did a clutch job while waiting for the car I ordered to be delivered. that stung.
Equana@reddit
At this point it isn't about when you can sell it for... It is about your threshold of financial pain to pay for repairs.
And rust... always rust. If you live where rust is not a problem, you can keep that thing running for a while yet.
When the engine pops or the tranny drops, that spend may be the end.
I have a 22 year old Chevy SUV with 158K on it... Runs great, the AC works but rust is gonna kill her.
Sea-Communication-98@reddit (OP)
Great feedback. Makes me think i should have added here that right before the OG warranty expired, my AC crapped out, and they had to replace the compressor. So yea I'm liking my new compressor at 90-100K miles on a 133K mile car!
Equana@reddit
Mine crapped at 130K. My wife's Audi died at 40K.. bit it was always a Florida car.
SailingSpark@reddit
Your best bet is not to buy new, but one a year or two old. Let somebody else take the depreciation, but keep still new enough for a warranty.
VoidingSounds@reddit
Really depends on the car. There are a lot of cars where 1-2yr/\~25k mi cars are within 10% of the new price. In that case I'd just spend an extra $3k and buy new because it probably comes with cheaper financing and double the time under-warranty.
jrileyy229@reddit
You should not have put that last 3500 into it.. it's not worth that. Don't be chasing sunken cost fallacy.
Cars are built to go to 100k miles. To go from 100 to 200 is going to keep piling up bills... as you're seeing.Ā Even if the motor and trans last, you will be replacing every other component on the car between now and 200k.
You either sell it now for a couple grand... Or you drive it to the next major need and then you scrap it.
Or, you commit to learning to wrench on it yourself... If you have anywhere safe to do so. Ā Your axle job... Pair of axles is $200 on rock auto and will take you a Saturday. Versus you paid $2500 for retail parts and labor.
_Jakebrake_@reddit
Iād only do that much maintenance on a car thatās worthy of it an old Hyundai is not that. Iāve put ~$4500 into my 2011 C30 but I think itās a car worthy of keeping in tip top shape if I were you Iād look for something newer or more reliable or at the very least if you donāt really care much about cars get yourself something they made a million of like a Honda civic cause then at least parts should be a little cheaper and much more available. At the end of the day though if you love your car no matter what it is youāll do what it takes to keep it alive so I canāt really answer this question cause I donāt know how you feel about your car.
tacobellgittcard@reddit
Not everyone wants to/is able to do this, but I do everything I can myself and hang on until the wheels fall off (figuratively). Iāve done a good amount of maintenance to my wifeās car myself which saves thousands and itās going strong at 250,000. Sometimes it sucks but I regret absolutely nothing. If you arenāt able to do any basic maintenance yourself, maybe start looking into a newer car pretty soon to avoid headaches w/ frequent repair bills and more time in the shop
Sunkjones@reddit
If you like it keep driving it, no reason to upgrade unless you have to do a huge repair that is maybe worth more than the car, or you just want something new which is ok.
Renaissance-man-7979@reddit
It's always cheaper to maintain the wear parts like brakes, tires, suspension, etc. than replace the car. Your insurance increases, registration fees, you pay taxes, etc. I'd try for 200K and if your engine goes early oh well you did your best. The best hack is learning to do brakes and suspension yourself with some basic tools. I've paid a mechanic maybe twice in the last 10 years and we currently have 5 cars and a motorcycle.
SeasonalBlackout@reddit
I'd make that decision when they recommended putting $3500 into a car that is worth less than $3500.
Now I'd drive it until there's another big issue.
Sad-Celebration-7542@reddit
Iād have bought a new one. A new Corolla isnāt $30k. More like $24k. Maybe $28k for a hybrid. Depreciation on a reliable, cheap new car is incredibly reasonable. I like to think of it as a labor cost saving measure - itās so productive on a labor cost basis to build a new car. A used car uses more labor to fix and whether itās 5 years or 15 years old, the labor is the same cost!